Dogpatch Press

Part 1 of this series of short Q&A’s asked: what defines “furry music”? Furry dance parties are one of the strongest real life furry movements besides conventions. In a growing fandom, con stages now use millions in equipment and are the crossroads for congoers. Sound is half of the performances and videos furries love. But music isn’t exactly made by animals, it isn’t visual, and it’s an ineffable experience to even write about. “Furry” isn’t really a music genre, but it matters enough to fandom that it’s worth treating it like one for a deeper look. Start with a loose working definition: It overlaps with fandom, it’s made with furries, or it shares a general theme. Then comes the fun part of asking musicians about it. (See part 1 for the full list):

1. Are you a furry musician?
2. What is furry music?
3. Can you share a cool fact or story about your music?

Bob Drake: Musician, furry artist and fursuiter in France who has worked with George Clinton and Ice Cube, who some consider to be a seminal figure in the avant-progressive music scene.

• I’m furry, and a musician, so I’m not sure. Tee hee. Seriously I’m a life-long furry, been playing instruments since the 60‘s, and it’s all a deep and exciting part of the same mysterious and lovely something!
• Whatever your imagination wants it to be. I used to listen to records when I was a kid and imagine it was a story about some anthropomorphic critters. In my own work I haven’t aimed at making music specifically for a furry audience, I just do what I like and it’s got a lot of furry in it.
• When I do my solo shows, I wear a rainbow-stripey tail, fuzzy footpaws and a furry hat with long earflaps. People really seem to respond to and enjoy that, even if they know nothing about the furry community. And anyone who has come to record at my home studio knows I love stuffed animals and critters… I’ve got them all over the place! That said, I don’t constantly flaunt it either, anymore than I would constantly talk about instruments or songwriting with people who aren’t interested in those things. You can find all the info about my albums at: bdrak.com. I’ve performed in my fursuit with different bands too, none of them “furry” bands.

Here’s one fursuit performance – and another:

Fox Amoore: Scottish composer for video game and TV titles, working in the soundtrack genre, fursuiting and even animation collaboration. 

• I’m Fox Amoore, and I’m a furry musician. Very quick background about me. I’ve been in the fandom for around twelve years, I frequently perform at conventions and shows on my own and with a band called Foxes and Peppers. I’ve recorded a few studio albums, perform constantly and I LOVE to travel.
• One of the most frequent questions I’ve been asked on my travels is “What is furry music?” As a performer whom works and performs with a fantastic lyricist on writing about furry, furry scenarios and furry events all the time (name drop PEPPER), we’ve had a bit of experience writing for such a topic. Yet, it’s still not an easy question to answer. It could be a Stereotype where you look at a lion and would think African instruments (Lion King), it could be a symphony written for a fox, the music featuring all the ensemble, theory and melodies that a composer felt needed to be there, to represent their lifetime of experience with foxes. Or simply, the lyrics sing about a furry situation where only WE know what those lyrics represent or mean. Seriously, there should be a whole essay that should be done about this topic, if it hasn’t already. Bottom line, at least for me, furry music is whatever you want it to be. Like all kinds of art, each person can perceive it, feel it, or take it in whatever way is most important to them.
• I’ve been very fortunate to get to do a lot of cool things in my musical career, but one of the best memories, as a massive fan of the Beatles (sorry mum), was getting to perform at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, on my 21st birthday. Birthday presents, if yer a Beatles fan, doesn’t come much better than that!