Photographer: Faiz-Ouacime Kabouche
Words: Laurie Bertram
London-based Steven Julien has spent more than a decade carving out his own lane as one of the capital’s most quietly influential multi-hyphenates, producer, DJ, label head, and creative collaborator whose work continues to ripple far beyond the city that raised him. Over the years he’s built a reputation for uncompromising sound design, analogue grit and a distinct musical instinct that bridges house, hip-hop, jazz, garage and everything in between. Across his career he’s remained dedicated to craft over hype, developing a signature approach that feels both deeply personal and unmistakably rooted in London’s cultural DNA.
Now, as he steps into DJ-Kicks’ landmark 30th anniversary celebrations at Drumsheds—taking place on Friday 5th December with The Hydra—Julien reflects on the journey that shaped him, from Acton beginnings and barbershop days to underground vinyl hunts, collaborations with icons like Yasiin Bey, and a growing desire to produce for artists outside his own bubble. We caught up with Julien as he traces the experiences, influences and instincts that continue to guide his evolving sound and creative identity…
DJ Kicks’ 30th anniversary at Drumsheds is coming up… How are you feeling about it?
Steven Julien: Good. I haven’t been to the club before, but I’ve heard some crazy stories about how big it is, how it sounds and the overall experience. I’m quite looking forward to witnessing it for myself and playing there.
I used to go to the IKEA all the time. I knew it like the back of my hand—let’s see if I’ll know it as well when I get there, lol.
But you grew up in West, right?
Steven Julien: Yeh, in Acton. Born and raised West side, but I currently live in East—have done for around 14 years.
Thinking back to your Acton days, were the sounds floating around back then instrumental to the sounds you fuck with now? Or do you feel things changed once you properly stepped into music?
Steven Julien: Yeah, I think it’s a mix of everything in a way. Everything I grew up around shaped my experience—the culture, the genres of music, being a dancer, being a rapper, school…my whole life has influenced the sound I make today.
We’re all lucky to hear music from a young age, and it shapes who we become. In regards to the start of your DJ journey, can you remember when you first hit the decks? Realistically, it was probably vinyl?
Steven Julien: Haha yeah, correct. We’re talking about the ‘90s. Collecting music in that period was only on vinyl and CD. I would save up my pocket money with my friends, and we would go out on a Saturday and buy records, then go back home to listen—hip-hop, house, drum and bass, jungle.
I would practice beat-matching at home, using SoundLab record decks or go to my friend’s house and practice with all these mad records. That unintentionally birthed my DJ skills without even planning to be a DJ. That wasn’t my main focus, my main focus was always making music, but that was just a practice that we loved.
I find it funny—I’m a chef and a DJ, and hand-eye coordination plays such a massive part in both. Going back to your hairdressing days, do you think being able to zone in with your hands while holding a conversation, or while playing a club set, comes from those early days chopping trims instead of beats?
Steven Julien: Yeah, definitely. It’s a beneficial combo for sure. It’s definitely taught me a lot, especially to be a bit more open and social, because I’m not really a social guy. I am, like most artists, on the spectrum—ASD. So my communication isn’t always the best, but hairdressing really taught me to focus, and it taught me how to listen properly as well, you know? Some people just want to sit and tell me their problems whilst I give them a trim.
I’ve always been creative and kind of the top art student, the creative student at school. So working with my hands was always second nature. I always wanted to use them in a creative way, whether it’s making music or cutting hair.
Yeah, for sure. I am speaking for myself, but because of the kind of creative ADHD tendencies I think a lot of us deal with as creatives, our hands can be our biggest tool—to allow our minds to enter a flow state.
In the barbershop days, growing up—let’s say up to the age of 17 or 18—who were two or three artists that really stood out to you during that first integral period of your childhood into young adulthood?
Steven Julien: It’s really hard to name one person or even a few, because my influences are all over the place. But I guess at that time, one person I can say in house/garage would be Todd Edwards. Hip-hop wise, let’s say RZA. Also The Neptunes. Around then I also really got into collecting jazz and jazz fusion records, as well as hip-hop samples. I liked going back and seeing where the samples came from—that got me into the likes of George Duke and Roy Ayres. That whole world was a massive influence too.
Did your siblings influence your taste?
Steven Julien: It wouldn’t be siblings because I’m the oldest. But my uncles and my cousin for sure. My uncles taught me how to dance and they always had their music playing really loud in the house. They’re responsible for a lot of that and opened my ears up as a kid.
Which one Funkineven song and one Steven Julien song would you play b2b?
Steven Julien: SJ, “XL”. Funkineven, “Dracula”.
Hell yeah. One for the bedroom producer—I’m assuming you still get sent demos and stuff like that? Do you still get that buzz when you realise there’s so much talent still out there and things are always changing? Is it refreshing to hear stuff that you might once not have thought would ever make the grade?
