Elevated Focusion Opened a Wormhole of Sound and Self in This Cosmic Interview –

Elevated Focusion’s latest LP, Space Dance, is a whole leap into another sonic galaxy. After two deeply personal, shadow-tinged releases, the electronic artist recharged his creative circuits and set out to build something brighter, stranger and far more playful. The result is an album that fuses high-energy party pulses with emotional crescendos, shifting from dancefloor euphoria to abyssal introspection without ever losing its sense of purpose. In this conversation, he reflects on the evolution of his sound, the joy of creative freedom, and the collaborative sparks that turned tracks like Haunting Feeling into soaring highlights. He also hints at what’s next: a more expansive, ambitious body of work and a fifth album already brewing with experimental intent.

Elevated Focusion, welcome back to A&R Factory! We’re stoked to discuss your latest LP, Space Dance. What inspired the shift in style and tone for this cosmic electronic pop album?

I usually start a project just kinda playing around on my keyboard.  Eventually, once have 2-3 ideas I will have an overall theme that I decide to build on.

‘I Dream of Eden’ was an idea that I started when I first got my new equipment in 2022.  So I had that lying around.  I had started the initial idea for ‘Raving on That Galactic High’ and ‘Space Dance’ around the same time.

So those three tracks were kinda how this concept initially started.  They were all kinda spacey and almost leaning towards bubblegum initially.

I feel like my first album was more abstract and personal.  I went into the studio just wanting to make an abstract story of my life instrumentally with a 5 track EP. I wasn’t planning on doing a full project with ‘Dark Nights’.

‘Space Dance’ was the only project where I went into the studio with the intent of making a full album.  I feel like with ‘Space Dance’ I really found myself production wise.  Overall, I wanted to challenge myself by moving as far away from the abstract personal and dark energy that was prominent on my first two projects.  I wanted this to just be fun and it some parts just wacky…lol.  A good time with something for everybody.

Would you describe it as a concept album?

I would say the overall sound and theme is a concept album.  But the lyrics of the songs are not part of a greater story.  I find it easier to create when I have an overall theme.  It gives everything purpose.

For this project sonically it starts high energy and party vibes with Space  Station Bugout . Gradually the sound and lyrics shift until Haunting Feeling where you are literally are left lost in the abyss.  So it is more of a musical journey.

What state of mind do you hope listeners slip into as they play the album?

I feel like this is definitely (production wise) much more of a cohesive sound throughout than any of my other projects.  So I feel like you can just listen straight through and find yourself suddenly at the end.  I intended people to listen straight through without any one song being the center of attention.  I just want people to be able to get lost in it.

I really want people who grew up in that time to feel young again.  To feel like they are part of something fresh, almost like rediscovering all of this again for the first time.

There are definite some funky party vibes that I hope people can just dance to without really thinking to much.  The last 3 songs, I definitely want people to feel the emotions more.

Your style is eternally fluid, but if you could name one thing that remains a constant through your artistic endeavours, what would it be?

Since I started making music in 2001, I have always done whatever I wanted to do.  I took a break from 2004 until 2022 because I couldn’t do whatever I wanted and I just was starting to hate it.

So that remains the same.  I just do whatever I want creatively.  I love what I do and doing any other way would make it not worth doing.

The standout single, Haunting Feeling, bowled us over with the sheer vocal power; where have you been hiding that timbre?

I came to the singer about a year ago with the instrumental and the lyrics.  Right off the bat, he just belted out the chorus right on spot.   It just happened like that.  Eventually, the verses came together.  But that chorus was an immediate thing.  We just just needed to bring it all together in the mix.

Honestly, that has been the best part of doing the music and clothing.  Bringing my ideas to all of these incredibly talented people, and seeing them connect with it.  The singers I work with or Chris Conway (who does the mixing) are so passionate about what they do.  So to hear them feel a genuine connection when I give them a song is just priceless.

Was it easy to bring intensity to Haunting Feeling?

The synth that starts the song was just an experimentation.  It was just more or less finding the right sound.  As I developed the instrumental more, I just felt a haunting feeling from that sound.

The chorus I made was alot less passionate and more spacey and open.  The vocals really took charge there and took that feeling and brought the intensity.

This was definitely a group effort.  It had all the elements of a great song, but it needed work production wise.  I completely changed up the drums and we cut out alot of unnecessary things in the mix.  So the final product was really carved out of wood.

Will you be exploring more of the electronic cosmos in your future releases or do you have a different avenue to explore?

I have another project that is completed that I am slowly chipping away the mix.  This project is definitely not spacey.  I definitely feel like it is a personal best by far.  I really went all out with this and took things further than I ever have before.

As an artist, I am always striving for that personal best with each release.  I definitely feel like my next project is just that.  I don’t want to say too much, but I really explored every possible avenue I could think of.  And there are 15 full tracks so it covers alot of ground.

I am also planning something pretty cool after that for my fifth album where I am really trying get experimental and crazy with composing and production.  The focus is less on the vocals

If you could share one artistic epiphany you’ve had since we last spoke, what would it be?

I would say learning to use technology.  Even with Space Dance, I still used more or less my old way of doing things.  I am learning a lot about plugins and unlocking all of these creative doors.

All of my Jonny Rythmns music was just made on a Yamaha Motif Classic.  All of my Elevated Focusion music up to and including Space Dance was made using basic Logic Pro.

So now I have access to all of these synthesizers, efx, and drum programs.  It just takes the creative process to an entirely new dimension.  I am kinda like a musical caveman that is slowly discovering modern technology.

Discover more about Elevated Focusion on his official website. 

Interview by Amelia Vandergast