I recently met up with Gus Dapperton for sushi, where, between bites of his spicy tuna roll, he explained the difference between making music as Gus Dapperton and making music as Loose Goose. (Spoiler: They’re the same person.) Initially jumping onto the scene after making beats for his friends to rap over, Gus is now a full-fledged solo artist. And after a decade on the scene, he’s introducing fans to another side of himself through his most freewheeling, genre-swirling project to date: Shake Your Tailfeather Vol. 1.
The collection of songs feels like a house party meets a late night in Washington Square Park, and the new era looks good on him. His single “Down Like This” kicked it all off late last month, and he’s following that up with “She Got The Funk” (out today), a synth-y indie-dance bop that feels like pure fun. It’s peak Gus as the 28-year-old continues to build a sonic universe where rules don’t apply. Who needs rules anyway? We’re just lucky to be dancing in it.
Hey, Gus. So we’re here to talk about your new dance EP Shake Your Tailfeather Vol. 1. Are you officially in that calm before every promotional storm? You’ve put out one single so far.…
Yeah, I’m in full rollout mode right now, and I wouldn’t say it’s intense…but it has definitely been my main focus for the last couple weeks and will probably remain my focus for the next couple months.
What has the reception been like so far?
Honestly, really great. My fans have been stoked that I’m making dance music again. When I used to make music, I’d sort of make it for the small community of friends and people that were around me. So it’s fun to be doing that again, in a way. Where, like, my friends are all bumping the new stuff, because it just feels like the right time and place for it.
We’re in the roaring ’20s again!
Yeah, exactly, exactly.
What was it like working with Lumia on “Down like This?” Were you already friends before she came on the mix?
I actually just met Lumia this past spring. I discovered her through the first song she put out called “New York.” And I was like, Wow, this is awesome. This is her first song? So I hit her up because I was looking for people to remix some stuff, and she was down and gave it a try. I’m really hyped on how it came out.
So you were just like, “Hey, I have this single done. What do you think you can do with it?”
Yeah! This EP is really house music–focused, and oftentimes other DJs will make, like, edits and remixes sort of better suited for the club. And that’s what she did. She remixed “Down Like This” for the club.
The PR announcement that I was sent said you’re stomping your goose tracks in a new direction. We haven’t seen a ton about Loose Goose, so I want you to tell me about this moniker. Because you’re crediting the project as Loose Goose, but that’s fully you, right? Not a collaborator?
Yeah, so Loose Goose is the new alias I’ve created as I put all of this new dance music out sort of featuring Gus. Eventually, I think it will just be Loose Goose going forward though—at least for this sort of music that I’m interested in making. I’ve made a couple videos talking about my reasoning behind this, but it’s basically my way of breaking free from expectations.
After making music for so long and having worked with different labels and having taken different journeys with touring, the songwriting process has come to feel like this hamster on a wheel thing where I’m compelled to people-please a little bit. It’s, like, I need to get new music and albums out within a certain time frame. And that pressure made me feel like I was making music for reasons other than just for fun and my passion. So what I did was basically kind of quit for a year and a half and just took a nice spiritual hiatus. I went offline and rediscovered that initial joy I had in creating music like I did when I first started in middle school, just uploading songs to SoundCloud.
Then I came up with the name Loose Goose because a couple of my friends would say, “The goose is loose,” whenever I was out drunk with them. And in different countries across Europe, they’ll pronounce my name as “Goose” instead of “Gus.” And together, it makes this moniker that allows me to create things from scratch with no preconceived notions or what my fans expect from me, like singer-songwriter ballads or that indie pop kind of thing. By becoming Loose Goose, I was like, “Let’s see what happens if I forget about all of that and just create.”
Well, it’s working!
Thank you. And what ended up coming out of that exercise was this dance music. I took that idea of a new persona even further by distorting my voice too. Some of what I’m putting out are actual songs. Some are beats for the club, and a lot of that has been some of my favorite stuff I’ve ever made. I was able to strip away what I’ve known people to like about my music. This whole project was about finding joy again. I’m really, really stoked on how it’s all come out.
I love that you’re breaking free of expectations and tapping back into why you got into this in the first place. It’s been two years since the release of Henge. In addition to the dance vibe, what are some other sonic examples of what sets this new era apart?
Everything is a lot less structured. I’ve been building upon that. Instead of sitting down and writing in a strict song format, I’ve been exploring a lot more electronic experimentation with sounds and all that. But also what sets this project apart is that the tracks are all very much dance songs—high tempo with a strong beat. But I think everything about it is a bit different. The production, the writing, the sounds…
I always dreamed of making music my career—I just didn’t know how to get there. But I had conviction and experimentation was always part of that journey. Things take time and I think everyone needs a reset every now and then. It’s been 10 years since the start of my career and this just feels like the right time for that reset and to make something new.
