FoxxyNewport

Foxxy Newport’s 2013 single “BLVCKLODGE” was an intriguing club number; beyond the titular Twin Peaks reference and the excellent production and programming from Forrest Carney (better known as Mr.Kitty) there was a strong sense that Newport was tapping into a rising tide of new dark synth music. That song’s heady amalgam of darkwave, electropop and modern disco, assembled with an ear to accessibility and the dancefloor pervades his first LP Neutral, a record at least partially interesting because it acknowledges that the audience for dark music and aesthetics is pretty broad in 2015.

Mr.Kitty is on board for production throughout Neutral, and a goodly portion of the album isn’t too far the dancefloor oriented numbers from his last couple releases. The collaboration between Newport and Kitty feels like a fairly natural one, between the hooky title track and the exceptional single “Stars”, those looking for a continuation of the thread of new popular darkness from “BLVCKLODGE” should be plenty satisfied by them. Foxxy sounds really at home on these numbers, the emotional timbre of his vocals tempered by processing that ranges from subtle doubling to the openly warped on “Confidence”.

Where the record really feels most unique though is in the moments when it draws in musical elements from further afield. The subtle vocal house touches and speedily rapped vocal on “Emotions” make for an intriguing blend with the established mode of the album, like a queer club anthem by way of synthwave and Hi-NRG (the latter comparison feeling especially relevant to the lead on “Rebirth”). “Sado” and “Leather” double down on the bass, the arch delivery effected by Newport mirroring the slightly more risqué lyrical themes that distinguish the album’s music for dancing from the music for grinding.

Neutral is by and large a breezy and fun listen, mostly because it’s main concern seems to be delivering a set of to enjoy songs. Between the sugary sweetness of the hooks and the brief runtime, it’s an easy album to get, but also contains some important signifiers about the state of dark club music. Where the success of artists like TR/ST and Purity Ring has made the broad appeal of candidly emotional synth music abundantly clear, artists like FoxxyNewport are tapping into still more ways that it can be hybridized and tied into neighbouring styles effectively, putting the lie to provincial attitudes about genre.

Buy it. - I Die: You Die

FOXXYNEWPORT

GOLDEN BOY PRESS INTERVIEW #264

FoxxyNewport shocked us with not only his unique dark style, but also his sound. It’s hard to pinpoint the influences that have shaped his music, because we personally think that there are few to none. It’s a rare thing to find an artist that stays so true to the sound they invented and kept pushing it until it’s heard. He might not have any influences, but we’re sure that he’s influenced some other artists in the underground culture scene. In this discussion we talk about the name that started it all, the importance of being happy and authentic, and finally we discuss his debut LP, “Neutral”. We hope you enjoy his passionate work as much as we do here at GBP!

Could you introduce yourself?
I am the voice inside your head that comforts you when things are dark.

Why music? What sparked your passion for this medium of expression?
Music was always a dream of mine. I never thought I could ever make it. I wasn’t born with a strong voice, so as a child I studied acting instead to heal that craving for performance and creativity, but music was always the dream. Music is an audible form of emotions, nothing is as beautiful as that.

How did the name FoxxyNewport come about?
The name itself started as a joke between friends, but the Fox is my spirit animal. Foxes are able to spot deceit, find their way around in trying times, and thrive in the night time. Admittedly I love the occasional pack of Newports as well.

What’s your life philosophy? How do you try to apply that to your work?
To me the only thing we’re born into is the right to pursue our happiness and the right to be authentic. There are few things as authentic as one’s art. Every song comes from the heart, it comes from a personal experience somewhere. My goal is to make these narratives relatable to other people. You are not alone.

Could you tell us one change you would like to see in the music world?
People are so invested in doing what’s “hip” and “current” that they lose focus. Less is more. Some of the best synth-pop records of our time have minimal lyrics, simple chord progression, and a consistent focus. If you make music to make people feel things, all you need is authenticity and focus. If you make music to make people dance, all you need is a strong groove. Things don’t always have to be blown out of proportion, ya know?

