Thor Rixon is a very talented South African producer and multi-instrumentalist that has just released his second studio album entitled Michele, after his mother.
Signed to Get Physical, and having spent a lot of time in Berlin over the past two years, Rixon is a musician in the broadest sense of the term, always extremely involved in all aspects of the artistic process.
Enigmatic and industrious, Rixon has taken South African electronic music and performance and molded it, revved it up and dressed it down. He has spent considerable time soaking up Berlin, performing extensively around Europe and South Africa, collaborating with a range of diverse artists, and generally pushing sonic and visual envelopes.
He brings a very unique energy and inventiveness to every project he creates, whether it be in music, film or otherwise. Each of Rixonâs performances are unique, incorporating improvisation and live instrumentation. Grass-fed live sets are characterized by spirited performances; Thor consistently delivers quality productions matched with masterful mixes. This multi-instrumentalist brings a dynamic performance to every atmosphere.
We took the time to speak to this talented artist about this latest LP, which you can stream and buy HERE, as well as his relationship with his mother and future plans.
Hi, thanks! Yeah, it’s been a little over 2 years with some of the tracks and some of the others only a few short months. The whole process always consists of many ups and downs with great feelings of achievement in-tandem with immense thoughts of self-doubt.
It’s part of the journey and very necessary in order to create a body of work that means something. At least this is my thinking.
The album is titled Michele after your mother. What’s your relationship like with her and what prompted you to decide to name the album after her?
My mum and I are very tight. She pretty much brought my brother and me up on her own. She’s been pushing and guiding me into the life that I now live. She could see that I had this connection with music at an early age, so she made it possible for me to explore music and to find my place within it. I would always be set on my ideas and vision, but then my mum would come along and say “why don’t you do this ratherâ. At first, I would disagree, but soon I would realize that she was right (as all mothers are).
My mom has always been a fan of dance music. We would listen to Fela Kuti, The Police and countless dance music compilations on the long journeys to and from school every day.
Since I started writing and performing in a solo capacity my mum always wanted me to write music that would make people move. I disagreed in the beginning but the more and more I tried writing dance music, the more I enjoyed it. It is now pretty much the only style of music I write and perform.
This album is for my mum; for all the guidance she has given me and an album that she can dance to.
Where were these tracks produced?
These tracks were started in my bedroom in Cape Town early 2016, they were fleshed out in many different bedrooms in Berlin summer 2017, then finished off in my new little studio in Cape Town early 2018.
If you were to describe the album to someone new to your music how would you describe it?
I would describe it as an exploration of my current understanding of dance music, which is mainly a marriage between electronic and, for lack of a better word, organic tonal palette and textures. It’s a dance album with many different interpretations of what dance music is to me. It can be seen as my first concerted venture into dance music production and writing. I wanted to bend certain rules with this record.
You play several instruments right?
Yes, I started on guitar at about 12, then self taught drums soon after (this consisted of listening to System Of A Down on headphones and drumming along), trumpet about 3 years later. I’m currently slowly teaching myself piano, after my new obsession with synthesizers.
I am told you were very involved in the entire process of producing this album. Can you give us a little insight on what that means exactly?
Well, I wrote and produced the whole album on my own, meaning I didn’t have anyone join me in finalizing the final instrumentation and compositions of the album. I usually write all the instrumentals myself over the course of a few months, and then depending on the track, ask fellow artists to come in and record an instrument part or to add their voice.
This album is a product of your stay in Berlin, although you’re in South Africa. How different is life in the German capital versus in South Africa?
Berlin feels so open and feels like there is so much happening all the time, both in the city and surrounding countries in Europe, this is illustrated by how many people you see walking around on the streets. There are many complex social and political factors at play as to why the current climate of South Africa is very different to that of Germany and other EU countries, but this is for a different conversation.
Do you have a preference on where you’d rather live these days?
I enjoy spending time in both South Africa and Germany as both places give me different things for the soul. I enjoy SA because it’s home, it’s where I grew up, my family is here and where I get to collaborate the most with like-minded artists. Germany has been so welcoming and helped me grown musically and been a doorway to other parts of the world. It has shown me a path and how far I can take my music.
Did you have contact with electronic music in South Africa growing up? How were you first introduced to it?
Apart from the dance compilations that my mum used to bump in the car I only really got exposed properly to electronic music in high school when drum&bass and dubstep started going mainstream. That was the entryway to all the other forms of electronic music that I have found since then.
Clearly, your mother was a big influence on this project, but what else influences you as a musician these days?
My surroundings and the people I interact with at shows and in everyday life are big influences to me. Seeing artists perform gives me so much inspiration that I usually want to go straight to the studio after the show, which is something I’m actually going to start doing by the way.
Will you be touring to promote the LP?
Yes, there will be show’s in and around South Africa over the next few months, then Europe early next year with USA and Asia hopefully towards the end of 2019.
Do you see your musical journey taking you to unexplored genres and sounds in the coming years, or is this your niche sound?
Of course yes, I have found that I usually get bored doing the same thing for too long so I can guarantee that my music will always change. Sorry if that disappoints some, as I hope it excites others.
Connect with Thor Rixon: Online | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud
