I Am Flux Pavilion, Im lucky enough to write and play music for a living. AMA

Hey Josh, I just thought I'd embarrass you a bit, here's a picture of you and me on our first day in University. Keep up the good work.

cheers dave

Why cant you stop??

ADD

flux pavilion Illustrated

and thats the album cover

.....I can't believe nobody is like.... totally fan-boying out right now. I'm like, giddy inside right now! HI FLUX!!! What are you working on right now?

a song called 'Starlight'

Do you feel annoyed about your song "I cant stop" being used in the kony 2012 campaign now that the video is treated as a joke?

When people first saw the video they thought it was good. Then the Cracks Began To Show.

http://i.imgur.com/Cd6lN.gif

A Lannister paying off his debts, one upvote at a time...

hahaha GOTFTW

he said in an interview that he was asked by someone if they could use it for a video. he accepted and didn't think much about it. one day he saw this kony video and was pretty surprised. this is all i know, please elaborate further or correct me if i'm wrong, flux. keep up your good work. i look forward to see you this summer!

yer thats pretty much the jist of it. I know the video has since got some pretty crazy press, but i still think fundamentally it was for a good cause, and thats all i care about. I met one of the guys from invisible children in LA the other week. He struck me as a really honest guy and didnt give me any reason to doubt their work and what they do (even though i was shamefully dubious initially) what i was most interested in was how, what is essentially a charity can generate swathes of hatred from a promotional video.

What's your opinion on pirating music?

Hey Flux. Fair warning: The only winning move here is not to play...

haha yes i was thinking that . . . . when i have a strong enough opinion and argument to back my views ill get back at you.

right now its not a debate im mentally capable of getting involved in because i can see it from both sides of the wall.

Ill just keep writing the music.

• How long does a track take you on avarage to produce, from scratch to finish?

• Do you mix & master on your own?

• How many of the tracks you start get finished?

• Do you have any advice on getting stuff done, as I always end up with hundreds of projects that I started but never finished?

• How long did it take you until you really liked your own music?

• Is a track ever finished or could you come up with things to change forever?

Thanks for doing this, I'm a big fan ever since! :)

on average i would say 2 months

yer i do it all at home, i dont like the idea of someone else working on my music, especially when the prodcution is such an intricate thing.

haha about 5%

the way i see it, if you dont have the love or energy to finish a track then its not worth it.

ive always liked my own music (the songs that i finish anyway) if you dont like what your making then you cant expect anyone else to!

now this is a good question. Its the hardest thing ever to really finish. Deadlines are worst thing for creativity but they do help, my mate Dillon Francis gives himself a 3 day deadline on every song he writes to kick himself up the arse to get it wrapped up.

Hey, it's my birthday today, and I freaking love you. If you could reply to this, that would make my day.

Happy Birthday Mooseguyman

do you really make your music with a cat?

interestingly a relaxed cat emits a rumble of around 100hz (depending on species) which is perfect for creating a subsonic atmosphere in a breakdown

Can you tell Doctor P to grow out another afro?

its literally my life goal to get that afro back in action, but his girlfriend wont let him . . . . . ill get it sorted dont worry

How'd you get the name?

Flux Pavilion created his name off the sole definitions of both words. Flux meaning the flow or rate of energy, and Pavilion meaning a place where entertainment is held. Put those together and you get exactly what Flux Pavilion is about; more energy that a six year old 2 sodas deep and as much entertainment as watching your boss struggle to finish an ICE.

Thank you kind sir! But I was secretly hoping to be answered by Flux. -_-

he answered better than i would have done!

but yer thats pretty much it!

Did Kanye West and Jay Z approach you and ask to use your song in their song "Who Gon Stop Me"? If so, what was it like to have that experience?

It was pretty amazing

They did ask us and i wasnt sure at first, ive always been a bit of a 'purist' myself and Jay Z and Kanye West to me seemed like popstars.

But i was in NYC and hit up a club in lower eastside with Skrillex and we went in and they were playing michael jackson and stuff, i remember Skril telling me that downstairs was where it all goes down. We went down there and it felt like id just walked into the club scene in 8 Mile, was insane. The DJ was dropping track after track and people were going crazy, Skril kept turning to me and saying 'This is Jay Z' . . .'This is Kanye'

It was then i realised that i had never experienced this music where it was meant to be experienced, and i got it.

walked out of the club and instantly called my management asking if the interest was still there, and we went for it!

If you couldn't produce your music's current genre, what type of music would you make?

You said in an interview you are a fan of Childish Gambino, any chance for a collaboration?

strangely enough it would be ambient Sigur Ros/Eno style stuff.

Flux Pavilion - Music For Airports II

Awww man, a Flux Pavilion and Childish Gambino collaboration would probably make my life.

we are talking

How big is your penis in comparison to Doctor P's?

we actually share the same Penis, everyone in Circus does its about 6 inches long

Hey flux!

