Astronautalis on Middle East debut: ‘I can’t possibly explain how excited we are to be coming to Dubai’

An artist who defies categorisation, Astronautalis makes his Middle Eastern debut at Bad House Party. He talks to us about his influences and the role the internet has played in building his career.

Astronautalis, who will perform in Dubai on December 3. Megan Thompson

Astronautalis – otherwise known as 33-year-old Floridian native Charles Andrew Bothwell – is a mass of contradictions.

He is a “hip-hop” (note the quote marks) artist beloved by indie kids. A rapper signed to a punk label (OneSideDummy). A chameleon as likely to be backed by ragged guitar riffs, throbbing synths or glitchy soundscapes as urban beats and breaks. And it’s not as though he just raps.

In short, he is the walking embodiment of a 21st-century artist – ­underground, independent, largely self-promoted, but with a huge network of loyal fans thanks to the internet.

Ahead of his Middle Eastern debut, at which he will perform backed by a full live band for Bad House Party tonight, we grilled him on both counts.

Ten years ago, before the internet turned the music industry upside down, would you be where you are today?

The people who got the most upset about file-sharing and music piracy were the people who were already making money. For folk like myself, who got in at the very bottom, we were used to not making any money or selling many records. I certainly wouldn’t have the career that I have or the fan base I have if it wasn’t for file-sharing, Spotify or any of that stuff. I will always prefer it if people buy my records, but I don’t begrudge people – because I also used Napster and BitTorrent, and I use Spotify now.

Is this model the future?

For the longest time in music, there was no middle class. You were either nobody, or Bon Jovi. Now, what’s emerged is the opportunity to be lower-­middle class, upper-middle class – there are now tiers of earning and success that are sustainable models that you can raise a family on. I have no desire to be U2 – that notion, that way of life, seems uncomfortable to me. But ultimately I am on a track – I pay my rent, I have my apartment. I’m not rich by any stretch, but I make a living.

Congratulations on the new single, Sike!, the first from next year’s new record. It’s already four years since This Is Our Science. Nervous?

I’m always worried about the reaction – when I’m writing it, recording it, mixing it. But, ultimately, I think that’s a good thing because if I’m writing a bunch of music just thinking “everyone is going to love this”, then I should be very scared of what I’m creating – frankly, I’d be worried if I wasn’t worried.

By the sounds of it, the new record is going in a much harder ­direction?

For sure. For a long time I was striving to make very pretty music. Mostly, I had a total dissatisfaction with what rap had become – and, honestly, right now I feel it’s one of the most exciting eras in the history of rap music and, as a result, I find myself having fallen back in love with rap.

Is anyone exciting you in ­particular?

It’s exciting because of the sheer diversity and the broad spectrum of things. Rap has sort of become pop music now – pop singers are going to beat-makers to make songs for them. But then you branch out and artists such as Kendrick [Lamar] – the fact he made that challenging, wildly creative record [To Pimp a Butterfly] and have everybody in the world checking for it, that’s such an incredible testament to what listeners are looking for, what labels are doing and what artists are capable of right now. That record, to me, is a thrill.

What inspired your new record lyrically?

I’ve been in a bit of a quandary as a person, as an American, and as a guy in his thirties. I became frustrated with the behaviour and expectations of people of my age and younger in the West – and especially in America. The belief that “someone else should do it for me” is a constant refrain and, ultimately, we have lost a lot of our drive and determination. I’ve learnt this because I’ve seen this drive and determination in places that are much less comfortable and stable financially. I often joke that I don’t really see people living the American dream in America any more, but I see people chasing the American dream in Romania, Slovakia, Russia... I feel like my generation is at worst expectant and, at best, feeling defeated by the world around them.

Any expectations from your first Middle Eastern gig?

Of course, there’s everything everybody knows about Dubai – but I also come from a place people know superficially before they get there, so I’m really excited to learn a lot more. In my research, I found it’s the falconry capital of the world, which I think is incredibly badass. I can’t possibly explain how excited we are to be coming to Dubai – when we first got the offer, I didn’t tell anybody, my friends, family – I didn’t even tell the band because I didn’t want to jinx it. I’m honestly tripping out – I’m really pumped.

• Astronautalis performs on Thursday, December 3 at Casa Latina, Ibis Al Barsha, Dubai. Doors open at 9pm, tickets are Dh100