Who are you and what is your artist name?
John Madison aka AFL or after.fade.listen, from Vancouver, BC Canada.
What’s your background?
I started DJing around 2000 getting heavy into Drum & Bass before eventually expanding to encompass several genres. The step into producing seemed like a natural progression and I like to take elements from all of the genres I’m into and create something interesting to listen to.
How has your practice changed over time?
Mostly in finetuning my workflow to the point that I’m able to get the barebones of a track laid out quite quickly in order to start refining the sound.
What music genre do you most identify with?
Drum & Bass, Chill-out/Downtempo and Melodic House/Techno.
What themes do you pursue?
Dreamy soundscapes with heavy bass and solid beats.
What’s your scariest experience?
Probably sleeping on the streets of Melbourne, Australia while I was travelling in my late teens. I was travelling for several months there and ran out of funds/lost my passport and ended up hitch hiking from Brisbane to Melbourne. I arrived into Melbourne around 3-4am after hitching a ride with a trucker and ended up walking around until I found a place to sleep.
What’s your favourite art work?
I’m a big fan of surrealism and impressionist painting so works by Salvador Dali and Monet are big on my list.
Describe a real-life situation that inspired you?
I remember attending a bush rave around 1999/2000 and I saw a Drum & Bass DJ play for the first time. He dropped the track Parasite by Dom & Roland and the combination of the musical Keys and the heavy evil sounding Bassline really spoke to me. It was that night I decided I wanted to give Dj’ing a shot and the rest is history.
What’s your most embarrassing moment?
One time while I was playing at a show I had someone come up to me to talk to me while I was in the middle of a mix and they ended up bumping the turntable (vinyl only back in those days) making the needle jump and, somehow, miraculously it dropped back in time with the mix. Embarrassing and amazing all at once.
What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
I’ve worked as an Audio Visual technician and currently manage a high end Audio store.
Why music?
I just love the feel of putting something together, it’s a great way to express yourself.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
I’d say my favorite was seeing a raver at one of my sets just going off to a track I had written. That’s the best response I could ask for.
What food, drink, song inspires you?
As far as songs go I’d have to say Children by Robert Miles was my first, memorable, introduction to Electronic music and I still take influence from it today.
What do you like about your work?
I like that I’ve started to develop a sound that is my own.
What makes you angry?
Religion and ignorance
What superpower would you have and why?
I love the idea of teleportation
Name something you love, and why.
My cat and dog. They are the fucking best.
Name something you hate, and why.
Fascism and bigotry. I don’t get why it’s so hard to be accepting of things and people we don’t understand.
What is your dream project?
Working with a vocalist is pretty high up there, or collaborating with someone who could help bring exposure to my sound.
Name three artists that inspires you
There are so many but ultimately I find the most inspiration from my friends who also make music.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Do what you love, the rest will follow.
Professionally, what’s your goal?
To make music that is heard on Dancefloors or Lounges for people to groove to and enjoy.
What wouldn’t you do without?
The ability to create music and art.
BIO: AFL is a multi-genre DJ and Producer from Vancouver, Canada. Focusing on the likes of Tech & Deep House, Breaks, and Chill out on top of his love for D&B and Dubstep. AFL takes a melodic and bass heavy approach to everything he does.
By pushing sounds both old and new, AFL creates an eclectic and unique audio experience every time.
