What is your name and role within the band?
I’m Howard and I am the singer in CROOX.
How did CROOX start?
We have all been friends and playing music in different bands for years and we finally decided to get into a room and start writing together. We actually wrote for a good 18 months before we even decided to put anything out as a band.
Where are you guys based?
We are based in Brighton, England. However none of us are actually from Brighton, we all moved down to play music from London, Essex, Basingstoke and Australia!
Please give an example of your music writing process?
We normally start with keys and beats. I will always start by trying to write a chorus and then we find the rest of the song falls into place a lot easier. We will also try and mix our music as we write – this normally speeds up the process once the song is finished.
What are you working on right now?
At the moment, we are focusing on finishing a handful of tracks, which we will be releasing one by one over the next few months. We have some very cool features on the tracks and can’t wait to get them out.
What is your live setup?
Our live show is made up of drums, triggers and electronic pads, guitar and keys. We put a hell of a lot of time and effort into our live show as performing for us is the best part of being in a band.
What do you like to do outside of music and does it affect your music?
Outside of CROOX I tend to do a lot of DJing, which is great as it keeps me really up to date on a bunch of different genres and with new music. It also helps me with my writing and production as I am constantly inspired by a lot of the stuff I normally play.
How would you describe your music genre?
This is always a tough one as we never set out to write music to fit any particular genre. There are strong R&B and electronic influences so I guess … ‘Electronic R&B’… not very imaginative I know!
Do you know any music theory?
I think we are all pretty up to scratch with our music theory. However Alan our drummer is like a wizard. He is grade 8 in trumpet, sax & flute so any musical theory questions go straight to him!
What are your plans for the future?
For us we would just be happy being able to make enough to live by doing CROOX. We are planning on a hell of a lot of releases, live shows and more. Just constantly grafting and making sure we are always doing what we love doing.
How did you get into music?
For me I started playing classical music at a very young age. I played the French Horn and absolutely hated it. It was only when I got to 15/16 and picked up a guitar that I realised I wanted to pursue a career in music.
What are you listening to at the moment?
At the moment I am listening to a lot of Anderson Paak, Childish Gambino, Chance the Rapper… All very vibey Hip-Hop. It feels like there is a bit of a future, electronic, urban movement at the moment and I’m really into it.
Who are your top 5 influences and icons?
My top five influences/icons have to be:
– STEVIE WONDER – The man that got me singing.
– FRANK OCEAN – The man that made me think twice about the vocal melodies I was writing.
– PHOENIX – All time favourite band
– USHER – 8701 is one of my all time favourite albums.
– THE NEPTUNES – As producers and songwriters they are just untouchable!
When are you playing next?
We have a busy few weeks coming up with a bunch of live sessions and TV sessions as well as some UK festivals. However the one we are most looking forward to is our London headline show, which is on the 25th May at the Old Blue Last in Shoreditch.
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CROOX RETURN WITH NEW TRACK ‘LOYAL’
Listen Here
RELEASE DATE: April 28th 2017
“A delicious slice of breezy electronica imbued with a sexy R&B vibe.” – The Line of Best Fit
“A bittersweet blend of falsetto soul, digital pop and Hip Hop” – The Times
“An altogether gripping experience” – The 405
“CROOX immediately draw comparisons to the likes of James Blake, Years & Years, and The Weeknd”. – Complex
UK collective CROOX are back with their brand-new single ‘LOYAL’, released April 28th 2016.
The track showcases CROOX’s taste of minimal; electronic hip-pop, which follows on from the release of their double release ‘Only Human’ and ‘Horizon’ produced by Radio 1 Xtra’s CJ Beatz and Jordan Crisp aka Wide Awake.
On ‘Loyal’, the band say; “Loyal is a really special song to us as it’s been around since we started making music as CROOX. We were never sure that we would be able to do it justice so it’s pretty amazing to have it finished and ready for people to hear”
The CROOX journey so far has seen sold out headline shows at London’s Sebright Arms and Brighton’s Green Door Store, a ten date UK tour with Jeremy Loops and impressive performances at Secret Garden Party, gaining CROOX an army of loyal supporters, winning over tastemaker media and commercial press alike.
Early support for the band has come from the likes of Radio 1Xtra (BBC Introducing and Artist of the week), The Times, The Telegraph, Line Of Best Fit, GQ, Clash, MOBO, Digital Spy, The 405, Data Transmission, Q Magazine, Earmilk, Complex and Hypetrak to name a few.
‘Loyal’ steers CROOX in their own disparate lane, whilst still successfully maintaining their signature soulful, future R&B sound, teamed against a minimalist, effortless production backdrop.
Catch CROOX live:
29th April – Live at Leeds
18th May – Great Escape – Brighton
26th May – Dot to Dot – Manchester
27th May – Dot to Dot – Bristol
28th May – Dot to Dot – Nottingham
25th May – The Old Blue Last – London (headline show)
