Music

At SXSW, Flux Pavilion announces plans for October album release and live band tour, then listens to his friend Diplo

by Sam Sutherland

“Today is the first day I almost feel normal,” says Joshua Steele, who has just flown in to Austin for SXSW from Australia, his brain clearly jumbled by jet lag. “I actually had no idea what SXSW really was. I thought it was more of a festival, not literally taking over a whole city. It’s pretty mad, so much stuff going on.”

Steele, who has been working under the Flux Pavilion moniker since the release of his first single in 2008, has had a banner year. His song “I Can’t Stop” was sampled heavily on Watch the Throne‘s “Who Gon Stop Me,” while “Bass Cannon” reached 56 on the UK singles chart, helping to propel him to the top of the country’s dubstep and electronic scene. He was nominated for the BBC’s Sound of 2012 award, and had his music featured prominently in the (freshly controversial) KONY 2012 short film. His latest single, “Daydreamer,” was just released, with tentative plans of a full-length record announced for April. But it’s looking like that might have been a little premature.

“It’s coming out in October,” Steele says firmly. “I’m singing a lot on it, and I’m playing loads of instruments. It’s more live-influenced, with the idea of it being played by a band. I’m putting a band together by the end of the year. I want to do live electronic music, but with the energy I get from a DJ set. I need time to practice hard. That’s been the plan since I started doing electronic music, to do some kind of weird hybrid live-electronica thing.”

While he’s in Austin, Steele is adamant about only checking out acts he hasn’t seen before, approaching SXSW as a platform to “learn about new things.” It certainly helps when those new things are being introduced to you by Diplo.

“I’m well into the whole tropical vibe at the minute,” says Steele. “Pretty much everything that Diplo shows me. He’s like, ‘Let’s go this this,’ and I’m like, ‘Wicked. Let’s go see that.’