Meet Stratøs | Prøducer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stratøs and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stratøs, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My goal for my career as an artist has always been to take all of my experiences, preferences, likes (and dislikes), and combine them into an artistic statement that’s 100% myself. Whether it be an album, a discography, or just a legacy, I want to create an entire universe brimming with life. A goal of mine is to give my audience the same sense of wonder and everlastingness I get when I experience my favorite artists. When I read works by Yoshihiro Togashi (Yu Yu Hakusho, Hunter x Hunter) or Hiromu Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist), there’s a magnetism that draws me in. These are artists who have created ecosystems that sometimes feel more real than our own. They leave behind massive amounts of subtle detail that reward you for your curiosity. Creating an experience of this scale – meaning sometimes a lifetime – is my dream. This is why I became an artist.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m an artist originally from Michigan currently based in Los Angeles, CA. I started playing saxophone at age 10, began composing in college, taught myself audio production during my masters, and picked up a camera in 2020. I think of myself as someone who “accidentally” stumbled into a solo artist career. When I started the saxophone, my only goal was to sound like my heroes (sometimes it still is!). I had no intention of being a composer, and was certainly far away from the idea of adding production or photography into my work. Regardless of this reality, even when I was just a saxophonist, everything I learned was on my own terms. It had to be, because I’m pretty bad at learning things on anyone else’s. Different artistic disciplines entered my life out of a sheer need for expression. I started saxophone because I needed a musical voice. I started writing because I needed a amplifier for that voice to be heard. I started audio production because the need for a more diverse sound palette arose. I started photography because, to flesh out my universe completely, I’d need to have command over a sense we as humans often heavily rely on – sight.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I have a studio here in LA called The Stratøsphere. I work with artists, record/produce for clients, and I make short music videos too. Every time I have an artist come through I always take them to Weird Wave Coffee. It’s me and Julia’s favorite spot, and is a great way to start a session off. Artists, hit me up to come make your next record!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have to give a huge shoutout to my wife & collaborative partner Julia Moffa. Julia is a vocalist, ceramicist, and photographer who also works with adults with intellectual and physical disabilities. Not only is she a core contributor to pretty much all of the art I’ve made, her body of work was one of my biggest inspirations to branch out into art forms outside of music. As an artist, her style is injected with a spontaneity and fluidity that we’re all trying to get back to, To her, no idea is foolish. This freedom she approaches her art making makes her work truly original.

Website: https://stratostones.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stratostones/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/stratostones

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stratostones

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoODhMOrJxGh7Q-c8awaA4w

Other: Stratøsphere Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestratospherestudio/ spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Hnjv6dMBM9cKOgtZEmyHB?si=urbboOL7QgSZEqI6VEmENQ bandcamp: https://stratosmusic.bandcamp.com/album/hohenheim-suites print shop: https://stratos.darkroom.com/

Image Credits
Julia Moffa, Stratøs