Words-Art Jefferson
Photography-Roger Denison and Jon Marc O’Kins
Pioneers from Detroit established the modern ground for what would be considered the futuristic sounds of techno. However, many of these legendary producers were influenced by some of the old abstract and spaced out jazz, funk and soul records, just to name a few, which also contributed to their production aesthetic. Appian may be in his early 20’s, however, similar to those who came before him, he taps into various styles of music to form a futuristic melting pot of techno, house, funk and Hip-Hop. Beginning his production journey at the age of 13, Appian experimented with various samples, synth plug ins and old computers to initially lay down rhythms that would pop up in his head. He eventually learned sound mixing, deejaying and began to progress musically as a producer. After relocating to Ann Arbor to study at the University of Michigan and connecting with like minded people, Appian eventually formed his own record label Sly Fox with partner Segv. He is gearing up for the release of the “Slyfox001” vinyl as well as his latest EP “Endomusia” on the Bristol based label Phuture Shock Music. Similar to fellow statesmen such as Kyle Hall, Appian is in the current wave of musical wiz kids that are continuing the legacy of the legends whose aims were to push the sounds forward and progressively.
AJ-Tell me a bit about your musical influences because your sound ranges from space funk, tech, house, Hip-Hop and all things in between.
Appian-My musical influences are always changing. The best way for me to describe it is, in terms of things I listen to consistently. In terms of a Hip-Hop kind of style, I’d say J Dilla, Andres, etc… classic, deep and groovy kind of stuff. With techno, it’s always something different. There are some tracks that can take me somewhere else like it is the year 3000 and I’m on another planet. But I don’t want anything I make to be limited to a certain genre or style.
AJ-Considering that you’re not too far from Detroit, which is the home of techno, do you tap into that Detroit sound for inspiration as well?
Appian-Of course. Detroit is consistently putting out good music, has been and will be doing so probably forever. I’m actually not from Ann Arbor, I just studied there for college.
AJ-You have the “Endomusia” EP on Phutureshock Musik which is based out of Bristol. First, tell me about the name of the EP and how did you link up with that label?
Appian-I actually didn’t come up with the name. The label guy, Jay, sent me the name and I approved it. I linked up with them via Soundcloud and they asked me to send over some of the tracks that I had up on my page.
AJ-You also run your own label, Sly Fox as well correct? Give me a little background on the record company.
Appian-Sly Fox is a brand new project headed by me and Segv aka Gisi. We deejay together occasionally and have known each other for a while. I first met him when we were members of this dance music club at the University of Michigan called MEDMA. A while back we decided that we wanted to put out our own record with our own sound. At the beginning of this year the project became a reality. The website and podcast came about as we were putting together and finalizing the release. We basically decided that we wanted to do something ourselves and it has been a pretty good experience so far.
AJ-While people around the world know the particular sound of Detroit Techno, that city also has music such as Ghetto Tech and more that is actually embedded in the local scene. In Ann Arbor, I would imagine that you get a nice mixture of musical likings, especially with the University of Michigan being there. Is that true?
Appian-That is somewhat true. To be honest, the “scene” for electronic music around here is quite small and sometimes events aren’t all that frequent. Some of the bigger artists will draw large crowds, but most of the time there is only a modest turnout. In spite of this, however, there are plenty of great artists and deejays in the area. I have seen some great shows here that would probably be hard to find in other places.
AJ-Do you play any instruments as well? When listening to “Endomusia”, it has that air of musicianship about it.
Appian-I play some piano and know a small bit of music theory. Most of the time though, I just follow my sounds and try to get the most out of the tools that I use.
AJ-Are there any upcoming releases on Sly Fox and also will you be releasing some of the edits such as “Get On The Floor”?
Appian-The first Sly Fox release is a techno record and has tracks from myself and Segv. It will be available very soon at vinyl outlets and also at our own website, slyfoxrecords.com. I’d say probably no on some of the edits, although I will have one edit-type track coming out on Phuture Shock later on. Keep an eye out for it.