Mike Stewart Theory Drops Mesmerizing New Track "It Reaches Us" and Connects With Us for a Deep-Dive Interview
- STAFF
- Sep 1
- 13 min read
By: Staff
An electrifying, genre-blurring triumph, "It Reaches Us" pulses with visionary soul and fearless originality.
A new pulse has emerged from the underground. Mike Stewart Theory returns with "It Reaches Us," a track that doesn’t just move through the speakers, it slips into the bloodstream. Bright, enigmatic, and laced with cosmic tension, the song feels like a memory you’ve never had but somehow still recognize. It’s the sound of decades colliding, psychedelic sparks, indietronic grooves, and the ghost of 80s soul echoing through forgotten clubs and distant stars.
But who is Mike Stewart Theory? Behind the swirling sonics is a figure shaped by thousands of miles, hundreds of collaborators, and a relentless drive to chase the raw, unfiltered moment. His career spans everything from Berlin before the wall fell to Austin's endless summer of sound. He has jammed with legends, learned from mystics, and captured fleeting moments of musical magic in dusty studios and ancient grain mills.
We spoke with Mike about everything from how eclipses spark his inspiration to how awe translates into rhythm, and why "first-take magic dust" might just be the secret ingredient we’ve all been chasing. He opens up about chasing transcendence through music, the chaos and clarity of collaboration, and the quiet courage it takes to remain undefinable.
This isn’t just a release. It’s a reminder that the strange and soulful still have a place in the world. That feeling you get when a voice cracks at the right second or a beat drops a half-step late? That’s the heart. That’s the point. And “It Reaches Us” does exactly that.
Dive into our full interview with Mike Stewart Theory to uncover the stories, philosophies, and unexpected moments behind the music that refuses to follow the rules.
Here’s how it went:
Begin Interview:
Hello Mike Stewart Theory, we’re thrilled to have you here for this interview! We've had an amazing time exploring your music and diving into your creative journey. Now, we’re even more intrigued to get a deeper look into both your brand and your personal and professional inspirations.
Q. The energy in ‘It Reaches Us’ is undeniably infectious, and the bright sound combined with thought-provoking lyrics really captivated us. The scientific and cosmic elements you weave into your music resonate deeply. Was there a pivotal moment in your life or career when you realized that music wasn’t just a personal expression for you, but something that could connect on a global scale? When did it transition from being something intimate to a mission of sharing it with the world?
A. I have been a musician and songwriter since I was 14yrs old. In Fixate I have never really had a job… I also have been working my entire career all over the US and most of Europe. I played in Eastern Europe before the wall came down in Berlin and Prague…touring with some German bands…
Q. You’ve mentioned that certain experiences, like witnessing eclipses, have influenced your music. How do you think moments of awe or transcendence translate into the sound or mood of a track like “It Reaches Us”?
A. I think sound and mood are very transcendant. I was at the dentist yesterday and talked with them about a patient that uses NO pain medication during dental procedures, He could reach trance state where he could feel no Pain with out drugs., to me, this is somehow this is evidence to me that we can let ourselves slip into streams of alternate states if we will let ourselves… Perhaps we slip in and out of alternative streams all the time… Awe and Transcendence reacting to our real life experiences is probably happening all the time… It is often easy for me to be “in Awe” when I am working on music. I let things surprise me and try not to work on this so long I lose that feeling…
Q. You described your music as a fusion of psychedelic, indietronic, and 80s soul influences. How do you see those genres not only blending together but pushing each other to evolve within your own sound?
A. Oh yeah… I am not young…. I danced to SOUL TRAIN. I have seen many performers in small sweaty venues early in their careers…. spending time in Dance clubs in the 80’s was very informative to me.. All the best DJ’s in small clubs bounce in and our of Rock and Soul… The northern Soul Movement in the UK really influenced me… I have several DJ friends in England and Scotland who still only play northern should at parties.. I often go to some little known Betty Wright or unkown Philly Sound track to hear the feel, tempo, beat etc…. It’s such a fun way to start working on a song.
Q. "First-take magic dust" seems like a guiding mantra for your recording process. How do you stay connected to that initial spark when working through multiple revisions or tweaks in the studio?
A.Yeah, it bothers a lot of musicians when after their 1st take i say… “WOW Ok we are done” When great players play their instrument directly from the heart to their fingers or their voice, it is THE BEST… bypassing the brain is often way better than anything that could be “thought’ of… It also means you often do child-like things that can are innocent and fresh… and and and..
Q. With such a wide range of collaborators, from Marcus Praed to Norton Blue, how do you curate the creative energy each person brings into a song? Do you intentionally seek out certain vibes or let the connection form naturally?
