Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Homan.
Steve, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I started off playing drums at a young age. Played in several garage rock type bands but eventually found my interests shifting towards recording and producing hip hop and electronic music, which I do under the name STATX. I released a few electronic albums under that name and eventually took it to the stage to play live. I currently reside in Austin where I’m actively producing and performing as STATX. I also run a little thing called Imaginary Stereo with my friend and fellow producer Pete Johnson. Imaginary Stereo is a live electronic music showcase where we give a stage to artists who’d like get out and perform.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Great questions. I produce and perform electronic music using some analog synths along with Ableton and Ableton Push. Some of it is “chill” but for the most part it’s bass heavy and driven by hard hitting drums, usually topped off with some sort of melody. When I perform live I try to keep it simple. I’ll typically have a laptop where I’m controlling looped clips in Ableton using Ableton Push and sometimes an iPad for controlling effects.
As far as message and inspiration, I hope to convey with my music that you can do your own thing and sound different, yet still be accepted. I think it’s important to find your own style and create your own lane when it comes to music or really when doing anything creative. Also, on the inspiration side, I’m really hoping that what we’re doing with Imaginary Stereo inspires other artists who want to take that next step and play live to get out there and do it. It’s a really rewarding experience that every artist should take at some point in their journey.
Do you think conditions are generally improving for artists? What more can cities and communities do to improve conditions for artists?
Like all things in life, it all depends on how you look at it. It’s easier because the internet gives you access to tons people and information. You can build a fan base without leaving your house. You can produce, mix, and master a really good sounding record in a coffee shop. Seriously, if you know what you’re doing you can pull that off. Hell, you can digitally distribute it to the world from the same coffee shop. I mean… I’m doing an interview using my phone on the go (unfortunately not in a coffee shop).
So that all has made it easier for artists. The down side is that there a lot more noise because it’s easier to do that. There’s been a lot of middle men cut out, so anyone can do it and a whole lot of people are doing it, so it’s harder to stand out. That all goes back to earlier where I was saying you have to be original and create your own lane.
Regarding cities and what they can do to help… I live in Austin and we have resources available to us like the Austin Music Foundation. It’s just one example, but it’s a good one. They’re a non-profit that helps develop artists via consultations, educational music panels, and a lot more. It’s a valuable resource that every city should have. They’ve helped me on many occasions including multiple 1 on 1 consultations with industry professionals that were focused solely on what I was trying to accomplish with my music. I highly recommend that people go check them out at austinmusicfoundation.org to get an idea of how they help support artists here in Austin.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Everything I’ve released can be found on my website at www.statxmusic.com. There are plenty of links there for multiple ways to support if people feel inclined to do so 🙂 I also stay pretty active on Instagram, where I can be found under the names @statxmusic and @imaginarystereo. If you see those names on Twitter, Facebook, or anywhere else, that’s probably also me. If you’re reading this, come give a follow, a like, or just say hi!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.statxmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statxmusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statxmusic
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/statxmusic
Image Credit:
Americo Avila (www.instagram.com/prophetski)
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