Steven Julien, the London-based electronic music maestro formerly known as Funkineven, stands as a testament to versatility and innovation in the industry.
Photo credit: Steven Julien – Facebook
With a career spanning over a decade, Julien has navigated the worlds of classic house, soul, boogie, and techno. His influence extends beyond music, having collaborated with fashion powerhouses and artists such as Steve McQueen and Mos Def.
In this exclusive interview with EG, Julien opens up about his latest single ‘PAYN ME MIND’, his upcoming DJ-Kicks mix, and the future of electronic music. From discussing his psychedelic approach to production to sharing insights on the industry’s evolution, Julien offers a candid look into the mind of one of London’s finest electronic producers.
EG: Hi, Steven! Welcome to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. How have you been? Where are you right now?
Steven Julien: Hiya! Likewise, a pleasure too. I’m OK, just working loads, in London my hometown, studio to office to pub.
EG: Congratulations on the release of your latest single, ‘PAYN ME MIND’! You must be psyched to have this one doing the rounds. What are some of your initial feelings now that the track is out and about?
Steven Julien: Wow, thank you! Yeah, it feels really good. I’ve been curious about the reception of this type of music production/composition.
EG: What can your fans expect to find on ‘PAYN ME MIND’ as a whole? Is there a concept or emotional trigger driving this cut?
Steven Julien: Well, I guess as a whole it’s a trippy experience, pretty psychedelic. You can see the sound as well as hear it, especially in the music video. We managed to complement the track with strong visuals. I highly recommend watching it on a big screen and as loud as you can!
EG: What was the experience of collaborating with Kristian Hamilton on this one like?
Steven Julien: A very natural experience. We’ve been working for a while but never got to release anything officially till now. He gets me and he always delivers highly, a very dreamy vocalist, and he’s great at painting a picture when you listen to him sing. Can’t wait to release more music that we’re working on!
“You can see the sound as well as hear it, especially in the music video. We managed to complement the track with strong visuals”
EG: ‘PAYN ME MIND’, which follows up on ‘Number (DJ-Kicks)’, is actually the second single to stem from your upcoming takeover of !K7’s iconic mix series DJ-Kicks, which will be out on 22nd November. Why did you decide to “break the ice” with these two cuts?
Steven Julien: I have three cutz altogether and the team decided to start with those two exclusive singles first to give the world a taster of what’s to come. I guess this isn’t gonna be a simple straightforward mix, it’s a big variation but is very cohesive at the same time and tells a story but in a fun way. The two singles are pretty different but obviously, you can tell it’s from the same producer. ‘Number’ is a straight dance floor banger and ‘PAYN’ is a musical trip, two of my fav styles of production.
EG: What can your fans expect to find in your installment of DJ-Kicks? What feelings did you try to convey? What would you like for listeners to take away from the experience?
Steven Julien: Overall a movie experience from easy to intense with a crescendo, light to dark, soft to hard, but all for the dance floor. Nothing to think about, just an overall feeling. Listen in your car, with headphones, and in the clubs, I reckon it serves all purposes for a listening experience, well for me anyway!
EG: Now, onto a hot topic… How do you feel about the rise of AI implementation in music? What’s your relationship with that like? Has any form of AI been used on any of your recent productions?
Steven Julien: No, I haven’t tried it yet. I’m not totally against it, I guess we’re in the future now and we have to embrace what’s in front of us but use it in a way that’s creative, and not lazy. Not sure if I would build a whole song from it but surely with some help like a synth or sax solo, but overall I like my production to sound human and honest so yeah if I can work around it in a way I create then I’m good. It’s scary though, I’ve seen people typing telling it to build a whole song from scratch, with a singer and everything, sounding like anyone you like, not sure about that! “Are our jobs at risk?”
EG: And how do you feel about the current state of the scene? Have we strayed too far from our origins, or is everything just a part of the normal course of evolution? How do you feel about it all having taken some time off?
Steven Julien: Hmmm I haven’t noticed much and haven’t felt I have had time off, but I guess as a personal artist releasing music maybe yes, it’s been a while but I’ve been pretty busy with my label Apron Records, with other artists, merch, collabs, etc. But since releasing again I guess I’ve seen a change, there’s not much passion for anything, the art, music, etc, it’s wearing thin, it’s all about pumping, selling yourself a lot, being active on socials and quantity over quality, guess that’s the state where we’re at right now.
“There’s not much passion for anything, the art, music, etc, it’s wearing thin, it’s all about pumping, selling yourself a lot, being active on socials, and quantity over quality”
EG: Finally, what can we expect from Steven Julien in the next few months? Where can your fans catch you next?
Steven Julien: Expect more music, a tour, an exciting collab, and a new album which is all happenin’ from now till late 2025. But yeah, catch me at The Lion & Lamb for the DJ-Kicks launch party in London on the 21st of November, then Amsterdam, Toronto, Montreal, and a few other cities!
Steven Julien’s ‘PAYN ME MIND’ is now available on K7 Records. Stream and download here.
Pre-order DJ-Kicks: Steven Julien here.
Follow Steven Julien: Spotify | Soundcloud | Instagram | Facebook