A. I think both.. I would like to think I am choosing people for their vibes, but I think in reality the vibe chooses us… and mostly everyone I work with is my good friend, from years of messing around in the studio, or chasing the same girl, or playing on stage together or just hangin out.. Norton Blue is a good example of this.. He was an early Jungle producer, Producing Tricky and using sped up African beats to do his thing. He has a label called SOUR (Sounds of the Underground) I was just a stupid kid from Texas when I walked into his studio near Kings Cross… we have been great friends since that first day when we shook hands, He is from Middlesborough, Grew up blue collar and survival oriented… Much like me though I was in Oklahoma and Texas… Marcus Praed was in a Band I produced Years ago (Cliff Barnes and the Fear Of Winning ) the I was living in Amsterdam in the 2000’s He asked me if I could help him Build the studio that in that old grain mIll in Bad Iburg DE…Mühle der Freundschaft. I did go help Him, it is a great old place,. I started dragging bands from Amsterdam there (Marynka, Skip the Rush, Jewel in the Mire. ) and i try to got here as often I can and record with the awesome musicians in that area, every summer we spend 2 weeks recording… trying to grab that FIRST TAKE MAGIC DUST”
Q. You've described yourself as being all over the place genre-wise, from dance to country to the more abstract. What does it feel like to hold such a broad spectrum of musical identities within yourself?
A. well sometimes it feel like i am stupid, for not focusing on one thing, Maybe I would have a bigger career. but in the end we are who we are, and I we do what we do, and I can honestly say I have done what was in front of me to do everyday of my life…I feel luck to have been about to do so… for me Creativity is the thing that keeps me alive…and I believe you can be creative in many many ways… writing music creating music, vids, poetry, art of course, but also building a house, working on a car, helping people who need help,
Q. You’ve often said that even though you can’t remember everything you’ve learned, it’s still in your heart. Can you pinpoint a few core lessons or beliefs that have shaped you as an artist?
A. Ha, well that would of course mean I might need to remember something,
But I can remember somethings or at least the general picture.
-My Fundamentalist preacher Dad took away the first electric guitar I ever bought with my lawn mowing money when I was 14. The probably guaranteed i would be here today doing this interview.
-the first time I did LSD I saw The Moody Blues and Jimi Hendrix, Hendrix was 90 feet tall. and I still play Nights in White Satin.
-I have managed a few artist who I just could not keep them from making bad decisions and watching them throw their careers down the toilet.
-I have been in bands that closed down the bar every night at the gig. and am glad i got the heavy drinking in my past.
-Lessons. Hmmm maybe Learned the 1st take magic dust thought from Co-producing some records with Jim Dickinson. He was big on that….
-I mixed some records at Paisley Park and got to hang with Prince a little bit. He would do mixes, immediately print them to vinyl and throw a party at the studio to see how people reacted and dance to the mixes…
-I stood in the middle of the Paradiso Dancefloor in Amsterdam and really felt the beats and the wave of energy in the room.
Q. You’ve had the opportunity to work in diverse spaces, whether it’s in the grain mill studio in Bad Iburg or at Alley House in Austin. Do you find that the physical space itself informs the creative flow, or do you try to create that energy internally no matter where you are?
A. I do think it does inform it, however. I think messy studios are usually more fun, so if fun is a part of your creative process, then work in messy places…
I also think that rooms absorb vibes with time…. I worked in the studio’s where THE WHO and MANFRED MANN and PHIL SPECTOR worked and they are definitely VIBBY…. The Mühle der Freundschaft in Bad Iburg was built in 1697… rebuilt after WW2 and was a working Mill into the 1960’s the vibe there goes way beyond music into people milling grain to stay alive!!
Q. You’ve toured with such a variety of acts, from Tito and Tarantula to Beats Antique. How have those different live experiences shaped the way you perform and connect with your audience in a live setting?
A. OH yeah… Tito is so funny and says lets the groove do its thing… audiences love to get carried away with the vibe… and if people are dancing, your things working.
If you have never seen BEATS ANTIQUE, try to do it… They are very theatrical in a very homegrown way. David is one of the few DJ’s who can set the beats to jam with any local musicians who show up. you rarely see that. Zoe is so good with the Audience. I learned a lot about sound working with them.. Tommy was one of the first people to play live drums in a DJ oriented show… They are awesome.
Q. There’s a sense of unfiltered playfulness in “It Reaches Us”, especially with moments like the “Arabian-sounding” vocal. How important is it for you to leave space for those playful accidents, and how do they contribute to the song’s essence?
A. Honestly probably every song has a moment or 2 like that in it… Especially intros and and outros.. or if I’m live band recording, I call out new chords, which messes with people, but keeps them fresh… in that area of IT REACHES US, I was trying to put something there at that spot to remind myself we needed a solo there… and the stupid auto tuner messed it up in a kooky way…. the month after that everyone around me said “you need to keep that’ and I usually laughed, but then I did and here we are!!
Q. You’ve credited the likes of Pharrell Williams and Amy Winehouse with keeping things "deep and real." What is it about their artistry that resonates with you the most, and how does that influence the authenticity you strive for in your own music?
A. Have you ever noticed how simple and directly everything Pharrell has been involved in seems complex, but is really simple in reality… All the Neptune snd NERD productions are super bare but does sound like it… We all could learn from this thinking… Most musicians are also gear heads and we just want to fiddle with things…. add another track, lets put horns on it, lets put 5 guitars parts on it…. etc… Its fun, but i hope I can keep learning this on and on… LET IT BE SIMPLE, MIKE!