I think the industry and fans also tend to forget that musicians need to live a life in order to write about one. You need to mine that inspiration outside of the studio. I can’t imagine having to juggle the pressures of expectation with the need to get outside.
There aren’t a ton of people putting that pressure on me directly. It’s almost like I do it to myself based off what I know to be exciting and watching what people gravitate toward online. This time, instead of putting the pressure on myself, I decided to strip all of that away.
I feel like I really see your perfectionism shine through your visuals. I’ve always enjoyed your videos and album art because it’s evident how much you care about all of it. Have you shot anything for this?
Thank you. In the past, I’ve done a few, like, big music videos for each project that I really dedicate my time toward. I’d always get excited about those because I love film as well, and I love working in film. I’ve directed a lot of music videos myself. But now I’ve adapted to making more short-form stuff but still in a very cinematic way. This time I’ve been trying to make mini music videos for every song. And I’ll make tons of them. Lots of different mini versions instead of one big music video. I almost treat each one like a photo shoot, and that’s been really fun to experiment with.
On my last album, I tried different things with short-form digital content, like with TikTok and reels and all that—just doing what everyone else was doing, all the trends and that stuff. And I was like, Oh my god, I do not like doing any of this. I can’t believe I even tried it. But I needed to know, and that’s what helped me figure out that I’d still direct all of my stuff, just on a smaller scale and treat them all like mini music videos instead of trends. And that’s been so fun for me to do it that way. I’m a believer in quality over quantity and I have to stay true to that. That’s what this is. Whereas my last album I was going for quantity over quality.
So the fans shouldn’t expect any long-form videos?
Not yet, but there will be! I think those will be after the EP release though. I’m gonna take my time with them and make what I want to make. I want to make art. I’m not racing to get those out. Right now I’m focusing on the rollout.
I’ll be patiently waiting! Now back to the sound: Your label describes this project as “blending LCD Soundsystem’s cleverness and Empire of the Sun’s effortless nostalgia with Justice’s explosive-dance sound.” What are some other influences?
Lots of house DJs like Danny Krivit and Todd Terry. The Gorillaz! But I think the label kind of nailed it with the comparison to those three.
I saw you perform live in 2019 at Elsewhere in Brooklyn and your shows are electric. Fans go nuts for your voice. Now that there are fewer vocals, how do you think the new shows will differ?
I’m really going hard with the live setup for this next chapter. It’s going to be a mix between live DJing, electronics, and playing with a smaller three-piece band. And there will a lot more dancing involved. Some choreographed, some not. But overall, it will be a really tight setup.
Speaking of dancing…you were one of the DJs at Cosmo’s Love Ball earlier this year. Do you prefer being in the booth, or do you like getting out and shaking your tail feather?
Oh, I mean, I love to dance. When I’m DJing, I don’t end up dancing as much though. I’m more focused on making sure everyone else can dance. But I have a lot of friends who DJ and play good music, so I’ve got plenty of opportunities to go out and dance myself. I’ve got to compartmentalize it.
I’ve got some fan-submitted questions and the first is actually: Gus TAPperton…who are your favorite DJs to dance to?
Honey Dijon, who DJed one of the most fun dance parties I’ve ever been to in Chicago. Also my friends Garrett David and Hayes Bradley. I’d say those are some good ones.
Gus SNAPperton…you have a single called “My Favorite Fish.” What is your favorite fish?
Someone has asked me this before. I was onstage and gave kind of give a trick answer. I said a lobster and everyone was pissed at me.
Because it’s a crustacean?
Yeah. And my thought was that they’re shellfish but whatever. *laughs* I mean, if we’re talking about my favorite fish to eat, I’d say red snapper. But if the fans want to know my general vibe, I’d say the marlin. They are so interesting and can’t be kept in captivity.
Gus CLAPperton…best concert you’ve ever been to?
Ooh, this is a good one because there are so many artists I want to say, but the truth is I’ve had so much fun at really unsuspecting concerts. Like Kacey Musgraves at MSG, which I don’t think anyone would expect me to say. But it was a great night. The perfect combination of ambience, venue, crowd, and overall vibe. I also had a great time at an Adrianne Lenker show at Kings Theater last fall.
Okay, last one: Gus MAPperton…what’s your dream vacation destination?
I would really like to go back to Mexico City and explore a little more than I did the first time. A year ago, I went to Lisbon with my partner, Ellis, and it was the best vacation of all time. So Lisbon is another place I’d like to revisit. It’s also a city I traveled to on tour that I didn’t really get to experience. Those would be the two.
Now we know where you’ll be for your next spiritual break.
Exactly.