You have a very specific style, in music and image. Have you always had this bold style?
I have not actually. I’ve had this name for years, but it wasn’t until 2014 when the “BLVCKLODGE” EP was released that things began to take shape. I owe my mentor and main producer Mr.Kitty that. He believed in me and gave me the tools to pursue my truest artistic expression.

Do you mind telling us about your newest LP, “NEUTRAL”? What inspired it?
“Neutral” is very near and dear to me. Originally the album was going to have a very different focus. Mr.Kitty contacted me a few months after “BLVCKLODGE” was released and said he wanted to make an album that could best be described as “Bondage Music”. He didn’t feel that his project was the best platform for that, but thought I could take that on. I agreed, as at the time I was going through a sexual renaissance and it seemed fitting. However things in life changed. I started crumbling under the stress of my brother’s passing and my father’s impending jail sentence. I didn’t have a day off between my day job and classes and found no enjoyment in life. I was priced out of San Francisco, a city I fought tooth and nail to call home for over two years on my own dime. For a time it was looking more and more likely that the streets were going to be my home. I fell into a deep pit of loneliness and depression. As such, I wanted to make an album that could fit both sides of that spectrum. Sex was healing for me, sadness was very real. It was time to create narratives out of this and give the world something different. Give the queer community something else. Give them a popstar who had a sense of understanding to some of their struggles. This album saved my life. I cried, screamed, and broke down while recording it.

Could you walk us through the process of making one of your tracks?
Believe it or not, Mr.Kitty and I actually communicated very distantly for the project. He mostly got song titles and lyrics and interpreted them in his own way, I then retooled lyrics and melodies to fit the composition. However it worked perfectly. I feel we have a special bond where we can say very little but know exactly what we want. As I begin to venture out into guest work and experimenting with new sounds, I want to just go with it. The relationship between Producer and Performer is a very special one. Someone hands you a canvas and asks you to finish it off. I think it’s electrifying.

How does it feel when someone remixes one of your tracks?
It feels wonderful. To continue on that special relationship is thrilling. Art is a communal thing, I love seeing it shared. It creates this (un)holy trinity between the remixer, the original producer, and whoever is remixing the track. It’s such an honor.

If you had to choose one word to describe yourself, what would it be?
Cancer. It’s my sign, and in a lot of ways I am very much a paint-by-numbers Cancer.

Who’s one person, dead or alive, you’d want to collaborate with?
I want Yasutaka Nakata to transform me into a goth vocaloid phantom.
Also Pictureplane. (ok that was two, but ya know…)

What song would be the perfect soundtrack to your style?
“William, It was Really Nothing” by The Smiths. My personal fashion sense is heavily reliant on bomber jackets, black Sambas, 14 eye Doc Martens, and a collection of mostly Fred Perry Polo’s. I feel like Morrissey just gets me. Whenever I’m tired and slugging to work I always think of him sitting in a restaurant being tired and underwhelmed and I feel better about things.

Who are a few of your music inspirations? Do you mind telling us why those specifically?
Mr.Kitty of course, that man is a genius.
New Order, the moment I heard “Bizarre Love Triangle” for the first time when I was sixteen, I knew my life had been changed.
PowwowW is a very good friend of mine and seeing him expand throughout all these years has been one of the most inspiring things to me. I admire his ability to know his aesthetic, but constantly evolve it.

What do you surround yourself with to feel creative?
Bad horror movies, dark narratives, unsolved mysteries, good people, cheap beer//whiskey, good anime, and occasional trips to Japantown.

Where do you find sanctuary in the rush of the music world, where do you find peace?
I find both whenever I’m doing something to move forward. During shows I get really into it. My goal is to cover the venue in my sweat. I spasm, break things, scream, maybe cry a little bit, and interact with the audience. It’s in that chaos that everything makes sense. It’s hard not to feel jealous sometimes. When you see a band you played with a year ago and now they’re much bigger than you. But art isn’t a contest.