AMY WINEHOUSE, omg,wtf… I saw Here play in a no soundcheck gig at sxsw in Austin and was mesmerized, fell in love, carried away… everything… Musically she was beyond soul and probably one of the most Authentic people to be swept up that far so fast…. I wish I could be so always… and her voice WOW… I am not really a very good singer, I am just lucky people believe what i say… But Amy…. I did kind study her phrasing and sometimes remember to be as loose as she was. I am stuck on the beat too much i think.
Q. Having over 100 million streams as a producer and collaborating with many artists, how do you release a song, is it based on an expectation to gain worldwide acclaim or attention or some other internal purpose?
A. I Only started releasing songs since the Pandemic… I realized I might as well do it… I never though my own material was a significant as the stuff I was working on with all the other bands I was producing and writing with…
But in the end it feels good to see my creative archives find their way out.
I’m probably gonna do vinyl next year, collectors of the Dance Beat stuff. Right now I am only on all the streaming services.. banging it out with all the kids around the world.. learning something new everyday…
Might be fun to gain worldwide acclaim, but in reality my goal is to be be creative and expressive everyday. i am co-writing and producing other people all the time… and I like to help people…. I have learned a lot from all producers I Have worked with and all the studios I have worked in, and listening to tracks I have produced or engineered after they came out, I would like to think I could pass some of this knowledge along, (while I of course am being creative and staying amused and entertained in the process)
Q. With the upcoming album "Mikey2Hats Birthday," you’ve said you want listeners to feel the “heart and soul” in everything you do. How do you ensure that emotional connection is always present in the music, even as your style evolves?
A. Hard question.. I think all yo can do is put it out and HOPE people feel it…. Its’s there if you will let it in. How do I ensure it? try to not to think to much about it, try not spend too much time on anyone thing, so i lose the feeling without knowing it. Listen to people who I trust to listen to my stuff and take note of what they say…. I hope I am successful with these elements of keeping the heart and soul in my tracks…
and here is a weird one, when I am singing the studio or on stage, I really try to let myself feel the moment I felt when I first wrote the lyrics…. remember the person or the moment and let it flow through me, I dont think about the much, I just do….. its a little dangerous to be so though. I have some really sad songs about friends dying or lovers leaving, that bring to to tears on stage… if that happens deeply, which it does sometimes, I just have to stop.. weird feeling to think about even now..
Q. Looking back at your experiences as a producer and performer, is there a particular moment or memory that stands out as a defining turning point in your musical journey?
A. Not really, it seems like very moment of my life is filled with turning points that I dont even see till well after the fact. I think sometimes i am spinning with this. I’m probably high functioning ADHD and am lucky it does not stop me from progressing in producing or creating…
If i go way back, I could mention the Jimi Hendrix Moody Blues Concert, or the Stevie Wonder Rolling Stones Concert.
or the first time I heard Massive Attack. or had a conversation with Sinead Oconner… I got to be friends with Edwin Collins in the late 90’s conversations with him and his wife are always informative and entertaining. Edwin has been through a lot and still reaches for similar goals as he did when he was 16. That is to be admired.
The DeadMilkmen recordings I co produced with Brian Beattie in Austin, were big… We had a lot of fun and the recordings are so fresh..
Or the time I was on sat on an airplane and asked the woman next to me what see was listening to when she took off headphones. She was listening to Poi Dog Pondering, a record I had produced. She told me her husband had just died and this record was the only thing that helped calm him in his dying days… I was so humbled and honored and blessed to be guided to that moment…
Or the GOURDS recordings… to this day people, strangers thank me for helping make these heartfelt charming…
I think in very spiritual ways these kind of experiences, somehow help define me on my musical journey..
Q. You’ve seen a lot of changes in the music industry over the years. How do you think technology has impacted the way you connect with your audience, and do you see it influencing how you create music in the future?
A. This is big question… the music industry sucks now, and yet it also does not suck… The fat cats at the big record labels are all gone, but maybe need fat cats are somehow developing, Expectations have had to change snd will continue to change…
People just have to want to create and produce and be happy about it. It doesn’t help to bitch or complain, and in the end the secret to being happy is to have realistic expectations with is kinda the opposite of having to be and Strong ambitious personality.. It will be a struggle for many people..
I dont really have a very big audience, so My connection might stay more or less kinda personal, But I see there are 200 people on Germany who listen to me, and 175 in France…. and 500 on Colorado and Brazil is coming into view… This is definitely speaking to me… I am luck that I am prolific and have lots of tracks in the archive ready to release… so I can experiment
Q. MikeStewart Theory, we can’t thank you enough for sharing these intimate details! So, what’s next? Can you give us the inside scoop on your upcoming projects and what fans should be excited about? We’d love to be the first to share the news!
A. I have been collecting tracks with OTHER VOICES singing on remixes of all my songs…. not too many famous people, but colleagues from bands I have worked with, who have very good atmosphere and interesting voices…. I love this idea.
And I have been archiving cover song recordings for years…..
These will come out in 2026
Mike Stewart Theory, thank you so much, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us!
End Interview
We’re happy to have shared Mike Stewart Theory’s exciting journey with you and uncovered such inspiring insights about their creative process.
