Interview by Maya-Rose Torrão
Drawing much of his inspiration from street art, electro-house and different kinds of percussion instruments, Mathias D. is a house producer going from strength to strength in his scene. Already, this young French musician has been signed to a myriad of acclaimed labels such as Art & Music Recordings, Flamingo Recordings, Code Red Music, Revuelta Records, AREA 94 Records, Kaisen Records, Glorie Records and Groove Cartel Records.
Mathias D. has just dropped a premiere via The Playground in collaboration with young Peruvian producers/DJs Sunday Noise and Danen. The tracks are two house dancefloor-fillers with heavy techno influences and will be officially released tomorrow via Marcus Shossow’s Code Red imprint.
Listen to another exclusive premiere brought to you by The Playground, below.
We caught up with Mathias D. and got to know the hero behind the house-beats.
Set the tone for us. Why the arts?
Electronic music in particular has intrigued me since my youngest years. It was at the age of 11 that I first touched the decks. I became passionate about this type of music much later. The DJing does not interest me more than the performance, it is the creation that speaks to me the most. After a few years of producing, I finally decided to share my sounds on social networks. My tracks pleased listeners and now I know more about how to paint my tracks with other producers, that’s how I met Sunday Noise.
Which comes first when you’re producing – the sound or the idea?
It’s random, I can have lots of ideas for several days so I try to work as much as I can so I don’t lose them. It does not always result in the initial idea but it can give me other results at the same time. Otherwise, I can not have an idea but listening to a sample or a type of sound gives me inspiration.
Does your material feature any collaborations?
I started to create my own tracks, then I started collaborating with guys of my generation who are really talented. I learned a lot and it helped me a lot in production.
What’s on your current playlist?
– Lugovskiy – ‘Broken Glass (feat. Chris Calvert)’
– Tobi Kramer – ‘The Tourist’
– Kaz James – ‘Animal’
– Blame Mate – ‘Hood Habit’
– GUZ, Ferreck Dawn – ‘Black Cat’
Tell us about the chemistry you have with your fans on stage.
I haven’t played much in front of a big crowd but the only time I had the chance to play in front of more than 5000 people, I felt a sensation that I had never known before. Playing for the first time and seeing the crowd go mad is rather incredible.
What techniques do you experiment with to get your original sound?
I am quite picky in my work. When I have a few things in mind I absolutely want it to look like that. So I try by all means to find the sound I want, and it’s not easy. But most of the time I create samples with other samples or some sounds with software, that I use from the beginning.
Take us through a day in the recording studio.
I created my own studio at home in a large room that used to be used as a garage. I can spend a busy day or night there. When I get into my zone, I only think about music. I put my idea in place, I finish my structure, I make arrangements and I mix everything at the end. If it’s in the day and I’m inspired then I can do it again two or three times!
Was there a specific moment in your life where you thought, “this is what I want to do”?
Yes totally. The day I heard Axwell’s ‘Feel The Vibe’! What a slap! I wanted to do the same immediately. I was a fan of that time; house music ruled the entire planet.
What do you keep close by while you’re playing a set?
I have some classic essentials that I love to play in my sets. I also play a lot of rap in my break because it’s a style that I like a lot. And I have a tracklist that produces a lot of emotion at the end of the set – a breath of fresh air before finishing!
Any emerging artists on your radar?
Sunday Noise, Corx, Vee Brondi, Ivan Miranda, Loris Buono are artists with whom I have collaborated. They all have great talent and we have done very good tracks together. There are others but there are far too many for me to quote all all them!
What gets your creative juices flowing?
I play a lot of percussion instruments: drums, djembe ect… so I can create rhythms much faster in my head. The piano also inspires me a lot, I love to play!
Take us through your collection of gear, tech or software that accompanies your creative expression.
I create music with the bare minimum. A PC, FL Studio, a MIDI keyboard and monitor speakers. I have an optional drumpad but I rarely use it
You and Sunday Noise, also with Danen on one of the tracks, have just created a killer 2-track EP together, what was your favourite part of the collaboration?
When I knew we were going to be signed to Marcus Schossow’s label! Great news! We are very happy with what we did.
Any side projects you’re working on?
Yes, we have only one signed track for the moment that will be released on Flamingo Recordings and a dozen finished tracks and others in progress! Many things to come 🙂
How have you refined your craft since you entered the industry?
For the moment I do not play much in public and I continue to make tracks that will reach the maximum amount of people! I’m doing well but I hope to really succeed and play around the world!
Breakdown the news for us: what can we expect from you this year?
Many signed tracks will come out this year! You will still hear about me hahaha!
Follow Mathias D.:
Facebook // Twitter // Soundcloud // YouTube
