“I’ll be honest, I just woke up one morning and named myself 808 Prince,” laughs producer and artist Steven Julien, recalling the genesis of his latest musical alias.
Previously known under the moniker of Funkineven and founder of Apron Records, Steven is speaking from Seoul to share the story behind this latest part of his journey through the bumpier end of electronic music. The name change was an intuitive move, and one that echoes his creative process more broadly, a practice driven by spontaneous energy, vibe and shooting from the hip.
“I put this out into the world via Instagram stories, ‘I’m now known as 808 Prince’, and everyone reacted well,” Steven recalls. “I like to go with whatever comes through in terms of ideas, then just execute them. I put 808 Prince out into the world, and it all happened from there.”
The project is a celebration of the iconic drum machines used in its writing and production, with the ten tracks embracing raw drum programming, analogue textures and chest-rattling bass weight.
“Babyxsosa is an American singer and rapper who is a big fan of mine,” Steven explains of the album’s origins. “She’s signed to Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s label. We always wanted to work together and she asked me to make a couple of beats for her.”
“I ended up making about ten tracks and sent them to her. She was like, ‘these are dope, but could you make something more like my previous records Fallen or Bloodline?’ Then I thought I could use the tracks I made for her and put them out under the 808 Prince guise. The skeleton of the songs only took me a week to make, so the whole thing was a very fast process.”
Known for a rhythm-led approach in the studio where feeling and emotion comes ahead of rules or genres, Steven has trodden a nimble and eclectic path through electronic music over the last ten-plus years.
While his tracks ably embody the spirit and sweat of the dancefloor, he’s also collaborated with Yasiin Bey, composed music for filmmakers Steve McQueen and Jenn Nkiru, and contributed sound to projects presented at the Tate, including work connected to the legacy of Keith Haring. Fashion, art and beats are all vying for attention – and speed is an essential element in his studio process.
“I believe that the faster you work, the more it resonates with listeners. It hits harder when you see yourself as a pure vessel for the music,” he states. “I make sure I don’t think too hard when I’m creating something.”
“The 808 has always been a part of my process, my standout tracks in my discography feature the 808 - even though funnily enough, my first album didn’t see me using it that much. But before that, and after, the 808 has been this big signature for me with my sound.”
Tastemakers Alex Nut and Floating Points have had a hand in the success of many London producers via their Eglo label. Steven is a longtime collaborator of theirs, releasing his first music on the imprint in the late 2000s. It was then, at the beginning of his touring career, when synths and analogue hardware began to attract his musical attention.
“I started making money from my music, and – as I’d always been a bit of a geek on the gear, synths and drum machines – I invested in a Juno, an 808 and 303,” he states. “Even though they are expensive now, I managed to get a good deal on these machines, and I’m a massive gear head so I had to collect them.”
It was mostly artists from the ‘80s and ‘90s that inspired Steven and his love for hunting down old boogie, electro and hip hop records. He was drawn to the machine without knowing too much about its history, before digging deeper into its legendary status. From Egyptian Lover to the Yellow Magic Orchestra, Roland’s TR-808 is all over some of electronic music’s finest moments, a vastly influential instrument that many would crown king of the drum machines.
“I initially really loved its sound, then as I got older I started doing more research, learned more about its history and stature within dance music,” he says. “I love it due to how basic it is to use. Making music on an 808 is a fairly simple process, once you know how to make beats, patterns and the 16 notes, then you’re away… it’s kind of easy to figure it out.”
Steven’s current studio home is in London’s Stoke Newington but initially he worked out of a backroom in his small flat in Brick Lane.
“When I first started collecting hardware I lived on Brick Lane, literally almost above one of the bagel places,” he says. “I had this tiny backroom space where I lived with my ex. We were chucked out of the flat due to the gentrification of the area and rising rent prices, then I found this space which is ten times as big.”
“Now 80% of the top floor is my studio and it’s become one of my favourite places to be in the world. It’s got a desk and all my favourite toys, it’s a really amazing space to work in.”
Steve’s studio process involves focusing on limitations. Instead of attempting to simultaneously conduct too many pieces of equipment, his attention is narrowed on just one or two items.
If there’s more than one machine plugged in and ready to go, it just gets so confusing. I’d rather strip it back and keep it as simple as I can
“Most of my first album Fallen was made with the Korg DW-8000 as I usually like to dedicate a machine to one project,” Steven says. “If there’s more than one plugged in and ready to go, it just gets so confusing. I’d rather strip it back and keep it as simple as I can.”
Writing for the club has played a central role in defining Steven’s sound, particularly on the 808 Prince project, with tracks including Lost and Afters destined to be heard on dancefloors once they have been unleashed into the wider world.
“I’m 100% influenced by dancefloors,” he states. “My music is definitely a vibe and a reaction to how people move when they hear me play. I’m directly inspired by this, I always imagine how my productions will go down in a club.”
“Being in a club all the time means you get what happens in these spaces embedded within your blood and how you make music. It’s what I experience there that feeds straight into how I work in the studio.”
Steven’s favourite London spots include OM in Dalston, the Colour Factory and Ormside Projects; the latter is owned and run by Mike Livett, who coincidentally built the desk in Steven’s studio.
“Nightlife definitely went through this weird patch,” he says, pointing to the closure of tastemaking London nightclub Corsica Studios and the gentrification of the surrounding area as a sign of decline. “It feels like things are turning around now, though. There seem to be new things opening up and happening; it’s not replacing it but it’s keeping the flame going, and we’re on an uphill spiral.”
Alongside Steven’s DJing, he’s also in the process of developing a new live show following a hybrid set at The Cause in London. For that performance, he used Behringer’s 808 clone the RD-8, relying on a Roland SP-404 for live effects processing. However, he’s now migrated to the TR-1000, the all-singing, all-dancing flagship drum machine Roland released late last year.
“It has everything built in, it has all the effects you might need, and the capability is crazy,” Steven explains. “It has the analogue 808, the analogue 909, all these other drum machines in there so it’s just so versatile. It’s fun to use, you can just rely on it without needing anything else for effects and processing.”
“It’s really exciting and I’m looking forward to going for it with this hybrid set. It’s all about streamlining the process for me, both in the studio and when playing out.”
Alongside Steven’s own production, he drafted in a range of collaborators for the album including James Massiah, J. Caesar, Touch Sensitive, Jarren and KIAH. He cites his pre-existing relationships with these sparring partners as essential for bringing these tracks to life.
If it’s got all the elements and it works, even if it’s just a synth line and drum machine, then sometimes less is more
“I have a very natural relationship with all the artists and collaborators on this new record,” he says. “I find it so much easier to work with people who you’re already friends with. If the energy is off, I’d rather not make a song. If the energy is right and it fits together, then we’re gonna be locked in and it will usually feel great.”
Steven’s advice for fledgling producers is to fine-tune their sense of when a song is truly finished. If you end up over-working a track, he warns, then its potential can be limited by too much instrumentation.
“I always think it’s better to let a song be free. If it’s got all the elements and it works, even if it’s just a synth line and drum machine, then sometimes less is more,” he says. “It’s better to avoid overthinking or overcomplicating your music.”
As Steven prepares to take 808 Prince on the road, he’s also a believer that tracks should never be deleted. Instead, he advises producers to sit on them, biding their time for the best moment to revisit or release.
“What’s old to you might be new to everyone else,” he says. “I have loads of material just waiting there, sometimes I go back to it, give it a new touch or a new mixdown as my skills have got so much better. You never know how long something has to sit there until it’s ready for release.”
808 Prince is due for release on 16th October via Apron Records.
