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Steven Julien has been a permanent fixture on London's electronic music scene for more than a decade. As FunkinEven, he emerged in the early 2010s with a steady stream of singles and EPs that veered from smooth, vocal-led house to pumping acid jams.

Julien retired the FunkinEven alias in 2016. Now using his birth name, he's continued to explore the outer reaches of house music—most notably on his acclaimed debut album, Fallen. He also runs Apron Records, a label synonymous with quality. Its ever-growing roster–which includes Brassfoot, Greg Beato and Lord Tusk–operates in its own sonic world, shielded from gimmicky pastiche and fleeting musical trends.

In partnership with music gear marketplace Reverb, we caught up with Julien at his live-in studio in East London. He talked about the evolution of the space, grappling with perfectionism and why he'll always value quality over quantity when it comes to releasing music.

Steven Julien's home studio in East London.

How has your studio space evolved over the years?

I've been a bedroom producer for most of my life–since I was kid–and as I've moved to different locations my studio's grown bigger and bigger. The move to my current space has been the biggest growth. I've pretty much got all the gear I need here. I'm very happy with how things are at the moment.

What gear do you use most regularly when making music?

The piece of equipment I've used the most throughout my career is the MPC 2000 XL. I've used that a lot. I still use it occasionally but not as much as I used to. For example, I used that on the track "XL," which was the most popular track from my debut album.

What is it about the MPC 2000 XL that resonates with you?

It has this swing that you can't really replicate on software–this fatness, this crunchiness. It's beautiful. It's a similar thing with the Roland TR-808, which has been used on pretty much everything I've released in the last five years. You can get things quite close to it, like the Behringer, but nothing beats the original 808 sound. It's quite fun, and it's definitely better for me to do that on an external machine as opposed to just clicking buttons.

Pictured: An Akai MPC2000 sequencer, the Roland SH-101 synthesiser, an Akai MFC42 analogue filter module and the iconic Roland TR-808 drum machine.

Are there any other pieces of gear that hold a place close to your heart?

Well on my debut album, I used the Korg DW-8000 on every song, so that's quite close to my heart. I haven't really used it much since, but it's pretty special in the way it sounds. It’s pretty unique. I think it's from the late '80s.

With that in mind, is it important that your music has a vintage sound to it?

I like a bit of both. I don't like using solely vintage synthesisers and drum machines. I like combining them with more modern software and more modern sounds. It makes for a nice contrast.

You could likely make the music that you make on computer software if you wanted to. Why is using hardware important to you?

It used to be more important than it is now. Technology has caught up with how things sound. I tend to use hardware equipment more because of the way it sounds. The waveforms, the analogue, the feel, the texture, the circuitry–everything comes together to make it sound unique.

Can you tell me about the piece you got from Reverb?

I knew exactly what I wanted straight away. As I mentioned, I'm really into sound engineering and mixing down. I want to create music that you could almost feel and see, and I think the UAD plugins have really helped me mould that. Being on the road, I bought a Universal Apollo Solo, which is the small version, so I can process my plugins when I'm on the move. It can be so frustrating having to wait to come home to finish a project, but now I'm able to do it anywhere.

Is there anything else you'd like to add to your studio in future?

I guess the only thing I really want is a new mixing desk–maybe something from SSL. I could obviously get more but it's not necessarily going to make my music sound any better. It's all about the ideas.

Julien's speakers are the Genelec 8350A studio monitors.

If you're interested in any of the equipment in Steven Julien's studio, he's compiled a list of lower-cost, similar pieces that are available from Reverb. To browse Reverb's wider collection, visit the website.

Akai MPC One Standalone MIDI Sequencer

Akai MPC Live Standalone Sampler / Sequencer

Roland MC-101 Groovebox

Boss DD-8 Stereo Delay Pedal

Is there a certain ritual or process you adhere to when making music?

Whether I'm working by myself or with other musicians, we make a point of never planning a session. We want it to flow and we want it to be spontaneous, because that's the only way you're going to get the magic. That said, I almost always start with drums. Most of my production starts with drums.

You strike me as someone who's unconcerned with following the latest trends. Is that accurate?

Yeah, it's a funny one. Thinking about what I do with Apron, and the music that's released on the label, it's kind of in its own world. We have our own aesthetic, and our own sound, so it's more a case of nurturing that. We also want to take risks and have fun. We're not really bothered about trends–they come and go. There's people jumping on the back of the boat and there's a captain driving the boat. I'd rather be the captain.

Pictured: The Roland Jupiter-8 synthesiser, a Yamaha DX7 synthesiser and a Rode NT1-A studio condenser microphone.

Is there a certain sound you look for when signing music to the label?

Something that's unique and honest, while at the same time fits into our ethos. It has to feel really fresh. A lot of people have this idea of what my sound is or what the Apron sound is, and they try to pigeonhole me, but I don't necessarily agree with them.

Your volume of output has slowed down in recent years. Why is that?

Yeah, I hadn't released anything since 2018. I've been busy with the label. I've been putting my heart and soul into that, releasing music from loads of different artists around the world. That's where most of my energy has gone. When the pandemic hit, production took a backseat and I just worked on the label. Now I'm at the stage where I've got so much music to release and I'm excited to get it out.

So you're a quality over quantity guy when it comes to putting out music?

100 percent. Earlier in my career I did loads of remixes, EPs and singles so that I could get my profile to where it is now. And now it's all about quality and craftsmanship. I've also been studying mixdown engineering in recent years, which has given me more of an insight into how things sound.

Would you say you're a perfectionist?

I am a perfectionist, but I've also learned that I need to let things go. Otherwise I'll end up as a skeleton at the mixing desk.

The Universal Apollo Solo, which Julien got from Reverb, will allow him to finish his projects while on the road.

Why did you decide to move away from FunkinEven as a moniker?

I started using my real name in 2016, basically because I started to dislike the name FunkinEven.

So FunkinEven's retired permanently?

Yeah, there's no difference between the music though. People think there's a different sound but there's not. Obviously there's progression, but that's just a natural thing.

What can you tell me about your new record with Kyle Hall?

It's called Crown. We worked on it over a few years, with Kyle coming to London every so often. Sonically, it's different. There's not much four-to-the-floor, it's quite experimental. There's also some cool guest features, people like Dâm-Funk, K15 and James Massiah.

Do you think Apron has cultivated a loyal fanbase?

Definitely. To give you an idea, there's one guy who has a tattoo of me wearing an Apron T-shirt. For someone to put that on their skin is pretty crazy.

So what does the future look like for Steven Julien and Apron Records?

It looks very bright and very exciting. There's some things on the horizon that I can't talk about just yet, but on the music side of things, we've got releases coming from myself and [LA artist] Jarren. On the product side, we've got a couple of cool merchandise collaborations in the pipeline. We just want to grow, really. We've found our pocket and I think we're where we need to be, so it's just about nurturing that and taking things to the next level.

Revisit the first edition of Studio Digest with Cinthie

Pictured: Apache the studio cat.

Akai MPC One Standalone MIDI Sequencer Akai MPC Live Standalone Sampler / Sequencer Roland MC-101 Groovebox Boss DD-8 Stereo Delay Pedal

Akai MPC One Standalone MIDI Sequencer

Akai MPC Live Standalone Sampler / Sequencer

Roland MC-101 Groovebox

Boss DD-8 Stereo Delay Pedal