The FADER’s longstanding series Beat Construction interviews today's most crucial producers and their craft.
About a year and a half ago, a single comment changed everything for Goxan. The then-19-year-old had already been making beats on and off for more than a year without much traction. Naturally, he did what any enterprising producer would do: started putting type beats up on YouTube.
“I was like, Damn bro. I hope this beat channel go crazy. October [2023], when I posted that, I was like, oh my god, this is a throwaway beat, I'll just keep posting,” Goxan (pronounced Go-zan) tells me on a Jan. 29 video call. “Boom, [Lazer Dim 700] commented. Boom, we locking in song after song after song. Shit started taking off really, [in] March, especially when he dropped the album, bro. It was crazy after that. It was like, literally up.”
Among the coterie of producers defining and refining the enormous 808s and warped melodies of dark plugg — tdf, boolymon, perc40 — you might consider Goxan part of the scene’s second generation. The Texas producer still recalls his first encounter with the subgenre, in the winter of 2022: “I was fascinated. Especially when the damn snowstorm hit, I was inside; I'd never been so enthusiastic about learning. Like, bro, what is this sound? Who made this?”
Even as a relative newcomer, Goxan quickly earned his stripes as a SoundCloud MVP in 2024, producing for rappers ranging from underground icons Glokk40Spaz and BoofPaxkMooky to emerging artists Rroxket and Mel V Chapo. “I’m excited to work with anybody. I ain't gonna lie to you, no matter how big, if you up or not, I'll work with you, bro. I be excited 24/7.”
Goxan’s enthusiasm is palpable even through the laptop screen, laughing his way through questions about fan feedback and his parents’ opinions on his music. Elijah Armour grew up in Kileen, TX, the second youngest of eight siblings (“five brothers, two sisters”) in a military family. “Growing up, like, middle class area; it was a pretty good family that I had,” he says. “As far as school, it was smooth. I wasn't the best, I really did get D's, but I just did it to get by.”
After high school, Goxan would attend Wayland Baptist University for cybersecurity, but ultimately dropped out to move to Houston with his older brother. Initially, he was a producer and a rapper. “I wanted to sound like Playboi Carti, like Cash Carti era,” he tells me. “But I was ass. People were telling me it was hard, but it was ass, so I focused on trap beats.” Later, a friend would introduce him to dark plugg via boolymon and tdf, and Goxan quickly fell in love with songs by 800pts, Twovrt, squillo and smokkestaxkk.
The Texan beatmaker is probably best known for his work with Lazer Dim 700, who frequently mispronounces the producer’s name on their songs together: I got Lil Gawk-Zan on this muhfucka…. Unsurprisingly, the pair’s individually polarizing sounds elicited outsized reactions online when paired together.
“One minute. It's all love, Oh my God, what is this? At the same time as people saying, clone allegations and stuff like that, saying Damn, bro took the sound, like, bro, come on now. Let's not go there with it. So it was back and forth bro, it was a lot of hate and love at the same time.”
But no matter how noisy the opinions of “wishy-washy” fans get, Goxan has plenty of confidence in his sound and his skills. “You have to evolve when it comes to producing. Can’t be stuck, I gotta switch it up,” he says near the end of our video call. Read on for more of Goxan’s interview with The FADER discussing the evolution of his sound, what his parents think of Lazer Dim’s music, and his plans and goals for 2025.
The FADER: There are a lot of different dark plugg producers, a lot of different dark plugg artists right now. How do you differentiate your sound from other people?
I gained very big ass inspiration from, perc40, tdf and boolymon. Their sounds are hella crazy. [But] dark plugg, it needs to be more in touch with synth shit, like, it needs to be futuristic, you feel me? People need to hear something different. So I did a futuristic EDM-type sound with the melodies, the trap drums, and then, you know how tdf, perc40 and boolymon be with the crazy 808. I was like, bro, that would be fucking genius, let me try it. Boom, bro. It fucking works.
You've said in previous interviews that you're really inspired by techno and dubstep music as well.
Everybody knows Skrillex, but I was really watching it, bro. I was really watching him back like, nine years ago. I was really tapped in, bro.
Do you have a favorite 808?
Bro, yes bro. “Blacklist” 808 bro, that alarm 808.