• What was the first "Dubstep" track you heard, what did you immidiatly think of it?

• If you had to give some one one track that defined your interpritation of dubstep, what would it be? and is there one that you made?

• Best place to go on tour?

• And what do you think about dubstep evolution and where its going? (F.ex Justin bieber making a dubstep album is rumoured)

• Lastly, remember me?, Best gig i have ever been to in my life!

urm first one i remember is Cockney Thug by Rusko, and if i hadn't of fallen in love with it i wouldnt be on here today.

right here goes . . . for me Skrillex's remix of Hey Sexy Lady really reminded me what i love about dubstep when i heard it, firstly the production is incredibly precise which isnt particularly necessary but very effective, but secondly for me its the amalgamation of ridiculous and abrasive sounds with euphoric and clever composition that embodies what i love about this music.

hmmmmmm Earth? apologies for broadness but i cant choose

well the way i look at is, if the music is still good it doesnt matter who is making it. I cant believe im going to write this, but if Bieber makes a decent song then whats the problem. Of course i understand the impact that an artist like him would have on the scene, and i really hope that the two worlds dont collide in such a way making it uncomfortable for everyone to enjoy the music that they love. But look at it like this, even if an artist like Bieber doesnt write something your into, you dont have to listen to it and the music you do want to listen to WILL still exist.

and yes i do remember you

BRITS ABROAD

Any tips on balancing university and producing? thanks :)

tunes come first, uni replaces sleep, eating is replaced by drinking because its easier to do while working on tunes

As a huge dubstep fan I'd like to say that your two singles "I can't stop" and your remix of Dj Fresh's "Gold Dust" are what single handedly got me into dubstep. Cheers sir!!!

That Gold Dust remix is purely mindblowing.

thank you :)

Does Doctor P stand for Doctor Penis? And what is his degree in?

Doctor Picto

type Shaun (his name) into a nokia 3310 and with predictive text it comes with Picto

1. Do you ever plan on doing VIP's of your older songs?For example I Can't Stop.

2 What DAWs/plugins do you use to produce your music?

I have actually just started playing a VIP of I Cant Stop in my live sets

about to commence an epic US tour this week so keep your eye on youtube and it'll surely pop up in some form or another

What is your dream collaboration?

Dream Collab: Frank Zappa Realistic Collab: Julian Casablancas

What would you say to the people who claim dubstep is not music because it ignores chord progression?

And to the people who say dubstep artist aren't as talented as 'real' music artists?

Fianlly, if someone wanted to get into dubstep, what song would you recomend they listen to first?

Thanks for joining us on Reddit. Keep up the good work.

i would urge those people to listen to a broader selection, personally i dont listen to much dubstep as a hobby due to the excessive amounts i hear when im out, but the reason i keep working with it is because of how diverse and intricate a genre it can be. As far as recommendation goes, i can only tell you something that would be to my tastes but there really is something for everyone, if you go out and look for it. hmmmm still love Nero - Me and You

Hey, could you tell me what software and controllers you use? Thanks!

Cubase Studio 5 and Native Instruments Komplete 8 pretty much covers what i use, i have a little oxygen 25 but i prefer to write with my mouse.

what is the most tempting thing which you shouldn't do, but you do anyway while on tour?

eat burgers, loads and loads of burgers

Saw your last Christchurch gig at Double Happy and was lucky enough to have a chat with you outside for a half hour. I doubt you will remember this as it was a good couple years ago now but still one of my most memorious nights.

I would like to know whether yourself and Dr P will be doing any more experiments getting cats into your kitchen? Also, do you often get smashed on stage? We've all seen Skream+Benga or Rusko completely ripped off their chops at the tables, how do you feel about doing this?

Im the kind of drunk that is pretty much the same but i just laugh a bit more, ive been smashed on many occasions but it only tends to hit me in the last 5 minutes of my set.

1. Which of your songs/remixes are you personally most proud of?

2. Do you produce music with other pseudonyms? I know that you are into hip-hop and you said during your BBC Radio1 take-over that you would still being doing it if it wasn't for dubstep. Why I'm asking is because everything you produce may not fit the fan base of Flux Pavilion, and therefore you don't want to release it as Flux Pavilion! Do you know what I mean? :P

3. Who's you favorite artist and who is your favorite upcoming producer?

4. Do you get alot of sex when you are on tour?

Thanks for this AmA man... I love you

1. Im pretty happy with all of my stuff, i wouldnt let anyone hear it otherwise. Personally pretty proud of I Cant Stop.

2. Yes i know exactly what you mean, with my new album im trying to bridge the gap between my dubstep and the other styles i like to write.

http://www.myspace.com/joshextravaganza

this is what i was writing when i first started dubstep, i believe i finished Bliss just as i was working on Got 2 Know.

