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Troyboi | Fresh Tracks and Trendy Trainers

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Last Friday, The Novo at LA Live was sold out for a very special TroyBoi concert. Yes, this is my fourth time seeing TroyBoi live this year. Yes, he’s that good. More formally known as Troy Henry, TroyBoi is a South East London native who has been making huge marks on music as we know it since 2010. Recently, TroyBoi dropped his latest EP, _V!BEZ, Vol. 2_, to showcase his non-binary style of music as he produces tracks simply because he gets down with it as much as all of us do. For me, getting some words in with Troy before he stepped out on stage was one of the most major experiences I have ever had. I was completely floored with his genuine personality, his attention to detail in his manner and style, and his true passion for every word that comes out of his mouth- not to mention those words are immaculately cushioned by the most suave English accent ever. Some may know Troy by his universally known remixes of all of our favorite songs, however, the real magic is in his original tracks. Taking every ounce of knowledge from working with revered artists like Flosstradamus and Diplo early in his career (who Troy only has good words to say about), Troy has manifested an all original set list that is truly incomparable to any live show I have seen. His set list for the concert included basically every genre of music originally crafted into beat drops by Troy, yet he took no credit for this all himself. He was humble, spending the end of the show thanking every one who got him to where he is now- fans and crew included. Throughout the show, he featured other forms of art such as live dancers, classical instrument players and even contortionists to take the spotlight off of himself and give back to the talent that surrounds him. Moral of the story, I guess I’m a fangirl now? Read our conversation below to understand why TroyBoi is truly one of the most honorable names in the production game.  **When did your love for music start and how did your career start… where did this all begin?** So, I’ve loved making music from a very, very young age. I think I realized when I really wanted to become a producer was when I was like 14 years old. I was in school, and they had just introduced music technology and I saw one of the older student on the computer using the keyboard and playing around with chords and recording drops and that was the first time I ever saw music being made through the computer. Seeing that, it just really unlocked it all for me. I remember thinking, “alright, this is what I want to do.” So, that’s where I basically started and from that I just kept making music in my bedroom to the point where all my friends were like “Yo, you should maybe do something with this.” I mean, I only used to play my music to my friends, I never put it online. Then it got to a stage where I was like 25 years old, working in real estate, and I was really just feeling the pinch of feeling another calling for me- music was just my thing. One of my boys, the artist IceKream, got me out of work and helped me out for the two years where every single day I was just making music. Thats why in the early stages on my career, when TroyBoi was really out on the net, I had such an outpour of music because I was literally making music every single day. It was crazy. **So, obviously your collaborations with Flosstradamos were huge, everyone knows that. How was it working with the big dogs of the industry? Who and what really inspired you?** Well, working with people like Floss, it’s just homies, man. When I was first coming up and they approached me to do music with them, I was just blown away. I was just a boy from Southeast London making music in my bedroom while there are people in the States who are selling out shows and festivals, so I was super humbled by it. I think from there, it just helped make the name grow. I did these remixes, remixes turned into original tracks and it just really blossomed.  **And you’ve worked with Diplo as well, now how was that- be honest (wink-wink).** He’s absolutely cool, ya know. He’s a respected guy and he’s credited for parts of the music culture and the scene. We did the track After-hours together, which was a huge success, and now _V!BEZ, Vol. 2_ is on his label, so we have a good relationship.  **Well obviously you have very unique aesthetic, really embodying every aspect of fashion, music and you as a person. Your visuals as well always caught my eye in your performances, how does your multifaceted creativity influence your sound?.** For me, I’m very eclectic with my dress sense which I can definitely relate to my music sound with eclectic tid-bits and pieces of each genre put together. As you can tell with my fashion, I like to rep high fashion trainers with cheap trousers and a cheap T, mixing and matching high fashion with street-wear. **So along with that, I heard that you do not refer to yourself as an EDM artist, how do you define your style of music?** I’m still trying to figure myself out, if you didn’t notice. Honestly, I like to create just music. I don’t consider myself an EDM artist because I make so much more types of music. Sometimes I’ll make an R&B track or a classically infused-pop-hip hop cross breed thing. I can’t define myself as one thing because I’m always doing weird and different stuff.  **Now, Vol. 2 is out, which includes a lot of different styles on the list. What are some of the inspirations for these tracks and what are you hoping to evolve toward in the future with your new music?** I just want to make what I like at the time. I think for _V!BEZ, Vol. 2_, the time frame in which I was making it, I was spending a lot of time in the West Coast like LA and San Fran. I loved that West Coast- hip hop bounce, so that has an influence in my tracks like “Show Off” and “Drip”. It’s kind of like my version of this West Coast state. Depending on where I am, what kind of mood I’m in, anything can influence the sound.  **Where has influenced you the most during your traveling?** That’s hard. Every step has influenced me, but I’d say parts of Asia especially. I just love traditional music with instruments from places like India and China.  Anywhere where I think there’s a unique sound of music really influences me. Not only the place, but the weather, the mood… in the past I’ve made 2 tracks like that. One track on my first EP called “Sunset in Costa Rica” was literally made watching the sunset in costa rica. And then Wavy on my album was made at sunrise and influenced by what I could literally see. See TroyBoi on his _V!BEZ Tour_ while you can by purchasing tickets here: [http://www.troyboimusic.com](http://www.troyboimusic.com) And stream his new EP _V!BEZ, Vol. 2_ here: [http://maddecent.fm/vibezvol2](http://maddecent.fm/vibezvol2)  * * * Photos by: [Paulette Ely ](https://www.instagram.com/paulettely/)