Music has always been his first love. And for a man who started making mixes and pretending he was a DJ since he was a kid, Hedflux aka Steve Young is definitely in his element right now. RK talks to a circumspect Young ahead of his appearance at Breakfest at Belvoir Amphitheatre on Thursday, December 26.
Given the resurgence in the popularity of UK bass music, Young’s twist on a breaks inspired sound has seen his popularity begin to rise.
“Music was something that came to me when I was about 13,” reflects a pretty chuffed Young. “It was something that I was doing in my spare time. I actually studied mathematics and physics at university and did a PhD and persisted with the corporate world there for a while.”
After completing his studies, he obtained a rather well paying job in the Information Technology world, but it started grating on him after awhile. “In around 2010 I quit my job after saving up about six months worth of salary. In the move to music, I really thought about giving it everything I’ve got. I basically set myself up to make sure I wouldn’t fail; I believed in it and while I did a few other bits and bobs, my biggest focus became Hedflux.”
The conversation digresses and he wonders whether like him, there are any DJs who are also doctors, and he answers his own question: “I was in Italy once and got picked up at the airport by two DJs who just happened to be doctors, but they had no jobs!”
Back on track, he explains how he got into breaks around 2002. “I started going to parties put on by Meat Katie and Rennie Pilgrem. That simple breakbeat groove really became imprinted on my soul.” He explains that he started to find the scene becoming somewhat stagnant and he began really enjoying techno and trance. Torn, he began considering how to reconcile these noises and fuse them into a single, dancefloor rhythm.
“I wanted to make it an experience – that was my goal,” he explains “and as I evolved, I felt I created a more defined and mature sound. I was really trying to break out of the mould and push things a bit further. For example, I recently found myself doing some psychedelic, progressive breaks tracks to see how they would turn out.”
This in turn inspired him to pursue visions of grandeur in an LP too. “I really wanted to do an album last year actually,” he chimes. “It ended up being a four-track EP though and I put it out as a ‘pay what you like’ release and managed to build up a bit of a studio with the money.”
So his next focus is an album, but it will take some time. “I’m not one of these people that can churn out tunes on a weekly basis. I’m just going to take my time and get an album out next year. I want to try to push my own boundaries a bit rather than follow a tried and tested methodology. You’re always learning in music.”
