Who and what are you?
I am Rick, FOXOS is my artist name. FOXOS is a one man project, but I work together with wonderful people.

FOXOS – How did you get that name? Tell us the story, please.
I have always had a big interest in sagas, myths and fairy tales. In the old stories from the West in particular, foxes have a pretty bad image that they don’t deserve. They are usually evil, mean background figures that only act in their own interest, and willingly let other people be harmed. But in reality, foxes are very shy, loving and intelligent animals. This discrepancy and lack of transparency is something that fascinates me. I want my music to carry with it something magical and fairy tale-like, which is why “fox” became FOXOS. It is an artificial word with fox in its name, but is still mysterious and not fully self-explanatory.

How and why did you start making music?
I have been making music for a long time. When I was 6 I started playing classical piano. I stayed with it for a long time and was lucky enough to have had many amazing teachers that supported me and helped me develop my huge passion for music. Originally, I feel at home with classical music and jazz. I played in a Big Band for a long time and only later started to sing. When I was 14, I wrote my first songs, played in several bands and was able to try out different styles and genres. At some point, I felt the need to record my music, so I bought all kinds of gadgets, tried out recording software and played with the possibilities my computer gave me.

But although I prefer certain things, my own style of songwriting and producing is continually developing. What interests me most is the symbiosis of electronic and acoustic sounds, how to replace one with the other, how to tell stories not just with lyrics, but also by using the arrangement and creation of a song. Above all, encountering different musicians and producers can hugely characterize a style. My EP FABLES, for example, was born through a close collaboration with Jonas Fritsch from Hamburg, who is a musician and producer. He was also in charge of mixing.

How and why did you end up at recordJet?
I was looking for a simple and fair way to distribute my FABLES EP to all the stores and streaming platforms worldwide. I learned about recordJet through the Berlin Music Week and friends who are musicians. I cannot imagine a better alternative.

Which music do you like to listen to privately?
That really depends on my current, or even my desired mood. When I ride my bike through the city, I love to listen to electro pop with strong beats like Robyn. When I want to be alone and melancholic, which is perfect now in autumn, I listen to a lot of London Grammar or Daughter. However, I particularly love alternative, electronic music from Germany. I adore Hundreds in a way that could be described as creepy, and I have been listening excessively to Moderat all summer long.

I listen to Jazz a lot to come down – my listening habits are rooted in this genre. I will forever adore Amy Winehouse. I have listened to all the records from old soul and jazz legends like Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald, but in my opinion, nobody could open up through their songs as much as Amy.

What do you do when you’re not doing music?
Exercise. And food. I get into a bad mood if I don’t go out for a run or unroll my workout mat 5 times a week. There are only few things that relax me physically and mentally as much as pushing my body to its limits. After that, I intensely reflect upon what to eat for lunch or dinner. I am a very bourgeois person, I love to go to bed at midnight, even on weekends, get up at 7:30AM and pay attention to nutrition. I try to eat vegan as best as I can, but it’s still hard for me to switch completely. It takes a lot of time in the beginning to commit to it.

Who are your heroes and why?
Professor Snape is my hero. To carry love, loyalty and tolerance deep inside your heart, but to have to embody the exact opposite until you die, that’s heroic.



What was the first and latest album you bought?
Latest: Hundreds – Aftermath
First: No Angels – Daylight in Your Eyes

If you had the real recordJet at your disposal for one day, where would you go, and why?
To the mountains of a Canadian national park to enjoy the space and vastness, and observe animals.

Thank you so much for the interview, Rick :-)