The Rise Of Foxela: Introducing The Electronic Prodigy And His Gift For Making Anthems

Foxela has an entire anthemic repertoire just waiting to be played out (Credit: Foxela)

A scene’s longevity is reinforced by its influence on the youth, and forging its future with steady hands, in return, is a lad called Foxela. Not even in his 20s, Nigel Quah (the name behind the production moniker) is a teen with eagle-eyed focus in where he’s going, and that is to elevate the electronic milieu with dancefloor-primed compositions buffed to perfection. Foxela is an untapped bedroom phenom who’s meticulously assembling his arsenal and fine-tuning his signature, delivering a steady deluge of rave-ready anthems for an industry that’s still in hibernation. In the meantime, Foxela isn’t yearning to slumber. Foxela wants to awaken your restless spirit with his music.

Foxela’s forte lies in being a genre chameleon, fitting into tried-and-tested electronic genres with mass appeal while adding his own artistic hues. His effervescent, multifarious productions are potent packages that would rock a heavyweight music festival as much as an intimate club setting, with chart-friendly sounds that would be familiar to anyone who’s paid attention to the trends of the global EDM cycle.

With over 30 original releases and remixes on Spotify and counting, Foxela’s output has encompassed the metallic synth stabs of future house (“Westside”), the phasing, sweeping waves of future bass (“Wild Love VIP”), the pummelling aggression of trap (“Our Time”), and even the hands-in-the-air rapture of big room house (“Strangers”). Anchoring all of these influences are distinctive commonalities one can find in Foxela’s reveries – a devotion to mighty melodies, beats that heave with heft, and a penchant for procuring vocalists that adorn each offering. With a mastery that’s already on par with industry-level perfection, one can only imagine what’s on the horizon for Foxela as he evolves with age.

Get to know more about Foxela as he chats about how he got into music-making, his secrets in the studio and his goals for pushing the local house and electronic scene. This kid has big dreams, and you’d best remember the name.  

Production has been a passion of Foxela’s since he was a child (Credit: Foxela)

Hi Nigel. Loving the quality of the stuff you’ve been churning out lately. What first got you into electronic music?

It was actually a whole set of events that really pushed me into loving electronic music, actually. I vividly recall being in primary school when my friend Ryan introduced me to an electronic label called Monstercat. As I was already used to electronic sounds at the time (I was a huge fan of Owl City), this really introduced me to even more electronic acts, and I was extremely receptive to it. As Monstercat was very YouTube-based then, that really spurred me into wanting to have my own music up online as well. After a while, I started to search online for applications that I could use to create tunes, and I somehow did not come across the ‘better’ programs like FL Studio, so I just resorted to getting on a website to play a random ‘music-making’ game, in which I made some tunes on and shared it with my family. That didn’t really capture my interest fully though.

Weirdly enough a while after, I came across a dubstep remix of a YouTuber’s voice, and somehow, that really got my attention and I wanted to know how he did that. It was pure luck that my sister had recently gotten a new MacBook and she told me about GarageBand. And that’s where my journey truly began.

You’ve gained so much traction at a very young age, to the point that some might even call you a prodigy. Was producing something that took up most of your teenhood?

I’d like to say that producing was something that took up my entire teenhood, and maybe half of my childhood. I got into production when I was nine years old and it has been my passion ever since!

You seem to be getting better and better with each release. How do you try to push yourself? Is it about exploring new sounds or exposing yourself to new influences?

I’m really focused on my goals and aspirations and that’s what I think pushes me the most. Sometimes I turn to my peers and idols; whenever they achieve something huge, I use that as motivation for my own craft! Recently, one of my friends in the local electronic scene that goes by the name of Altare got featured on Trap Nation and that’s so huge! Such events really motivate me to just push myself more and more every day. And in turn, I guess that translates to the quality of my content too! I always strive to be at a hundred with all of my releases before putting them out, and that’s to make sure that what I’m releasing is as good as it can be for everyone.

“Sometimes with just the right few sounds and drums, everything will fall into place nicely.” (Credit: Foxela)

What comes first for you, the beat or the melody?

Always the melody! More specifically, the chords or bassline. That allows me to feel the groove of the track first before getting the melody line out.

You dabble in everything from future house to future bass. But what would you say is the signature Foxela sound and philosophy?

I’d say that I’m still currently in the midst of finding what my style truly is. But if anything, I try to adopt the notion that less is always more. You don’t need that many instrument tracks to make your sound ‘fuller’ or ‘better’. Sometimes with just the right few sounds and drums, everything will fall into place nicely.

Your type of sound is undoubtedly fit for big-room festivals. Imagine a time without COVID-19; do you foresee yourself going down this big-room route and playing at mega music festivals? Or does the EDM bubble scare you?

Performing at music festivals is actually one of the dreams that drive me to do what I do. Sometimes I just close my eyes and imagine myself playing in front of thousands of people who are all having a good time! Music really brings people together, and music festivals are places where strangers become friends, and there are completely no bad vibes at all. I really love the idea of that, and that’s one reason why I will definitely keep working to play at such festivals one day! And does the EDM bubble scare me? Absolutely not. 

At your young age, do you keep in touch with what’s happening in the clubbing scene and rave culture?

I always try to take note of the current trends in electronic music! Yes, it does affect my workflow slightly. As an artiste, I would want to put out music that the general public would like more. But my rule is simple: I have to love the track too. If not, you’re just conforming to the trends, which is not good.

Can you take us through your current performance setup? And is DJ-ing something that’s in the cards for you?

I’ve honestly do not have a performance setup, but I know that DJ-ing is most definitely something that I want to do. I’m not the best at it, but I’m currently learning from the best! Shoutout to Fariz from Doppelgangerz, 808gong, Jerms, and Ezra Hazard for having a hand in teaching me the ropes!

Foxela in his home studio (Credit: Foxela)

What about your studio and plug-in configuration? Is it an elaborate one?

I don’t think it’s that elaborate, actually! I mainly have a pair of Rokit 5 monitors, an SSL 2, a MIDI keyboard from Native Instruments, and a really old Macbook Air. I use mostly use Serum in all of my work, and some of my go-to plugins are Raum by Native Instruments, and electronic music’s greatest tool, OTT. I tend to use a lot of Logic’s stock plugins too. They’re great! Never underestimate the power of stock plugins.

Do you get lots of requests from collaborators and labels? Or is it the other way around?

 

I’d say it’s really 50/50. I’m always open to demos so people do send in ideas and requests for collaborations. But at the same time, I do reach out to people for collaborations too! For labels, I tend to just send in some demos but I try to be independent for the most part.

In the local scene, there’s a burgeoning but still fairly unnoticed segment of house producers. Do you wish to elevate that perception and be an inspiration for others thinking about getting into house?

That is actually another one of my goals! I feel that the house and electronic scene, in general, is super unnoticed and I’ve made it a point to try my best to raise the name of electronic music in the country. And yes, hopefully when listeners listen to mine or any other electronic track that was made in Singapore, it’ll inspire them to get into the art of music production!

Lastly, we’re certain there’s so much in store for the future of Foxela. What do you have planned in the coming months?

Lots and lots of new music. I have tracks planed all the way past 2021 and I’m really excited about that! I also have some exciting new collaborations and label releases that I’m super excited to announce, but my lips are tied for now!

You can stream the repertoire of Foxela on Spotify and his YouTube channel. Follow his Facebook and Instagram pages to stay updated with his activities.