Digital Motion // Nate Saxton
Nate Saxton: Behind the playlist
What’s your WHY? What drives you to create, perform, or build each day?
Growing up in Santa Cruz, I was kind of the black sheep when it came to music. My parents weren’t into it much, so I really had to develop my own taste — digging through old CDs, iTunes, and buying songs with whatever cash I had. That nerdy, obsessive side of me just loved finding weird sounds no one else knew about.
In high school, music became an unspoken competition between Nate and his friends.
"Whoever had the aux was in charge, and it was about who could bring the most heat. We’d sit in the car, smoke, freestyle — and the aux became a way for us to showcase our unique sense of music and stand out a bit."
"Santa Cruz really shaped me." The surf and skate scene, the rebellious energy — it all mixed into how Nate hears and feels music now. "A lot of my friends have incredible taste, like way better than I do, but they keep it quiet. I’ve always wanted to take those same influences and twist them into my own world and actually create something with those inputs, so I take a lot of inspo from my close friends."
Where does the feeling of trying and the desire to create come from?
For Nate, it's about the need to turn an idea into a real thing. "When an idea comes in, it’s like it has to exist — it just won’t leave you alone until it does."
The Austin Butler quote that went viral recently really stuck with him: "Embarrassment is an underexplored emotion, go out there and make a fool of yourself."
What does community mean to you?
"For me, community is everything."
Within the music scene, it almost means more because music and the feelings and connection it creates between people who understand it go much deeper than a surface-level relationship.
Talking about music is how I’ve met most of my closest friends. When someone shares your taste, it’s an instant connection — you never run out of things to talk about. That’s the nonverbal part of it. "You can feel when someone else really feels the music, especially when you are performing and orchestrating the crowd."
If someone asked you to explain the overlap of sports and art, how would you describe that?
It’s all rhythm. The same pulse that drives a song is what carries you through a run.
Most dance and tech house music lives between 121 and 135 BPM — the same zone your heart sits in on an easy run. (I thought this part was dope)
There’s something special about that. "Endurance running and electronic music share this hypnotic repetition."
A lot of good house and dance music is very repetitive, and it takes time to add and build these different musical components. Only after 16 bars of the same beat can you add or subtract to change the feeling. You build through progress.
"It’s minimal and meditative. Then, every once in a while, a new synth or sound effect drops in and surprises you — just enough to pull you back into the moment. That’s the art in it. The rhythm keeps you grounded; the sound keeps you awake."
Running is very much the same.
You mentioned wanting to “do it your way.” What does that actually look like day to day?
For Nate and I think most artists, it's a balance between creating for the love and appreciation of the craft, while also balancing that with what the market wants and has an appetite for.
Being original isn’t just about making music; it’s about the songs you collect, the energy you build, the world you create around it. Lately, I’ve been trying to impress myself — experiment more, worry less about the results of it all, and just continue to create for me.
Comparison is the death of creativity. I’ve made weird rules like, “When X happens, then I can do Y.” But now I’m skipping X and just doing Y. Making now. Creating now. If it comes off a little weird, perfect — that means it’s mine and something unique.
What role does exercise or running play in your creative life?
Movement keeps me sane. These days, it’s more lifting than running, but the playlist still sets the tone. "Music is caffeine for me."
Finding that one new song that changes your whole mood — that’s everything. I’ll play it ten times in a row, live inside it for a day. Then I’ll take a break, let my ears reset. Looking back at old playlists is like flipping through old journal entries — they remind you where you were, even if the songs hit different now.
Speed Run
Dream collab: Patrick Holland
Inspiration: Mac Miller
Fuel: Life Saver mints
Favorite tool: Mini keyboard
Creative style: Analogue sound
Hometown: Santa Cruz, CA
Title: DJ / Collector / Producer
Motto / Quote you live by: “You can’t make everyone happy.”