The UK producer chats his nostalgic return Down Under…
There are few producers as eclectic as UK maestro Mura Masa, the 26-year-old wunderkind putting his spin on virtually every genre under the sun. It’s led to him collaborating with some of the biggest artists in music, with everyone from A$AP Rocky to Slowthai, PinkPanthress anymore all lining up to get in the studio with him. To top it off, it’s taken him across the world, and next month it’ll be bringing him Down Under for Splendour in the Grass.
And with him, he’ll be bringing the latest singles from his upcoming album Demon Time, which is set to land on September 16th. Inspired by those cheeky periods from the middle of the night to the early hours of the morning, the album is no doubt a perfect soundtrack for the many festival kick ones that’ll be taking place after each night at Splendour. Luckily, for those of you going to the Byron escape, you’ll be able to see many songs from the upcoming project and more live, up close and personal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqFRXDgAyhE
To get ourselves ready for this year’s Splendour, we figured we’d catch up with the UK producer to get the drop on his Aussie return, the inspiration behind his upcoming album Demon Time and his rowdiest camping memories. Check it below.
In preparing for this interview, I was trying to conceptualise just what type of producer you are. Dance, hip hop, bedroom pop, punk; you’ve done it all. Are you always just being pulled in numerous directions or do you go through phases?
I’d say it’s all just kind of chaotic [laughs]. Right now, I really want to make lots of slow trip-hop, Massive Attack type of stuff, but I’m also really interested in breakbeat and jungle. There are similarities between those two genres, but they’re completely different tempos, vibes and moods. So yeah, I’m just constantly struggling with knowing what to settle on. But I think if you just accept that and just move forward with it, you land somewhere interesting because you’re not just pulling from one genre.
That’s actually got me excited. What would a breakbeat and jungle album from Mura Masa look like?
It probably would have a lot of PinkPanthress on it. What would that album look like? Can you make a breakbeat album? I don’t know if I know any actually. You’ve got me thinking now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBXtJGLhSk8
The last time I saw you, you played an all-night set at Manning Bar with San Holo and then you played a festival the next day. I remember seeing you on stage the next day and could tell it was a bit of a bender for you. Do you have any similar back-to-backs planned for when you come back to Australia for Splendour?
I don’t know if there are any back-to-backs of that nature, but we’re definitely playing a few shows back-to-back-to-back in a couple of different cities and then there’s Splendour in the Grass at the end of it. I think the time that you are talking about, it took me and my whole crew 20 hours to fly to Australia. Then we played a show the day we landed. Then, for the next three or four days, we were not sleeping and then just flew to the next city to play the next day. We were all just zombified by the end of it, so that’s probably what you were witnessing [laughs].
You were announced for Splendour pre-covid in 2020. A lot has changed since then and you’ve gone on to release a new stack of songs following your album R.Y.C. Given that that album was about reinvention and hitting reset on everything, have you been forced to do that again two years later?
Definitely. It’s kind of a shame with R.Y.C. It never really got its chance to be toured and to be broken in as an album. But, since then I’ve done another 180. I’m doing this new hyperactive pop music type thing again. Since then, it’s been a big turnaround. But I’m really happy to be coming to Australia when I am because it’s just a really good time for me.
There’s music coming out, the album’s ready to go and there are lots of exciting things happening around it. Just the mood of the album is just supposed to be fun and mischievous and getting back to real life after lockdown. So, it feels like a really good time to come over and share the music for sure.
You’ve said the album is meant to soundtrack that 1am to 5am period where you’re doing stupid shit that you won’t regret, but you wouldn’t do again. That’s a pretty vivid moodboard. Did the music come immediately while writing?
Nah, it was more of a laboured effort. At the start of lockdown, I was tempted to make sad and introspective music about how lonely everyone is, but then I was like “Okay, but what music are we going to need at the end of that when we’re getting back to hanging out and learning how to have fun again?
That sentiment became the driving force for the whole album, hence the name Demon Time. So yeah, it took me a while to settle on that, but now it’s really great seeing it come out this year when people are starting to reintroduce themselves and have fun.
Just on the notion of hip hop and dance, you’ve always found a way to reimagine not only those genres but your flips on those sounds as well. The ‘What If I Go’ acoustic from BBC Radio 1 springs to mind. Is that to keep the music fresh for yourself or just some form of musical ADHD?
I’m not sure, to be honest, maybe it’s a bit of both. I’m kind of the opinion that it would be okay to just keep repeating it as it is, but it’d be more fun to reinvent it every time you perform it, or that every time you think about it it’s a slightly different thing.” I think it’s more to keep myself amused than anything else, but I think it gives the listener something really interesting as well. So yeah, it could be ADHD, but could also be some sort of interesting artistic statement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw_1mk45ZjU
Fans can be pretty fickle when artists try to reinvent themselves, but all of your recent tracks seem to have copped a pretty warm reception. Are those responses motivating or do you tune it all out and just focus on the music?
It’s nice when people are into the stuff that you’re releasing. For sure. But I think it’s difficult as a producer-artist because production is such a blank page. There are so many avenues, and I think a lot of people get pigeonholed early on and don’t feel safe enough to explore other types of music, especially when there’s so much stuff out there.
So, I understand the fan side of things when people prefer the older stuff. I think that’s really great and it’s sick that they like any of it. But for me, to stay interested, I need to constantly be making left turns and feel the freedom to experiment. So I’m just cracking on with it. If people like it, that’s great, and if they don’t, then I’d just tell them to stay tuned for the next one, but it’s going to be completely different.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_It5kgKuyns
How does that mindset feed into the live show?
With the live set, I think the thinking has always just been audience-focused. It’s not necessarily about me worrying about what I’m doing. It’s like, “How do I make the best show for the audience, and how do I deliver on performing the most interesting parts of those tracks musically?”
