5 Songs I Love w/ Stepping On Lego

We sat down with Stepping on Lego after the release of his stellar new tune 'Teen in the Eightees', to discuss what influences shaped his unique sound. Be sure to check out the single at the bottom and follow on socials!

Giorgio by Moroder – Daft Punk

From the ‘Random Access Memories’ album, one of my favourite albums of all time. The track beings with an infectious synth melody that remains constant throughout most of the track. As the track progresses, various instruments feature, seamlessly blending elements of electronic, funk, rock and jazz. It’s a masterful blend of genre and styles.

A large portion of my music is instrumental, and a lot of my focus goes into keeping my instrumentals interesting, without the vocals. ‘Giorgio by Moroder’ gave me a fresh perspective on how an electronic track can remain interesting and it taught me to think outside the box. The influence of this track can be heard in my track ‘Nightshade’, the third track on my upcoming album.

Butterflies and Hurricanes – Muse

I was a teenager that loved rock music, but with a background in classical piano. This led to Matt Bellamy being one of my heroes. There are so many Muse tracks that had a big influence on me but ‘Butterflies and Hurricanes’ was the biggest one. Muse played a very special brand of rock music, a style that brilliantly blended elements of rock and classical music. For me, ‘Butterflies and Hurricanes’ was the pinnacle of this, featuring Rachmaninoff inspired piano solo. It’s such a bold track that really takes the listener on a journey. Like Giorgio by Moroder, this track just destroys the idea of a typical song structure, and I love that. Also like Giorgio by Moroder, my track ‘Nightshade’ from my upcoming album shows a strong influence from ‘Butterflied and Hurricanes’.

Milanó – Sigur Rós

Milanó is a beautiful post-rock piece that is both ambient, yet fierce. It builds perfectly with a beautiful climax. When I travelled southeast Asia in 2014, I used to listen to the album Takk… on long bus journeys. I used to fall asleep to the music and I always found it fascinating how Sigur Rós made music feel ambient while they were bashing their guitars and drums with a heavy rock style. It’s what makes post-rock so interesting. They way they created textures that gradually evolve really inspired me. The progression is so subtle that you barely notice the track build form a mellow piano mellow to a full rock band. This track instantly brings me back to place, and I distinctly remember viewing music differently because of this track.

Rearviewmirror – Pearl Jam

n I was a teenager, I was obsessed with Pearl Jam. I loved everything about them but what really stood out to me was Eddie Vedder’s lyrics. His lyrics were emotionally charged, vulnerable and, at times, angry. It was as if he was using his songs to figure things out about himself and his life. I found his lyrics inspiring and I think they really resonated with me as a teenager. Pearl Jam are the band that has had the greatest influence on the lyrical components of my writing. Rearviewmirror was about walking away from somebody destructive in your life (or at least that’s my interpretation). The concept for the track of watching someone get smaller in your rearview mirror as a metaphor for moving on with your life is so powerful. The part at near the end when Edde roars “rearviewmirror” and the high guitar melody comes in always gives me goosebumps.

My recent single ‘Imposter’ is about trying to understand myself a bit more and embracing my imperfections. I feel as though the style of lyric writing in this song; Using songwriting to figure things out, was influenced by the great Eddie Vedder.

Time - Hans Zimmer

A big feature of what I try to do in my productions is make them sound and feel cinematic. I feel as though this is an element that I am adding that makes my sound different to the music that influences me. This comes from a love of cinema music and ‘Time’ by Hans Zimmer is my favourite soundtrack piece. I love how contemporary this track is, built around a four-chord structure and building upon a simple melody that acts as a hook. It’s such an emotive piece and is a beautiful blend of contemporary and cinema. My use of strings and sub synths when producing is inspired by soundtracks, my favourite of which is ‘Time’.

Teen in the Eighties - Stepping on Lego