Axel Boy is breaking barriers with his euphoric and melodic take on the bass scene. After successfully taking his sound across the pond in the USA he is now set on establishing his signature sounds within the UK, Europe and Asia with continual delivery of dancefloor melting belters, mixing with fluidity between House, Dubstep, Drum & Bass.
With over 57 million streams on Spotify, Bristol based Axel Boy is a force to be reckoned with amongst the underground bass music scene. Presenting a perfect crossover whilst never sacrificing this for his sound, he’s inserted himself within a variety of genres, from dubstep through to bassline, and now drum & bass through his forthcoming debut with Viper Recordings. And with nearly two decades in the game, it’s no small feat for the label and artist to join forces, once more highlighting the influence both parties have whilst dropping groundbreaking cuts onto their prospective fan bases.
Fellow bristolian Ruth Royall links up with Axel Boy for the upcoming single ‘Oxygen’ and she’s also racked up a phenomenal number of DSP streams as she’s made her presence known within the drum & bass world – something which saw her receive the best vocalist nomination at the Drum & Bass Arena Awards. Already boasting collaborations with the likes of Mollie Collins, Grafix, Pola & Bryson, Ekko & Sidetrack and her work with Paper Dragon, she makes a welcome return to the Viper roster alongside Axel Boy.
Hi Axel Boy! How are you doing? Also, where does the name “Axel Boy” come from?
Hey! I’m doing great, thank you. Well, a little tired, last Monday I got back from the first leg of my tour in France and the USA, then went straight to Glastonbury – so I’m still recovering!
The name is a slight anagram of my actual name, being Alex Joyce, so Axel Boy was a moniker I came up with – without much thought when I was younger, it’s almost become an alter-ego!
Take us back to the beginning, how did you find your passion for producing electronic music?
I’ve always loved electronic music, I grew up listening to Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers etc. Then I got hugely into happy hardcore at a young age, this introduced me to a whole world of electronic melodies! When I was about 14, I got my first HI-Fi with a sub. The first tune I played was “Original Nuttah” by Shy FX, that’s where my love for bass music properly began!
You have over 10 years’ experience of working within electronic dance music. What are your favourite elements within your recent releases that still call back to/are heavily drawn from the original inspiration behind the “Axel Boy” project?
It’s been that long huh! Definitely feels like it.
I’ve had some great times and experiences. Working with Jauz on “Ill Routine” EP was definitely a huge highlight for me. Skrillex supporting my dubstep stuff back in 2016 was also huge for me.
All of my music takes inspiration from my early days, as you can tell my music is fairly melodic, touching on the inspiration from happy hardcore back in the day. But I’ve always had heavy inspiration from early 2010’s D&B, I try to incorporate as much vibe from those days in all of my tracks, especially noticeable in the intros.
You released your debut DnB single “Oxygen” through legendary Viper Recordings. Could you share the creative process behind about this single?
This track was started during last year’s lockdown, I wasn’t listening to much lower tempo bass stuff, I was on a massive dancefloor D&B wave at the time. I wanted to take influence from some of my favourite artists in that sound such as Metrik and Sub Focus, so I spent some time really trying to nail that dancefloor sound.
I really wanted to write something super emotional and uplifting, rather than focusing too much on crazy bass synths and over the top processing. I’m super happy with how the demo transpired. Having support from Viper was incredibly insightful and they really helped wrap up the track to get it sounding as good as it does now!
The “Oxygen” single includes the collaboration with Ruth Royall. How did you end up working with her?
Once the original demo was completed I linked up with Ruth who I already work with very closely and she absolutely nailed it with the topline!
We both share the same management, so we’ve worked on a few projects together in the past, this is our first real release together so we’re both really excited to finally show the world what we’ve been working on!
What is the favorite song you have ever made?
That is such a tough one, I can’t really answer that question. This track is up there, but “I Dare You” with Jauz was a big one for me. “Magnetism” was also a highlight from my wobbly dubstep days. “Feel It Deep” was probably my favourite release in the bassline sound!
Covid time and restrictions are finally set to ease. How did you adjust to living in a completely different time mentally and physically? Was it hard for you?
It was very tough, for me and for everyone. I spent my time trying to elevate my production and work on other styles – this release is a result of that exploration!
I also used my time to also start a Patreon where I worked closely with many other producers and helped them improve their sound, this is something I still maintain and was a real positive that came from that tough period.
Would you like to share something with the followers of Let the Bass Get You?
I really hope you guys enjoy my first proper D&B label release! There is much more to come from me in this sound and I can’t wait to share it with you all.
You can catch me on tour this summer in the USA and I’ll be back to Europe for more shows after!
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