Steven Julien: Yeah, funny enough, I kind of stopped listening to demos and refused to take them. But this kid from Amsterdam really wanted his stuff to be heard by me, so I think he tried for a few years, and tried through different people to get me to listen. I was like, okay—if he really wants me to listen, let me give it a go. And honestly, it ticked all the boxes for the direction I want to take the label at the moment, so I was quite surprised. We’re going to release a single by him in January/February and then possibly an EP. I was quite excited about that, and the persistence of him trying to get me to listen paid off.
In relation to collabs, I’m always interested in how artists approach a collaboration—whether it’s just chemistry or good vibes that get you through the session, or whether it needs to be more than that. And then with the physical collaboration with Nike, it would be interesting to hear about the difference between a musical collaboration and a physical product that goes out into the world to be judged not only just sonically or within your own community, but physically.
Steven Julien: It’s actually pretty much the same in some ways. It’s about having belief in what you’re coming together to make. So with the process of making that shoe, over the span of like two years or whatever it was, being sure that this is the direction I wanted the shoe to go in really paid off.
I’m not sure if Nike themselves knew it was a good shoe. I’m guessing they didn’t know the response it would get once it dropped. And then once they saw the hype, they were like, “okay, this is a certi shoe that’s gonna sell out straight away.”
I guess you can always rely on the UK scene, or even smaller, the London scene, the people you can lean back on and say, “For everyone that’s been here since the start, here’s something to show that effort and all those hours in the studio in a different format.” It’s cool. I like stuff like that.
Steven Julien: It’s the same way of making music. If I’m really sure about this track and I’m really digging it myself and I feel a way about it, then it’s gonna translate well in the world.
100 percent. What do you think DJ kicks stands for these days, in an age where realistically anyone can put a mix online? What do you think DJ Kicks still still operates on, and why do you think it’s stood the test of time?
Steven Julien: I don’t know. I guess a lot of it is down to the era it started in, because most things in that era are pretty iconic and stand the test of time. When did it start—1995? You’ve got BAPE and Supreme in ‘93, ‘94. Not to say that’s music, but brands that started in that golden era and stayed persistent with their art are always going to stand the test of time and be relevant now.
I think when it comes to putting together a mix—especially in a digital age where tracks are easily ID-able—the magic is sometimes lost. That moment when you go to a club or an event all night without hearing a track that you don’t even know. What’s your process when making a mix?
Steven Julien: I think the approach I take when making a mix or a podcast is definitely a bit different from what I play in the club, because I haven’t got an audience when I’m making the mix. I’d rather tell some sort of story. But live, I’m 90% guided by the energy that I’m getting from the crowd. Whatever the energy I receive, I bounce back, and that decides where I’m going to go on —what journey I’m going to go on in real time.
I just went on tour, and at one of the shows in Seoul, it was a smash of a night—really good. The next day my mate was like, “Oh, I thought you were going to play this song because you always played it on NTS” and I was like, well, it’s a completely different vibe. That wasn’t the energy of the club for that song to really work in the way it does on live radio. It’s a different approach.
I think, actually, when you’re doing a mix like that, you can offer a more tailored experience too, because you’re not thinking about the reaction—you’re doing it more from the heart.
A lot of the music I’m trying to produce, or find myself making, is cinematic, ambient, and world-building. I’ve definitely noticed that some of it is similar to your music—really powerful sounds that lower you into a thoughtful mindset before the groove fully kicks in. That can feel really special in mixes, especially when it feels like you’ve found something no one else has really heard.
Working with Mos Def Yassin Bey, on “Negus”, do you think because it couldn’t be streamed, there was a real secrecy around it—the fabled aspect of being able to hear it only in specific listening spaces, bars that had the vinyl, or places where you knew you wouldn’t usually get access to it?
Steven Julien: I mean, I think it’s a great idea. But at the same time, I’m like, oh, I wish the whole world could hear this because, at the end of the day, it’s work that I’ve done with quite a big artist, and it would be good to share that—for real. Even just for my portfolio. But at the same time, it is interesting and unique to consume a project in that way. So yeah, a bit of both.
What’s on the horizon other than this landmark 30th year anniversary that you’re part of?
Steven Julien: I’m excited to release loads of music and do a few collaborations with some artists that I’m speaking to at the moment. A big bucket list that I haven’t really done in my career as much as I’d like is working with and producing for artists other than myself—whether it’s rappers or singers. I’m quite looking forward to that. And I’ll be releasing bodies of work on labels outside Apron records as well, because I’ve pretty much only released on my own imprint for the last 10 years. I’m excited to be venturing out of the bubble that I’ve created and see where that takes me.
One last question—one I always ask, who’s the best artist you’ve ever seen live, when and why?
Steven Julien: One person I actually mentioned last night to someone who I’m grateful to have seen before he passed away, is Prince. I saw him at the O2 and then at his after party as well—sensational. And as for club/DJ experience, Theo Parrish is high up on that list as well.
Steven thanks so much mate, good luck at Drumsheds and looking forward to hearing what’s next!
Listen to Steven Julien’s DJ-Kicks mixtape below.