The Lowdown || Psy Fi

Get The Lowdown on rising star Psy Fi today with this guest interview by Neon Owl’s Elaine Huang!

Psy Fi has been one of the most exciting artists I’ve come across in the last few years. I first stumbled upon his unique heavy hitting yet melodic bass at Enchanted Forest Gathering last year. I happened to catch all 3 sets at this festival up north, including his legendary close out set in replacement of Minnesota. He has mastered his sound in the last year, coming out with his latest album “TOTALITY” with 9 titles seamlessly crafted into one continuous track. Make sure you catch this bay area native on his TOTALITY AV tour, with the next two stops being in Oakland, CA and Bend, OR.

Listen to Psy Fi’s album Totality on SoundCloud:

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You just kicked off your TOTALITY AV tour with the Arcata show last Friday and Reno this weekend. We heard through the grapevine that the attendance and energy for the first stop in Arcata was off the charts! We also heard that they busted out the new sound system for you! How was that first show to set the tone?

The show was special for so many reasons. I feel like I grew up in Arcata in a lot of ways and to come back “home” and share my project was an incredible feeling. My friends’, Bass Craft, run a sound system up there that knocks harder than any other sound system out there. They brought out the Void Incubus speakers which rarely ever get used considering their size and bass weight.

**Your first few singles on the new album, TOTALITY, have been doing really well. Are your first releases also your favorites? If not, which ones are?**

Totality is an album where all the tracks move into each other like scenes in a movie so each one relies on each other for context. My favorite tune on the album is “Prophets” though. It’s my favorite to play out and the bass rattles really hard in parts. I went through several different versions of the track and felt like I put more work into that one than any other track on the release.

Why did you choose to make a continuous mixed album? Was it difficult to match up all the tracks to blend into one?

I chose to make a continuous mix album because I thought it was the most suitable format for how I wanted to get my story across. A lot of the tracks are inspired by movie scores and in a movie, the soundtrack usually flows throughout uninterrupted. I wanted to capture that voice and feeling.

Grab your copy of Totality HERE!

Why did you decide to do this audio/visual tour? We have had a peek at the visuals and they are super sick. Which VJ have you been collaborating with?

I approached presenting the album live in a similar way that I thought of the continuous mix idea. Since a lot of my music is inspired by movies, I figured a heavily visual show that gives the listener/viewer an insight into my own head would bridge the audio/visual gap. The stage was built by a dear friend, Dumps. He fabricated the whole stage in his shop and put so much passion into the project. I couldn’t ask to work with a better partner on this project. We both learned an immense amount about graphic design, video and stage building. It has been a real treat.

Where do you find your inspirations from?

I get a lot of my inspiration from contemporary classical music, movie scores, and architecture. I find that having non-electronic music influences helps make unique music because I’m not drawing inspiration from something that is similar to the final product. I am using multiple senses to allow inspiration to flow through. I also listen to a lot of podcasts on time management and intention. I try my hardest to go into the studio with a complete idea f what I want to make based on a feeling, a visual aesthetic, and a tonal voice.

Who are some of your favorite artists that you find inspiration from?

A favorite artist of mine for a while has been Au5. He is a ridiculously talented producer. I actually have a remix coming out for him in May and its a dream come true. I think he also visual inspiration for sounds. A composer I have been really into recently is Max Richter. He is from Germany and is on this incredible classical label called Deutsche Grammophon that has been around for literally 120 years. He makes a lot of very emotionally evocative music.

Who would be a dream collab for you?

I would love to collaborate with Kronos Quartet or a philharmonic orchestra. That would be my dream. I want to collaborate with people outside my genre and make interesting exciting music. If I could collaborate with any electronic artist it would probably be Seven Lions. I’m pretty obsessed.

You have been in the scene for a while now. What is something you see artists like yourself struggling the most with?

Something I’ve struggled with for a long time is recognizing the indicators that something is distracting me from my dreams and vision. Being an artist is one of the hardest paths to take because the only person you are competing against is yourself and often we like to compare ourselves to others. I’ve learned that this only distracts and will hinder your ability to be 100% genuine with your music. A book I cannot recommend enough is “The War of Art: Break through the blocks and win your inner creative battles.” My girlfriend turned me onto it and it is an essential tool for any artist.

What’s next for Psy Fi?

After spending all last year working on an album with a very singular vision, I am trying to collaborate and work with as many new people as possible. I want to get really good at mixing vocals and I have several projects in the works with some of my favorite vocalists. ;) I’ll be releasing several singles over the summer and fall. I will also be making some appearances at a few select festivals this summer. My first festival of the summer is Enchanted Forest in northern California.