"Art Itself Is at Risk of Being Totally Homogenized Over Time" – An Interview with Multi Instrumentalist Le Junk
We caught up with Le Junk to discuss his latest single 'English Garden,' the gear behind his eclectic sound, his bold take on streaming platforms, upcoming projects, and more!
Photo credit: Ralph Fuller
London-based multi-instrumentalist Le Junk is the mastermind behind a high-energy fusion of bass-heavy grooves, sharp electronica, and indie-rock attitude.
In this exclusive interview, we talk about his latest single “English Garden”, break down his dream gear setup, discuss the challenges of being creative in today’s streaming world, and uncover his bold opinions on Spotify’s role in homogenizing music.
Plus, get a glimpse into his eccentric vision for music videos, his collaboration dreams with a '60s Paul McCartney, and why he’s all about the chaos of live shows.
Chris Roditis, Musicngear: Your music blends bass-heavy grooves with slick electronica. What's the core gear setup behind your sound? Any favorite synths, drum machines, or pedals that are essential to your process?
Most of my ideas start with a simple bass line so my Fender Mustang bass guitar is probably the most essential piece of my process. Everything else varies quite a bit but some of my favourite synths to record with are the Sequential Prophet 6, Korg MS-20 mini and Yamaha Reface CS, as well as a whole bunch of VSTs and sample libraries that I've collected over the years.
Musicngear: If you could build your ultimate dream setup—any gear, any custom mods, no limits—what would you buy?
I think I’d build up a bigger variety of real synths and drum machines.
Most of the gear I use is “in the box” as they cost too much to physically own but given the choice I’d much rather be at the dials of an actual instrument.
Musicngear: What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an artist so far, and what advice would you give to other artists going through similar struggles?
The biggest challenge for any artist starting out is affording the time to be creative.
Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek recently claimed that the cost of creating content is "close to zero" which couldn’t be further from the truth when you factor in all the hours that go into developing your craft, often at the sacrifice of making any money... let alone the gear you might need to bring your ideas to life.
My advice would be to prioritize your time and creative process however works best for you.
Musicngear: What are your main goals for English Garden’s promotion? Are you aiming for a specific number of streams, more live shows, bigger blog coverage, or something else entirely? How do you plan to achieve that?
English Garden is a song about self-reflection, being open-minded, and setting differences aside.. so my main aim would be to spread that message as far as I can!
Musicngear: If you could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be and why? And are there any dream venues or festivals where you'd love to play?
I could reel off countless names but I think I'd choose to collab with late-1960’s era Paul McCartney.. mostly because I don’t think he’d physically let us leave the studio until we put down something insanely good and totally unique.
A venue I'd love to play one day is Glasgow’s Ballowland - it feels super Le Junk.
Musicngear: If aliens landed tomorrow and demanded to hear Earth’s greatest bassline, which one would you play for them?
Billie Jean.
Musicngear: You’ve described your music as a mix of indie-rock and electronic elements—if your sound were a cocktail, what would be in it?
An overpowering blend of many liquors and not nearly enough mixer, garnished with decadently sliced fruit that’s gone slightly rancid.
Musicngear: Given that Spotify pays musicians mere pennies while raking in billions, do you believe the music industry would be better or worse off if the platform disappeared overnight?
These platforms exist purely as a stinky bi-product of technology, and I think the implications for the music industry go even deeper than fair payment for artists.
These platforms are now so dependent on data and algorithms that the actual art itself, as well as people’s music taste, are at risk of being totally homogenized over time.
We should all do our best to look beyond these platforms and also connect with music in other more meaningful ways, like going to live shows, to keep the diversity and oddities we value in music alive.
Musicngear: If from now on you had to choose only one format to release visuals for your music, what would that be? Official music videos or TikToks/Shorts/Reels? And why?
I think social videos have their time and place, but all the weird and wonderful music videos I enjoyed watching growing up definitely played a huge part in forming the music taste and artistic interests I have today.
I don’t think short-form video formats have that sort of lasting impact on you.
Musicngear: Your music video for "English Garden" has a retro aesthetic and some of your signature eccentricities. If you had an unlimited budget for your next music video, what’s the most outrageous concept you’d bring to life?
I enjoy playing with absurd concepts and tongue-in-cheek styles, so if there were no budget constraints I would probably take my ideas even further with tackier visuals, wilder locations, more elaborate set design, and different characters.
Musicngear: What exciting plans do you have for the future, both in terms of new music and live performances? Are there any specific goals or projects you're looking forward to exploring in the coming months?
I’ll be playing some festivals for the first time this year which I’m looking forward to as I usually just play dark sticky clubs!
Speaking of dark sticky clubs, I’ve just started curating my own semi-regular night (CLUB JUNK) where I get to put on my favourite electronic/disco/punk artists in and around London. We just had the first one a couple of weeks ago, so keep an eye out for the next in a couple of months.
I also have a few other exciting things on the horizon which I can’t mention just yet, so stay tuned…
Connect with Le Junk
Facebook // X // Instagram // YouTube // Bandcamp // Spotify
About Chris Roditis
Chris Roditis has been an active musician since 1995 in various bands and projects across a variety of genres ranging from acoustic, electronic to nu metal, british rock and trip hop. He has extensive experience as a mixing engineer and producer and has built recording studios for most of the projects he has been involved with. His passion for music steered his entrepreneurial skills into founding MusicNGear in 2012.
Contact Chris Roditis at chrisroditis@musicngear.com
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