It’s our great pleasure to announce that one of Belgium’s finest multicore artists, Mathlovsky, is joining the Varispeed family. A man truly in love with electronic music, Mathlovsky sees no need to divide but to unite all underground music. Be it hardcore, drum n bass, breakcore, techno or ambient music, Mathlovsky takes influence from all around the world, making his sound just that, his sound. Now he’s ready with a new album and a new live show.
Today sees him release his new album, Pink Carina, on Planetary Nil records. It’s a wonderfully varied record, driven by a fusion of industrial techno and jungle, embedded in melancholic orchestrations and is constantly evolving. List directly on bandcamp HERE.
This is also the start of Mathlovsky as a truly live act. He is hanging up the CDJ’s and embracing the world of the hardware to deliver his compositions. That is where we come in. At Varispeed we always lean towards the artists that are capable of more than one sound and style, towards artists that embrace the full sonic spectrum. That is why we are happy to throw our support behind the new hardware based live show from Mathlovsky. We had the opportunity to put some questions to him. Check out our interview below.
All booking enquiries: bookings@varispeed.eu
Artist profile page HERE.
INTERVIEW
At what age did you discover a passion for music? Were your family member’s musical and provide inspiration or did your love of music come from elsewhere?
There was always music playing in the house I grew up in. Hearing rock n roll, techno, world music, it showed me the strengths of having no boundaries in music.
Which artists have been the most influential to your musical journey?
Aphex Twin, Zach Hill and Salvador Dali to name a few. They showed me it’s good to walk your own spiritual path and not follow what the hype is at the moment. To just let your creativity flow and express yourself pure and free, no matter what. That for me is inspiring, to see and hear art of the truest form.
Which artists are currently exciting you the most?
Artist that doing their own thing are what excites me. I cannot stress this enough. To me originality is one of the most important things in music and art.
Do you play any instruments or did you get into production via DJing?
My love for music goes far and beyond so I feel the need to pick up any instrument I come across. I can’t say I’m skilled in every piece of gear but I do feel confident enough to make cool sounds on the ones I pick up. I used to play guitar and drums in a band. I still play those instruments a lot today.
Tell us about your first ever live musical performance. Did it go well or did it make you want to quit?
I was around 17 years old I believe, playing with my metal band ‘Orange Hill’. I was super nervous but i was surrounded by great people so it went well for that time. I immediately knew I was in the right place.
When did you start the Mathlovsky project and where did the name come from?
I was in my teens when i came up with the name. I was fascinated by Russian history in the 1900’s. Just made what for me sounded like a Russian version of my real name.
So i was making all kinds of music but i started releasing the electronic stuff and I thought i had to show the difference with the guitar based music and the beat oriented. I made up the ‘Dr Mathlovsky’ moniker for the hardcore DnB scene but now, 6 years later, I’m just going forwards under ‘Mathlovsky’. I don’t feel the need any more for more pseudonyms. It’s all coming from the same source so I’d rather attempt to unite all these subcultures than play it safe and develop a persona for each kind of music I’m making and planning to release. Techno, drum n bass, jazz, noise, even working on a track that will combine two of the most extreme subcultures I know feels very exciting and like the right way to go.
What makes a great show for you (as a performer)? Do you have a favourite country to perform in?
The best shows are when the room is packed with open-minded people. When you’re either blasting gabber kicks at full speed or just grooving along with broken breakbeats and they are just going nuts. That’s beautiful, feeling the energy they are giving you and right back around. I loved all countries i have visited so far, feeling the vibes in another setting you’re used to is truly inspirational. Nice to see that there is always a connection, no matter where you’re from. For me, that confirms the fact that this is truly universal music.
You’ve recently decided to stop DJing your material when playing out in order to develop a new live setup for your performances. Why have you decided to switch to live hardware performances? Were you just getting bored of DJing?
I had a vision about my artistic choices and what to do to keep it fresh and exciting for myself. I felt a live set with hardware would be more connected with how I started out playing music. Turning knobs, bashing FX pedals, being more energetic with the gear and being in control of the sounds and frequencies you’re blasting at the crowd.
What toys/equipment are you using for the new live show?
It’s all based around the Elektron Octatrack. I have a couple of synths I will be changing in and out during several shows. They all go through my guitar FX pedals for more live noise elements. It’s an amazing machine, I see myself using this for a very long time.
Are those pieces of kit final or is it still an evolving process of finding which kit helps you deliver your sound best?
I always feel the need to go further than expected of myself. I don’t feel comfortable in doing the same thing for a long time so I see the setup changing over time. The core principle will remain the same though, presenting a form of self-expression through my music / noise.
What about upcoming releases. What is next on your release schedule?
I’m releasing a full length called ‘Pink Carina’ on my new imprint ‘Planetary Nil’ 21 June and in September another full length album called ‘Clairvoyant Skin’.
I’m in talks with some visual artists as well for some cool ideas but I won’t discuss too much too early. There’s a wicked collab coming out in the Fall of 2016 that will be totally unexpected. I aim to keep doing things that are outside of my comfort zone.
Once out of the studio or off stage, what do you like to do to chill out? Do you pursue other passions outside of music?
Music takes up most of my time really, I also delve into visual art occasionally. Digital paintings and such. I’ll be exploring this area more in the near future. Besides that, you’ll find me at an art gallery, local band show or rave, enjoying the tunes and conversations.
Thanks for your time dude and welcome to Varispeed 🙂