What do your parents think of your music?
[Laughs loudly] Yeah I ain’t gon cap, it’s not they cup of tea, but they support it. As long as I’m traveling and getting shit done. BIG emphasis on not [they] cup of tea, you feel me? They’re not used to the alarming 808s and crazy ass sounds.
Do they think Lazer Dim can rap?
[Chuckled, then turns serious] Yeah, he can rap, just not very fond of the beats — they like, what the hell? [Laughs harder]
When you showed your music to your parents or your older siblings, is there anything you’re telling them, like “listen for this” or “think about it this way?”
Man, you don’t know. I had to talk to ‘em like, “this is a new wave mom, just… just listen, just give it a chance.” Because at first she made this facial expression like, “Boy what in the hell is this?” I’m like, “Damn ma!” [Laughs] I had to break it down to them bro, like this is the new wave, new gen.
You mentioned that March is when stuff started blowing up huge. What was that period like for you and who were you trying to work with?
SmokingSkul, because before Lazer he was the one that was rapping on alarm 808s. Actually I met him in person, I think on 4/20 I got his number and sent some shit. But that was the first one man, SmokingSkul. Bro, I need to get something with him ASAP.
Sampling was one thing I wanted to ask you about too, because I know in some interviews, you’ve talked about how you do sample some stuff in your beats, but I don't know that I always necessarily hear that.
In one of the unreleased songs with Lazer actually, you can hear the sample. Like I actually chopped it and did something. But the samples they’re talking about is the voxes, like Muscle Man, Benson, Rigby.
Who’s your favorite character from Regular Show?
[Laughs] Bruh, Rigby bruh. Even though he’s a dickhead sometimes.
There’s this account called @kingofdapirates_ that posts edits of Regular Show but they be swearing at each other and saying the N-word, Boondocks style. It’s unironically the funniest shit ever but I almost feel guilty for watching it.
[Laughs hard] Bro, yes, bro. I fucking know him. He actually hit me up saying he wanted to use one of my songs. He’s a big fan bro. He’s funny as shit.
Circling back to fan reactions, a year ago people were saying “Yo, Lazer Dim needs to switch up the sound, we don’t want to hear him on these dark plugg beats.” And then he dropped the album with stuff beyond dark plugg and people were like “No, he needs to go back to the Injoy sound, he needs to lock in with Goxan,” etc. I know that the feedback to your production style has been similar, and so I’m curious how that all works for you.
That shit don’t work for me at all. It confuse the hell out of me bro. Y’all just said y’all want him hopping on these type of beats. Dude, fans are wishy-washy, I ain’t gon cap. They’ll switch up. You want this sound — we did what y’all said — “Nah, he need to go back to that old–” Bruh which one is it? You can’t have both. It’s confusing bro. Bad.
Where’s your creative practice at right now?
The shit I’m working on is cool, but at some point it’s gonna get old. So I’ll bring in new shit to amplify, modify shit, or I’ll just switch it up, completely negative. I always want to aim for some more different, and not to be stuck on the same sound. You have to evolve when it comes to producing. Can’t be stuck, I gotta switch it up. I got to.
On the EDM dubstep side, besides Skrillex, are there other artists you really fuck with?
I literally just watched the Boiler Room. It was something Horse.
Horsegiirl? The one with the horse mask?
Yes bro, yes. My bro put me on her. And there was another dude, Hadone. That’s another dude I recently started -- I even watch his mixing tutorials, what he does as far as transitions and shit. I’d say 2hollis is crazy.
Speaking of 2hollis, you fuck with Kura right? I saw you’re Instagram mutuals.
Yes bro. I met him in New York. He was playing beats, I locked in with him. I’m like, “Bro, you’re…” mannnnn, he is something else. He is talented, he gonna… he deserves every bit of blessing from like, everywhere. Hard work, he’s a hard worker.
I know you’ve done a little bit of co-producing but most of your stuff is solo. Who are three producers you’d like to co-prod with?
F1lthy, CardoGotWings, and ChaseTheMoney.
And what do you have coming for the rest of 2025?
I gotta get the songs cleared, but if these shit land, y’all gonna be very very surprised. Like, how the hell did he even get this placement? I got some big coming.
