It's people like Nate Fowler that make you feel the need to participate in more extracurricular activities. For most of us, being the singer and synth player in Stella by Starlight, a band which recently won MTVu's award for Best Band on Campus, would be enough. However, senior Nate Fowler's musical ambitions aim higher than just starring in a successful band, prompting him to launch another production career under the name Pseudofed.
Pseudofed's debut album, Timely. Accurate. Compliant. Integrated., which Fowler characterizes as "electronic pop," was made available on iTunes on Feb. 18. With a wide range of sounds featured on the 12-track album, Timely is most impressive in the diversity of genres explored and musical influences presented.
When creating a track, Fowler will make use of specific artists or tracks as reference points for his own productions. And because his list of favorite musicians runs from Daft Punk to Phil Collins, Fowler's work displays a refreshing diversity not usually heard in student music.
For instance, Fowler depicts the infectious "As Good As it Gets," his personal favorite, as a combination of Paul McCartney's lyrical style with synth and dance touches that resemble electronica legend LCD Soundsystem. His inspiration for the pop sound of "The Leak" came from the beats of Daft Punk and the vocals of Michael Jackson, while the slower and more soothing "Better Living Through Chemistry" will remind listeners of a Flaming Lips track. Above all, Pseudofed deftly achieves his goal of creating music he describes as "trying to be both Top 40 and indie pop."
Those who are most familiar with Fowler's work praise his ability to successfully mix genres. Sonny Byrd, guitarist and vocalist for Stella by Starlight, describes Pseudofed's sound as "easily digestible pop music with an edge of rock." In addition, Scott Lindroth, an associate professor of music who served as the advisor for Fowler's independent study through Duke's music department, praises Fowler's work for having the "accessibility of pop with a sophisticated use of technology."
Fowler's work as Pseudofed also drives most of his time spent with Stella By Starlight. As the primary songwriter for Stella, Fowler brings all his songs to the other members of the band.
"Every song I write," said Fowler, "I want to play," a desire which has resulted in many of his Pseudofed pieces doubling as features in Stella's live act. Timely tracks like "What Do You Please" and "Depth Perception" have found their way onto Stella's own playlist, although Fowler notes the differences between playing songs solo rather than as a band.
"It takes a lot of time to adapt my electronic productions for Stella, since we use guitar and live drums. We make it work, though. A lot of times the live versions we play are so different, it is hard to recognize them as the same song," Fowler said.
His bandmates also acknowledge the bands' distinct sounds.
"We try to keep a healthy distance between the two groups," Byrd said.
Fowler credits much of his growth as a producer to his time spent interacting with the music department. His freshman year, he took a class on electronic music and became hooked on both the production and programming aspects of the genre. In addition, he credits the ample studio time given to him by Duke over this past summer as a primary reason for the success of Pseudofed.
"Last year," Fowler said, "I spent all my life in the studio learning production skills," often logging 12-hour days at the Smith Arts Warehouse to find the sound he wanted.
"When you listen to his work from sophomore year as compared to now, he's light years ahead," Byrd added.
His hard work and long hours in the studio are precisely what prompts Lindroth to admire Fowler's knowledge of "how to make a song feel like it has the right proportions," his "sophisticated sense of harmony and melody," and his overall growth into "a complete musician."
After graduation, Fowler hopes to further his work with Stella By Starlight while also attempting to make it as an independent producer. He plans on continuing to write music as Pseudofed while also searching for other musicians to independently produce. Specifically, Fowler cites Nigel Godrich, who has collaborated with bands like Radiohead, U2 and R.E.M, as well as David Friedman, who has worked extensively with the Flaming Lips, as the two producers whose sounds he most emulates.
For now, Fowler is working on gaining both local and national exposure for his Pseudofed act. In addition to Timely's launch on iTunes, Pseudofed tracks have recently been featured on XM Radio broadcasts. In Durham, he has appeared at the Duke Coffeehouse and is always looking to DJ student parties. Fowler also has just released a track available for download on his MySpace page for those who want to get a free sample of his sound. Students should take advantage of Pseudofed's intricate and creative work while they still can, before Fowler's eclectically inspired electronic pop music moves out of Duke and into professional recording studios.
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