A Special Guest Interview with MTD from Methodical
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Who are your top five favourite artists of all time? Why those artists?
I’m a fanatic Techno lover so for me, but also for a lot of people in this scene, the most iconic and respected artist is without any doubt, Jeff Mills. Speaking about Djing my absolute favourite is DVS1, amazing skills and selections every time I had the opportunity to listen to him.
I really like Mike Dehnert also, a stunning artist, especially because he has an outstandingly unique and rare sound.
Then I have to go out from the electronic world and I pick Ludovico Einaudi, it’s a classic piano composer, his music is pure magic…so inspiring! In the end, I have to say Radiohead, no words needed for this choice I guess. The list could be much longer of course…
Can you name a few of your favourite records?
In random order, some of my favs:
Trentemoller – The Last Resort
The XX – Coexist
Radiohead – Kid A
Boards Of Canada – The Music Has The right To Children
Surgeon – Breaking The Frame
Oscar Mulero – Like A Wolf
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What was your first set-up as DJ? How has your set-up evolved over the years, and what are the most essential pieces of gear?
The very first set-up, something like 15 years ago, was a two-channel mixer (I didn’t remember the brand) and two Stanton turntables. After some years I had my first MacBook and I started producing music with Logic.
Now of course the set-up improved and changed a lot with gears, hardware, drums, synths and other stuff. I’m using a lot of Elektron devices and I have a small modular too, I think that my most essential gears are the Analog four and Analog Rytm from Elektron.
What was the most stressful moment in the DJ booth, and how did you manage it?
The most stressful moment during a gig, especially when you play with vinyl, is the turntable needle resonance. It happens quite often, when there are a lot of vibrations or when the sound system is really loud.
Sometimes the DJ booths are perfect, with a solid set-up and a clean and powerful sound system but sometimes you have to manage it. I remember during a gig we had to put two pillows under the turntables because of too many vibrations, was very stressful and weird but it worked!
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Any plans for the future? What do you have coming up?
I recently started my new alias “Rhythm Assembler”. I Released the debut album called “Focus” this past October on my label Methodical. So I’m working a lot on this project now, some new EPs and remixes are already scheduled and some others are in the making!
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What release are you most proud of so far?
I must mention two releases, they are two albums, one released in 2015 on Nachtstrom Schallplatten on a double vinyl package called “Substances And Perceptions” which was my very first LP as MTD. Super proud of this one, followed also by some stunning remixes from Bas Mooy, VSK, Subjected and Kessell.
The other album, released in October 2020 on my label Methodical called “Focus”, was my first LP released under my alias Rhythm Assembler. Currently, I’m working mostly on this new project and I’m still really proud of this LP released some months ago.
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How do you decide which track to play next? What makes them a good fit? How far do you plan ahead during your set?
Depends on the gig, the playtime, the locations, the crowd…there are a lot of different factors. I never plan any playlist during a gig, I love to change every time and play some unreleased or fresh promo.
I really like to mix old and new music together, some records from the 90s with some new or still unreleased tracks from emergent or unknown artists.
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How did the pandemic affect your plans? Do you believe the music industry will ever recover?
Fortunately being a Dj or a producer is not my first job. It is just a passion, and I would like to keep it a passion! So Pandemic affected a lot regarding gigs and other music-related stuff but not economically speaking and I’m feeling really lucky for this.
All these months without gigs, events and anything gives me much more time to work in the studio, I had a lot of time for music productions and experimentation (like every artist I guess) and I’m really satisfied with all the music produced under the new alias!
I believe that the music industry will rise again because during the past years I met a lot of people devoted to this scene, they gave me a lot of motivation and inspiration and I think that one or two years of pandemics can’t stop these passionate souls!
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If you ever had the chance to travel back in time and talk to a younger version of you, what would you advise yourself?
Good question! I would advise myself to get more music studies.
I always learnt as self-taught, that’s a good thing, but I think that more studies and music theories from the beginning would help me in a lot of stuff.
Please recommend a couple of artists to our readers who you feel deserve their attention.
I really recommend Translate and Pulso, two Argentinian guys with some amazing production skills.
They are on fire now and they are releasing music on a lot of huge labels. I also strictly recommend Evod and Divide from Italy, stunning producers and good friends, I always play their tracks in every set! And in the end, I would like to mention Hitam and Rene Wise, both from the Eerste Communie crew, always in my playlist too, real groovy masters!
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