1. have too many favorites too mention, listening to Bon Iver, Sigur Ros, Vampire Weekend, The Shins right now. Favorite upcoming producer is a new guy we have just signed to Circus called Brown and Gammon.

2. hahaha i dont sex and tell

Hey Flux! I hope this wont get buried but we'll see I guess.

• What are some of your biggest influences on your music you believe?
• What got you into music?
• What would you do if you had to pick a career not in music?
• How do you typically begin producing a track? do you start with the rhythm or perhaps the melody?
• If you had to start your journey into music all over again, what would you do differently?
• Favorite genre to listen to?
• Least favorite thing about the industry?
• What's the one piece of advice you would give to someone starting out?
• Being the owner of your own record label, how do you typically look into getting new people? Is it more you recruiting them or do a bunch of people send in their work and you pick and choose? (I might be completely wrong here, I'm really not sure how this works)
• Do you have a track you've made that's really popular but you don't care for all that much? (Like how Slash feels about Sweet Child O Mine)
• What are your plans for the future? What dreams do you still have left regarding your music?

Alright, I hope this doesn't get buried. sorry if the questions above have already been asked and believe when I say I have a lot more but I don't want to make this too ridiculous :)

I'm a huge fan of your work, I'm an amateur producer and DJ myself so it's not everyday you get a chance to ask one of your idols anything you want. even if you don't get to answer, just want to let you know I love your work and keep doing what you wanna do ;)

hey man thanks for the love, apologies for short answers here but there are a lot of questions!

1. Listening to other peoples music and watching nature programs
2. A small red casio keyboard
3. A full english breakfast chef
4. I tend to start with a chord progression and see where it goes
5. Nothing so far
6. When business meets creation
7. Enjoy yourself
8. When we sign someone it tends to be because we have been watching their work for a while, meet them and feel that they fit with us and we can help them to get to where they dream of getting.
9. Bass Cannon
10. I want to turn Flux Pavilion into a fully functioning live band!

Hey Flux, massive fan! :D

What upcoming producers should we be looking out for? Personally, I'm surprised Dismantle isn't a household name by now.

In what ways do you think UK bass music, and your own productions, will be changing in the next 5-10 years?

i LOVE Dismantle, he is an absolute staple in my sets right now. I think UK bass music is all in the hands of what people are writing. I dont think anyone expected the strand of dubstep that i was involved in to blow up like it has, and for that reason i dont want to try and predict anything coming up.

What was your inspiration for superbad?

Doctor P's Afro

I've loved Dubstep since I first started listening to it, What's your view on how it's changed and where it's going. Dubstep allstars mixed by N Type is still my fave album, and r00r being one of my favorite tracks from yourself back in the day. Now with every new dj trying to sound like Skrillex i feel as if the genre has lost it's uniqueness and attracted nothing but people who hear it on all the adverts :/

I think the change lies in the perception of the music and not the music itself. I do agree there are 10 million and 1 Skrillex rip offs but with every popular artist there will be imitators. For me the genre is still pretty interesting due to the work of people like Nero, Skrillex (original) Dismantle, Brown and Gammon. All very defined styles that have progressed naturally but you can still hear the artistic core that runs through the body of their work.

Afternoon flux. I'm a gabber/speedcore/breakcore kinda guy myself and have seen the tranformation in dance/rave music over the last 20 odd years. It's always seemed america had a small but dedicated rave scene however it never kicked off big like it did here in the UK. My question is have you any idea as to why dubstep has seemingly taken the country by storm and do you believe it will open up america for a bigger dance movement like we witnessed all those years ago? many thanks

i used to be part of a crew called 'Countryside Alliance Crew' with the wrong music guys Shitmat, Ebola, Judith Priest etc etc

i can remember it like it was yesterday, sitting on top of a huge speaker stack Mc'n over Farmer based jungle throwing root vegetables into the crowd

Who are some of the nice and not-so-nice guys (dj's) in the industry?

Thanks for doing this AMA :)

honestly in the slice of the industry that i work in, i havent come accross anyone that struck me as a dick. The beauty of bass music is that all the producers have come from different backgrounds and created a community, rather than building their way up in a 'scene' and seeing each other as competition

How do you decide what kind of samples you use in your music? Is it music that you enjoy or what? Has there ever been a song you wanted to sample but couldn't? More basically, what kind of music inspires you or are you most interested in?

i think sampling is definitely an art, when i use sample i tend to build a song around the inspiration it gives me, like you would a remix.

check out my mate Mumbo Jumbo, i lived with him for years and he builds alot of his beats exclusively from stuff ripped from records, that is what sampling is all about right there. i know generations of hip hop artists have been doing this for years, but its nice to know that its not a lost art form in this day and age.