We sat down with SUBMERSIVE (Clayton Lineberger) for an interview!
This young, L.A.-based Psytrance producer has quickly made a name for himself.
Yves: Hi Clayton! Thank you for taking the time to do this. Would you mind telling us about your first experiences with music and how you decided to become a Psytrance producer?
Clayton: No problem, Yves. Thank you for the opportunity!
Music has been at the center of my life for as long as I can remember, and I have my mother to thank for that. Every car ride as a child was an educational experience in the art of Rock n’ Roll. My favorites were, of course, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. My first concert experience was Carlos Santana when I was in fourth grade. At the time I had no plans of ever pursuing a career that would put me on a stage of any sort.
“Every car ride as a child was an educational experience in the art of Rock n’ Roll. My favorites were Led Zeppelin, The Who, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience.”
Around the same age, I started playing drums, influenced by the greats: most influentially Keith Moon, John Bonham, Mitch Mitchell, and Buddy Miles. Dance music trickled into my life. The first dance song I remember resonating with me was ATC – Around The World. Yes, seriously. Still a banger in my opinion.
Then, of course, Daft Punk, Darude, and DJ Sammy – Heaven, when I was in middle school. I didn’t start going to electronic music shows until I was a freshman in college. There wasn’t much of a rave scene where I’m from and not very many of my high school friends were into dance music. A couple of friends of mine and I were in our hometown for I think fall break of our freshman year of college, and we decided to go see Bassnectar. I definitely didn’t know that would affect the rest of my life, but I walked out of that show a different person than I was when I walked in.
I started going to every rave or club show I could find which was mostly dubstep in my area. I went to Ultra for the first time in 2012, and I had to see this Armin van Buuren guy. I’d listened to a lot of trance, but I’d never experienced it until then.
Needless to say, I was hooked after that. I was always drawn to the harder and faster trance, so as the genre started to slow down and become closer and closer to mainstream progressive house, I was looking for a sound that was closer to what sold me on trance in the first place. Artists like Astrix and Coming Soon really resonated with me.
“…. we decided to go see Bassnectar. I definitely didn’t know that would affect the rest of my life, but I walked out of that show a different person …”
When I was in the second semester of my senior year at the University of North Carolina, it was time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I had to choose between a safe job behind a desk, or risk it all and do something crazy. So I decided “fuck it!”, I was always going to regret not trying to pursue a career where I could make thousands of people smile on a weekly basis. So, after finishing my undergraduate degree, I moved to Los Angeles and attended Icon Collective Music Production School, and then spent the majority of the next three years locked in a dark room by myself, attempting to write a decent record.
Yves: Thanks for that detailed account! If I am not mistaken, you are originally from North Carolina. What made you move to Los Angeles? Was it really driven by your musical desires or was something else behind that?
Clayton: Yep, born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina! Go Heels, go Panthers, go Hornets (not a huge sports fan). Moving to LA seemed like the obvious move to pursue a career in the dance music world, given the dance culture in Southern California. So after college, I came out to visit a friend (Styles of Styles & Complete, originally from Charlotte) and he kind of sold me on moving to Los Angeles and attending Icon Collective. Can’t thank him enough for that. Best decision I’ve ever made.
“Moving to LA seemed like the obvious move to pursue a career in the dance music world, given the dance culture in Southern California.”
Yves: I am always curious about the creative process behind the artist. How do you go about creating your music? Does it start with a melody, for example, or what triggers a new track?
Clayton: I wish I knew! When I write, I go into this mental state where I don’t really know what’s going on; I just write. Sometimes the idea is sparked by a movie quote or an audio sample, or I hear a track and it sparks an idea. I usually write my tracks from beginning to end and just let the sounds and melodic ideas that come to me dictate where the track goes. Sometimes, I’ll start with a drop idea, but I find that my best songs are written like a story from beginning to end. I try to let the songs create themselves and keep any conscious decision-making out of the process. That probably sounds like a load of bullshit, but I don’t know how else to explain it.
“I try to let the songs create themselves and keep any conscious decision-making out of the process.”
Yves: Nah, that makes sense. I, sometimes, go mental but instead of creating I tend to destroy things. Can you tell us a little about your inspirations in the scene? Which artists do you really look up to?