Are there any other projects you have your heart set on, that you don’t mind sharing?
I recently purchased a MicroKorg and I’m very excited to begin creating my own original music. Currently all I have is a 1/3 done skeletal demo of “Better off Alone” but there will be more. I don’t know if the tracks I make will go on as Foxxy or become something else. I can’t wait to get my first drum machine and begin creating sounds that come from within.

What makes you happy?
Foggy mornings, good coffee, Ramune, good people, and anything that pushes my art forward.

Any closing comments?
This has been such a treat. Thank you all for taking the time to interview me and read this.
I will be coming to LA and the PNW this Summer, hope to see some of you all there. - Golden Boy Press

FOXXY NEWPORT

Currently reading: Uzumakimi
Most listened to artists: Aural Vampire, The Smiths, Crystal Waters
Currently watching: Finally getting around to Neon Genesis Evangelion

NN: FOXXY !

FOXXY: Just finished “Neutral” & some next level-ish with SADWRIST. Plotting a trip out of The Bay Area sometime in Spring. Being a dark phreak and walking the line.

NN: Care to shine some light on what “Neutral”, is that a full length album ?

Here is a preview of FoxxyNewports album Neutral, “Stars”.



FOXXY: Yes, Neutral is my new full length produced by MR.KITTY. I wanted to give listeners the full spectrum. The BLVCKLODGE EP is something I hold dearly, but Laura Palmer was the muse. With Neutral I wanted to open up about my life. My sex, my sadness. I wanted to take my own issues and make narratives others could relate too.

Alexander, you work as an independent artist ?

I am a member of Oaklands Post Primal Collective and affiliated with Chiles Equilateral Records, but no label holds me exclusively.

The previously released track BLVCKLODGE, by MR.KITTY

‘BLVCKLODGE’ cover artwork by San Fransico, Jody Jock

NN: “SADWRIST” iz a local Oakland homie ov yurs ?

FOXXY: SADWRIST is an extremely talented South – American based Witchhouse act that is also with Equilateral Records.

NN: What a siq collaboration Alexander. What’s the ‘ETA’ for the material coming from this particular release ?

FOXXY: Within the first quarter of next year. I am open to an independent release but I would appreciate a label assisting with distribution. The quality will be professional. The project deserves the attention.

NN: What exactly is being a “dark freq” … How close to that line do you find yourself ?

FOXXY: Being a dark phreak is taking everything somber and reveling in it. I celebrate my tragedies because they don’t hurt me. They made me stronger.

image

photography by Suma Jane Dark

NN: Been in a tremendous trouble recently ?

FOXXY: As for trouble I am rather clean. I am the only member of my family to not have a mugshot or rehab sentence. But I walk the line because societal expectations mean nothing to me. When I die my body will decompose into the Earth. I stay Neutral. Art is what keeps me going.

NN: For those in the audience who don’t know who Laura Palmer, “OPPC”, or Chiles Equilateral Records, what would you like to say ?

FOXXY: Laura Palmer is iconic. Her narrative within Twin Peaks is such a great commentary on glamorizing death, keeping secrets, and duality.
Post Primal is great. Metal Mother has worked herself to the bone to offer a support platform for multimedia artists in the Bay and around the world. Equilateral Records is a fantastic net label. Denzi, is a true professional and I applaud how he has worked to gather unique artists from around the globe and put us out there.

NN: I apologize for my randominity, but eye trust yu can answer this in an interesting way; In the dark the light could appear brighter, in comparison ?

FOXXY: Darkness and light are very relative things and their perception varies by the person but you are right.

I’ve given up chasing the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. My destiny is my own and it will go the way it needs to go. Being with Neutral Death has awoken a fire in me. To fight for the queers, the freaks, the misunderstood and represented.

NN: Really excited to hear what you have coming! Fantastic news really. Thanks for taking the time to chat with me.

FOXXY: You are so kind. All thanks to you and those have stood by and want to help with this. We are all family here.

#NVRMNDUS

Instagram:: @foxxynewport

www.facebook.com/Foxxynewport

www.soundcloud.com/Foxxynewport

www.foxxynewport.bandcamp.com - Nvrmnd