#001 - NPCgroove
Welcome to our interview series, where we interview emerging creatives all over the globe!
For our first-ever interview on FTWS, we will interview NPCgroove, a Chinese-Canadian Producer & DJ based in Toronto, Canada, making music in the Euro House and Techno genres. He has performed at the RecRoom and El Mocambo in Toronto through the JSTDRMN collective. He is 1/2 of the Alternative House duo, Noctuse, whose music was featured on PopCanRadio and CanadianBeats.
Now, we will dive into the questions we have prepared for him, get ready to dive in!
What’s up, NPC groove! We appreciate your interest in taking part in our first FTWS interview. How are you feeling today?
Pretty good! Filling this out while at a concert at History lol.
Let's begin with our first question: Can you describe the steps you take to create a track? Do you begin with a melody, a rhythm, or a particular sound?
These days I like to begin tracks with a solid foundation. Starting with the drums then the bass. My genre of music usually needs a solid groove to dance to. Then I worry about the melodic elements. Experimenting with different instruments, side chaining and finding grooves within the instruments.
Numerous electronic musicians create a distinctive sound. What would you say about yours, and what was the process like?
I feel like finding my sound is going to be a journey. The songs I currently have released on Spotify are a bit all over the place in terms of genre and sound. However, for my new unreleased tracks, I find that my sound is getting more and more defined. My process for building a cohesive sound for NPCgroove is to write down adjectives for the sonic world I want to create. Currently, I’m trying to align towards a futuristic Y2K soundscape with nostalgic 2000s elements. I am trying to achieve this by building my own signature sample pack and reusing elements from previous tracks.
The landscape of electronic music is always changing. How do you preserve your artistic integrity while staying on top of trends?
I don’t see staying on top of trends as a priority. There are many electronic music artists I look up to who stay in their lane and build a particular sound until they are masterful in their genre. Then throughout the years, the mainstream will eventually trend towards their area and they end up gaining a bunch of new fans from that. For example NOTION’s remix of The Days. NOTION has been crafting the UK bass sound for years before this one track got pushed to the mainstream. His sound became the trendsetter with more mainstream DJs starting to release similar-sounding tracks.
What has been the most difficult obstacle you have faced in your music life thus far, and how did you resolve it?
The most difficult obstacle is trying to balance my personal and professional life with music which I am still struggling with today. Music does not pay the bills, so I have to rely on my 9-5 product design job. On top of that, I am also design freelancing which leaves me even less time to focus on music these days. I hope to resolve this by setting out a month or so to primarily focus on music. I hope to take some time off of work to really dive into my NPCgroove project.
Does your production style draw inspiration from artists or genres beyond electronic music, and have you worked with artists from diverse backgrounds?
Yes! Today I still listen to a variety of genres such as indie rock, shoegaze, rap, 2000s pop and hyperpop. I think hyperpop has the most potential to bleed into my production due to the futuristic and Y2K aesthetic of it all. Also, rap has definitely evolved to incorporate more electronic elements. Just listen to Playboicarti’s new album! I’m also working with Naol on a project called Noctuse where I am exploring the intersection between house, R&B, and pop.
The demands of the music industry can be high. How do you strike a good balance between your personal well-being, creativity and performance?
My mentality has always been to achieve balance and to give yourself time. Creativity can’t be rushed and pressured into. Some months you’ll have a ton of inspiration and ideas to create while other months you’ll be stuck in a block. Just let life guide your creative journey. Live your life and put health as a priority and that will translate to your music.
That concludes our interview with you. Thank you so much for participating! Would you like to share any new music or plans over the next few months?
I’m sitting on two unreleased NPCgroove tracks, and a couple of unofficial SoundCloud remixes planned. Also, look out for more social media content from me as well as more tracks for Noctuse! Thanks for reading :)
Follow NPCgroove:
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Donate: https://paypal.me/NaolDenko