Clayton: This is a tough one. I’d say I’m inspired by any track that brings something different to the genre. Full On tracks are great, but there’s no denying that a lot of them sound very similar (which is kind of the point for taking the listener into a trance-like state). I find a lot of inspiration in a lot of the Brazilian Progressive Psy, due to the changing bass lines and creative sound design. I find those tracks to be the most exciting because they stand out. As far as artists that I look up to the most, I’d have to say, Astrix, Ace Ventura, Captain Hook, and Blastoyz are among my favorites.
“I find a lot of inspiration in a lot of the Brazilian Progressive Psy, due to the changing bass lines and creative sound design.”
Yves: That list is not too surprising; those are some big names. It is safe to say that 2018 was a breakout year for you. Besides several of your tracks charting on Beatport you performed at Avalon Hollywood (thrice) and Hawaiian Brian’s, and towards the end of the year you announced a deal with MJR Management & Bookings! First of all, congratulations on a wonderful year and, secondly, after you have caught your breath, can you share your thoughts on your success in 2018?
Clayton: Thank you! I’m extremely happy to be a part of the MJR Management & Bookings roster. Working with Mariusz Roj, Chris Blackburn, and Danielle Sanders has been great so far, and we have lots of exciting announcements on the way. 2018 was the result of the previous three years of tireless labor and it’s an amazing feeling to start to see results in such a competitive industry.
I have my eyes set on much higher goals, but I’m definitely proud of what I accomplished last year. Playing Avalon Hollywood was a dream. To open for Coming Soon at Avalon Hollywood to start the year was an amazing feeling. I also can’t thank the Hawaiian promoters and fans enough for booking me for my first headline club performance and believing in me from the start. Signing tracks to Pharmacy Records was another surreal moment for me. Christopher Lawrence is an absolute legend so for him to embrace me as a Psytrance producer meant a lot.
“Playing Avalon Hollywood was a dream. To open for Coming Soon at Avalon Hollywood to start the year was an amazing feeling.”
Yves: I know that 2019 will be another exciting year for you, also partly because you are working on a new project. Anything you can share with us about that and how that came about?
Clayton: 2019 is already off to an insane start. Last month, I opened for Alpha Portal at Exchange LA, which was an absolutely surreal experience. In a few weeks, I’ll be performing at my first proper three-day Psytrance festival, which was a goal of mine from the start, so I’m ecstatic about that as well.
As far as the new project… it’s called ‘SUBMERSIVE presents Subsidiary’. The idea behind the project is to create a brand purely for the underground sound. As SUBMERSIVE, I produce a broad range of tracks with influences from many other genres of dance music and other genres of music in general, but I play a lot of events where those tracks just aren’t appropriate, so I end up only playing my darker, more psychedelic productions. ‘Subsidiary’ is a project completely dedicated to the darker and truly psychedelic sound, free of those cheesy festival drops. I’ve been hard at work preparing for the launch of this new project, and I’m dying to share it with the world! You’ll surely be hearing more about this very soon.
“‘Subsidiary’ is a project completely dedicated to the darker and truly psychedelic sound, free of those cheesy festival drops.”
Yves: Can’t wait! Being a social media consultant, I automatically check out the social media profile of any artist that I deal with. You are very active on social media and you post high-quality content. Is this something you do all by yourself or do you have an army of Oompa Loompas on standby?
Clayton: Haha! I do all the social media posts myself. As far as the content creation, I collaborate with several visual artists including Maria Ajamian, Beck Graben, and Potent. Also, Dylan Karakas is a huge help with the video creation and live track listing for Beneath The Surface [Wednesday’s 1 PM PST ].
Yves: Yes, I, often, listen to your mixes while working. To close this up: are you able to find any spare time outside of music for any other hobbies?
Clayton: Rarely! When I do make time for other activities, it usually involves spending time in nature. I spend most of my life in a dark room by myself without windows, so when I can I try to get out in the sunlight and out of the city. I love hiking and exploring, and I wish I had more time for it!
Yves: Thank you again for doing this interview with me. I truly appreciate it.
Clayton: Thank you Yves! I appreciate the opportunity to share my story!