It’s always interesting trying to perform new stuff live as well, I think because you’re taking a risk in terms of, “Well, people haven’t heard this. They might not necessarily like it.” But, it feels kind of dangerous and exciting, so definitely going to be playing a lot of unreleased stuff in Australia.
Before we get onto Splendour, how was Glastonbury?
Glastonbury was amazing! It really felt like people were finally let out of their cage and were just like “we finally have permission to have fun again.” That was very vindicating, but that’s what I’ve been writing music for over the last couple of years, just to be in that moment when people were together again and having fun. The festival as a whole just felt like the pinnacle of that feeling of “It’s all going to be okay. We can just be here, and exist, and listen to music and have fun.”
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You’re definitely doing the rounds for camping festivals right now, going from Glastonbury to Splendour. Obviously, those festivals are always a pretty chaotic time. Do you have any significant memories at those events you can share with us?
As far as camping festival memories go, I only ever went to one festival when I was 16 and did the whole no sleep, doing crazy shit with your friends type of thing. It was at Reading in the UK, which is widely regarded as the entry point to festivals when you’re a teenager. But other than that, I camped at Glastonbury a couple of times.
I actually camped the year that Brexit got voted in, and I just remember waking up to all these tents around me groaning and everyone being like “Oh, God.” Everyone was just checking their phones and being like “Ah, I hate this country”. That’s probably not the answer you were looking for [laughs], but that definitely sticks out amongst all the camping memories. But yeah, I’ve also done the hours at silent discos and the crazy tents until 4am, but never at Splendour. I hope I get to see a little bit of that this time.
Finally, without being too naughty, can you give us the rowdiest memory you’ve had from 1am – 5am?
I don’t think I have any specific memories. It’s more so that mood that everyone can relate to where there’s like an edgy decision that you have to make, and maybe you make a mistake, but you have a lot of fun. And maybe you wouldn’t even do it again. Just that kind of mood where everything feels a bit mischievous and everyone’s up to no good, but on the same page at the same time.
Just that feeling of being like, “Oh this is a bit exciting. This is a bit racy.” I think everyone can relate to that feeling. We’ve all had moments like that. But in the simplest way, sometimes that decision is just staying out rather than going home. It doesn’t have to be some major fuckery. But yeah, that’s not too specific an answer, but you get the picture!
Mura Masa will be playing Splendour in the Grass 2022. You can score final release tickets here and tickets to his upcoming Splendour sideshows here.
GORILLAZ ∙ THE STROKES ∙ TYLER, THE CREATOR ∙ YEAH YEAH YEAHS ∙ GLASS ANIMALS ∙ LIAM GALLAGHER ∙ KACEY MUSGRAVES ∙ DUKE DUMONT LIVE ∙ VIOLENT SOHO ∙ DMA’S ∙ YUNGBLUD ∙ JACK HARLOW ∙ DILLON FRANCIS ∙ TIM MINCHIN ∙ THE JUNGLE GIANTS ∙ MURA MASA ∙ AMYL & THE SNIFFERS ∙ AITCH ∙ G FLIP ∙ RUEL ∙ OLIVER TREE ∙ JUNGLE ∙ TOM MISCH ∙ GRINSPOON ∙ ORVILLE PECK ∙ PARQUET COURTS ∙ TIERRA WHACK ∙ CUB SPORT ∙ POND ∙ JPEGMAFIA ∙ RUBY FIELDS ∙ SOFI TUKKER ∙ METHYL ETHEL ∙ JULIA STONE ∙ BAKER BOY ∙ STELLA DONNELLY ∙ GENESIS OWUSU ∙ HOOLIGAN HEFS ∙ THE CHATS ∙ CONFIDENCE MAN ∙ BIIG PIIG ∙ HOLLY HUMBERSTONE ∙ CHILLINIT ∙ ALEX THE ASTRONAUT ∙ MAXO KREAM ∙ ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER ∙ TRIPLE ONE ∙ STILL WOOZY ∙ BAD//DREEMS ∙ MYD ∙ NORTHEAST PARTY HOUSE ∙ JOY CROOKES ∙ WET LEG ∙ MO’JU ∙ PUP ∙ MIIESHA ∙ MILDLIFE ∙ JARREAU VANDAL ∙ BRAME & HAMO ∙ SHANNON & THE CLAMS ∙ BABE RAINBOW ∙ TAI VERDES ∙ THE SNUTS ∙ SYCCO ∙ SLY WITHERS ∙ HINDS ∙ DAYGLOW ∙ STARCRAWLER ∙ ALICE IVY ∙ BUDJERAH ∙ JK-47 ∙ JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD ∙ FAZERDAZE ∙ KING STINGRAY ∙ RENFORSHORT ∙ MAY-A ∙ THE LAZY EYES ∙ TASMAN KEITH ∙ BANOFFEE ∙ FLOWERKID ∙ THE BUOYS ∙ MOKTAR ∙ STEVAN ∙ THE SOUL MOVERS ∙ GEORGE ALICE ∙ 1300 ∙ MICKEY KOJAK ∙ DRO CAREY & DJ SCORPION ∙ PRICIE ∙ MYLEE GRACE ∙ ANDY GOLLEDGE ∙ CHARLIE COLLINS ∙ BIG TWISTY & THE FUNKNASTY ∙ PINK MATTER ∙ MEMPHIS LK (DJ) ∙ TRIPLE J UNEARTHED WINNERS ∙ PLUS MIX UP DJ’S ∙ DENA AMY ∙ JORDAN BRANDO ∙ SHANTAN WANTAN ICHIBAN ∙ LUEN ∙ HONEY POINT ∙ AK SPORTS ∙ AYWY ∙ CAROLINA GASOLINA ∙ MUNASIB
