Futuristic Music: Super Future’s Unique Electronic Genre

Listen to Super Future’s debut EP on Soundcloud Here

GRAND RAPIDS -- Nick Rowland is a 26-year old electronic music producer. A humble, enthusiastic, and forward-thinking individual, Rowland wants to bring his best forward. Under the name Super Future, he dropped his debut, self-titled EP this October. Rowland is in the early stages of building his musical identity to take his unique sound in a distinct direction. Rowland’s musical production strength is his ability to create a sound similar to someone singing but it is actually purely his production creation and incorporating playing his guitar into some of his songs. Rowland cites international producer, Flume, as an inspiration for his foundation of having original production sounds engineered to sound like a voice singing.

His EP release is a refreshing splash into the Grand Rapids electronic music scene. The overall sound is precise, clean-cut, and calculated in an uplifting tone. It has been crafted in a manner that differentiates Rowland. He said the creative process of writing a song requires flexibility and adaptability to achieve the final product.

“...Eventually you start writing your own stuff and think this isn’t where I thought it was going but I really like what it resulted in. And you kind of have get over the ‘Shit, I can’t really make exactly what I wanted to’ attitude because it’s gonna end up becoming what it’s supposed to be. It’s gonna be all of your experiences down into a song” Rowland said.

Poppy and fun, he calls his musical sound “World Trap” with purpose to stand out making an identifiable genre of his own. “I have an affinity for different types of sounds that come from different areas of the world.”, he said. He incorporates hip hop beats, trap, and sounds from the Caribbean and Asian traditional in his EP. His EP’s songs are moderately paced and crescendo with approachable and positive interludes. He plays the guitar to create sounds that he will then program and break down into layers to match when incorporated into a song.

Collaboration

Music and community go together and Rowland believes in the people he associates with in his musical sphere. It is important to him to be conscious and accepting in his approach to collaboration to help to build a positive community. “One of the things I like doing is making an instrument that sounds like a voice but isn’t,” he explains.

“Music theory is something that is so elusive but it adds the important element that everything has to match and uphold its structure” Rowland said.

At his EP release show, he played a few teaser tracks with a secret collaborative duo, including tracks he remixed prior to the EP. His versatility is indicative of other areas he plans to explore in new projects (available to listen: www.soundcloud.com/superxfuture). He engages his creative content by being in a state of mind that is captured by waking up during a lucid dream or being consciously aware of melodies and musical ideas that come to him while dreaming.

EP Review

Each of the 5 songs on the EP has this element presented in its own way to help create a dialogue between the listener and the producer. His EP tells a story of diverse ideas and positive openings. Most of the songs have short and staccato. Once the pace is set near the middle of his songs is a point where his sound doesn’t evolve further. The songs complement each other but do not transition into slower tempos. A strong element of a musician is the ability to play diversity of songs that demonstrates the thought process and skill. Along with electronically produced synths he likes to layer live instruments such as guitar. He has room for his songs to become more complex throughout and pulled apart to connect in diverse variations.

His tracks start with soft and simple structures that build up smoothly in an understated tone. He brings listeners higher pitched tones in a quick tempo towards a less predictable pace. The natural progression during transitions add a cheerful tempo. The first song begins with sounds that elicit waves hitting the shore, and a short ticking sound. The sounds slowly builds with softer and muted layers that add up to become a track that teases and stretches out a sweet sounding, airy feel.

The beginning of his songs are fluid, interesting, and are an exciting point in Rowland’s music. The structures of his song all include an upbeat tempo which is appealing to a general audience. Yet, there is no largely abstract part of his musical tone. His music is has room to combine a darker element that satiates the humankind to have something novel to listen to and give the listener a different emotional experience.

Influence

Rowland sets his music apart from other electronic music DJ’s or producers in West Michigan by playing his guitar and adding a developed version of the guitar sounds to his songs. He differentiates himself because there are no immediate drop offs or sounds that are forced in transition. Focused on creating a unique, specific sound, in a similar fashion to the national touring band Sunsqaubi (All Good Records; https://sunsquabi.com/) of which have developed Hydro-Funk, his goal is to keep an edge. At the same time he is focused on being authentic to his values and where he comes from. Rowland is open about his respect for Griz, the founder of All Good Records, (http://www.mynameisgriz.com/), iriginally based out of Michigan, has demonstrated a style of stage performance as he has stepped into the light as an international and national touring producer. Similar to both of the All Good Records artists, Rowland plays musical instruments to help create a sound that is original and organic sound by engineering the sound in various ways to combine sounds that take the listener to exotic places. Tracking the guitar into his songs is a strength that would fit well if brought to the forefront and showcased.

It is an important part of a producer’s ability to connect to listeners by stage presence. When Rowland plays, he is not just throwing a party, he is creating an environment where he wants listeners to feel comfortable and have fun at the same time. There is little doubt that Rowland’s place in electronic music production future looks super.