Following a three year hiatus, Lone’s Magicwire imprint has returned with a playful release by the Marylebone producer Lance Neptune – and he’s turning some heads.
Lance Neptune’s cosmic productions have been gaining some real traction, following a premier on the well regarded Boiler Room Debuts. Animal Eclipse (his debut on Magicwire) is an exploration through celestial concepts, with an imaginative approach to sound structure – creating tracks for daydreaming and meditative R&R.
During this spurt of creative gusto, we thought it was a fitting time to catch up with the swanky space cadet to learn more about his influences, productions, love for skateboarding and art.
You’re in Maryland. Tell me what the scene is like over there?
This area is OOZING with talent in all genres, it’s ridiculous. I’m going to name a few that come to mind off the top of my head and in no order: Tony Kill, Butch Dawson (Prime Lard), Flash Frequency, April Vista, Abhi//Dijon, Darth Olympian, James Artimus , Leanblunt, Wheelchair Cat, Tyisha Hyskins, Yo Bizzy and that’s not even half of what’s going on here. I believe that the DMV (DC-Maryland-Virginia) has great undiscovered talent that everyone will soon be familiar with!
Do you find you have a strong community of like minded people around you?
I connect with everyone around me and I bounce ideas off of each person for a piece of mind. It’s about 10 people but their are 3 people I bounce ideas off of; Goldlink, James Artimus, and my manger Donte Rainey.
What would you describe your music as?
I would describe my music as space music. I feel that I make sounds for space like a dance party in another dimension. I always think about what music would be like on other earth like planets and I feel that my music would be very similar to the music there.
How long have you been producing for?
I’ve been producing since the 6th grade. My uncle bought me my first producing software and ever since I’ve been making music. I started taking music seriously in October 2013.
What is your 5 favourite tools in the studio?
Rain stick
Synthesizers
Microphone
Shakers
Native Instruments Maschine
When did things really begin to kick off for you?
Things took off once my single “Pink Violet” premiered on XLR8R. From there MagicWire got in touch letting me know that they’re looking to reboot the label and that if everything goes right they would want to release my music. Previous to that I always opened for well known acts in my genre.
How did you meet Lone?
Around the time that MagicWire hit me up, lone was on a US tour and was coming to DC in like 3 weeks. I got in touch with him maybe 3 days before his show here and offered to hang out while he’s here. From there we talked about a few things including his label starting back up. I was down to release music with MagicWire from there. I guess that made everything official haha.
And what has it been like being able to release on Magicwire, especially considering their longstanding hiatus?
It feels good to know that you have backing from individuals that believe in you. I am forever grateful for the opportunity that I’ve received. Being the first artist to release music on this label after the hiatus means a lot to me, and I take pride in that.
Animal Eclipse seems to have tracks of narrative, being used to explain often quite complex introspective philosophies. Do you use music to understand deep metaphysical meanings?
I do. I always believed music has multiple meanings and is interpreted differently depending on the person, location and phase.
Animal Eclipse is also influenced by VHS Skate Videos. Do you skate? And what is your favourite Skate video?
I love to skate! It’s something that will forever be in my heart. My favourite video has to be ZERO – DYING TO LIVE, mainly because that was the first time I saw Chris Cole, which led to him becoming one of my favourite skaters growing up.
What other things influence your music?
I’m influenced by a few things. The universe really inspires me for one. The fact that it’s never ending inspires me to be successful, indicating there isn’t a ceiling you can go as far as you want in life and you don’t have to stop unless you choose to in my opinion.
I’m also influenced by art. I LOVE art! Not to long ago I realised I work better when I make music to art. I always ask artists for art because it inspires me to create something to match their creation.
What is your favourite Celestial Planet?
I have 2 favourite planets, Mars and Neptune. Mars used to be like earth billions of years ago and I find that very interesting, as it means there was a high possibility of life there. Neptune has a lot of ice and that’s interesting because it’s essentially a giant gas/ice planet!? INCREDIBLE! Neptune has a moon I’m particularly interested in, called Triton. Triton is a planet like moon that orbits Neptune. I get excited thinking about the possibilities!
Can you give us a record to represent the following 5 planets:
Jupiter – Deon Custom – Labyrinth Garden
Neptune – Navigatur – Surface Light
Mars – Darth Olympian – Voyager 2
Pluto – Lindsay Lowend – Passing Pluto