As Spiffy Man prepares to release his new single, Nights at the Waterfront, he caught up with us to reflect on his artistic journey, moving from the familiar territory of Progressive House into the nostalgia Synthpop. In this interview, he shares the heartfelt story behind the track, his passion for weaving narratives through music, and his newfound love for retro 80s sounds. With a new album in the works and a dedication to pushing his creative boundaries, Spiffy Man offers insights into his evolving musical identity. Discover the depth and ambition driving his latest work.
Spiffy Man, welcome to A&R Factory! We’re stoked to have you as you gear up for the release of your forthcoming single, Nights at the Waterfront, which is due to drop on September 20. What’s the story behind the single?
Thanks for having me! The story is fairly simple, a tale about two people who are dating and struggle with how to tell each other that they are in love. It’s part of a larger story being told in my album that will be released sometime next year.
What do you think the single says about you as an artist?
As an artist, I feel this track shows more of my diverse side. I’m typically known as a Progressive House artist but now find myself attempting to test my abilities in other genres, Synthpop more specifically for this single.
What was the process of bringing such an intricately layered track to life like?
This track started off as a collaboration between myself and a friend, Tyler, back in 2021. We had abandoned the project and only recently did I decide to make creative corrections and change the direction of the track. Originally, it was called Late Night in Santa Monica by Tyler and for me, it was about my fiancée and I’s date nights at the Santa Monica Pier in California. So, some of those elements stayed in the track, the location just being Seattle instead of Santa Monica.
Did the genre fluidity come naturally?
I would say transitioning to different genres is a challenge, but once I get into the flow of writing and producing the rest does come pretty naturally. I do a lot of studying into the genres I want to contribute to and thus become pretty immersed in the work.
After making so many waves in the EDM and progressive house scene, what inspired a shift to a more synth-pop sound?
I always loved the sounds of synthesizers in music from the 80s, from films and television shows to bands and groups such as A-Ha and Van Halen. I’ve experimented with Synthwave quite a bit and feel I found my retro sound through this new single. Some of the best 80’s teen rom-coms had a stellar soundtrack that was heavy on synthesizers and I’ve always wanted to maintain that magic they put out to audiences.
Judging by your streaming stats and the highlights in your career, you’ve clearly mastered the art of orchestrating earworms, has your success changed your relationship with music as an expressive art form?
I’ve always wanted to tell amazing stories through my music. Over the years, I felt that I needed more visual representations of the story to help people get more involved and in tune to the stories I’m telling. Only more recently have I begun to challenge my emotions into the music and I feel it has definitely opened up the door to new sounds and means of expression.
After the release of Nights at the Waterfront, what’s next?
After this release, I’ll begin promotion for my next Progressive House single with my long-time friend, Sauniks, which will be featured. alongside Nights At The Waterfront, in an album I’m hoping to release in the spring. From there, the sky’s the limit as I’ll continue to push myself to new sound design and new mediums of storytelling.
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Stream Spiffy Man on Spotify and follow the artist on TikTok and Instagram.
Interview by Amelia Vandergast