Flux Pavilion Interview

Joshua Steele is better known as Flux Pavilion – and for good reason. His original releases like ‘Double Edge’ and ‘I Can’t Stop’ are some of the hottest in the world, while his live energy is second to none, earning him spots on the line-up of Glastonbury, Coachella and EDC Vegas. Having set electronic fans into a frenzy with the release of debut album, ‘Tesla’, you could say 2015’s been Flux’s year. We got to know the man behind the music a little better.

Hi Josh, how’s life treating you?
Very well, thank you. The skies in London are grey and it gets dark at 4pm – my kind of weather.

Where in the world are you right now?
Sitting in the chair at my hairdresser’s – Butchers on Hackney Road

2015’s been a big year for you having released your debut album, ‘Tesla’; what did you want it to say about Flux Pavilion?
The main concept was defining Flux Pavilion to myself. It’s interesting to be living in an industry that changes every day; it was nice to try and define a point in time that collects all of my ideas from the past few years and all my ideas for the next few years.

How did you come to work with Matthew Koma on ‘Emotional’? Who approached whom?
I met Matthew in Miami and we stayed in touch about working together over a number of years. I’m a huge fan of his writing and was just waiting for the perfect song.

You followed the album release with a mammoth US tour. What have you had in store for ticket-holders?
My set has been mainly about presenting the album in its own environment. A lot of the music was written as I was playing it out so the live experience is a big part of the process; I also played some guitar and sang a little just to make it different every night.

How do you cope with the demands of touring? Do you have any rituals?
I’m a pretty quiet guy for the most part so I tend to find as much relaxation as I can. Before I go on I like to collect my thoughts and take a deep breath. Performing for me happens on stage, the rest of the time I prefer to hang back.

How does your solo tour compare with touring with the Circus crew?
I tend to bring the Circus guys with me a lot of the time as they are my favourite artists as well as people, but it’s great when we can all get together and hang – normally ends with me laughing till I can’t breath!

You’ve commented previously about your love of electronic music rather than dance music. Who are you championing in electronic right now? Who would you suggest we look out for?
It kind of is one and the same; I’m kinda more of the school of thought that doesn’t define music with words but defines feelings with sounds. I’m currently listening to Rustie’s and Grimes’ new records. Our new signing to Circus, Diskord, are really working it right now and the new Engine Earz album is amazing.

What was your first ever club night or festival experience?
The first show I ever went to was the Prodigy; I took my shirt off and danced as hard as I could. It was really empowering to experience so much freedom surrounded by people and it was the music that gave me that. I’ve always aimed to give as many other people that experience as I can.

What experiences do you use to inspire and influence your work?
Just vague feelings, I try to trust my guts as much as possible and even if my head tells me someone “isn’t good enough” my gut sometimes said otherwise. It’s easy to overthink a groove.

What shows stand out for you in 2015?
The EDC shows this year have been amazing. It’s kind of over the top and fabulous, which are high on my list of loves.

And what can we expect from you in 2016?
I’m in the studio working on so much more music, so I’m anticipating releasing a lot next year, which means more touring too!