We're welcoming the up-and-coming producer Mayo from Amsterdam for another Endless Illusion mix instalment, who debuted a track on the latest Marguerite Records compilation. She had an in-depth talk with Jonas about music production and equipment and living in Amsterdam.
Hi Mayo, how are you? Where are you at the moment and what are up to?
Hiii, I just cycled to my studio which is 15 mins from my house. Just started patching up this guy. Looks ugly and sounds ugly but in a good way haha.
Do you live in Amsterdam? Where exactly is your studio located?
Yeah I do! My studio is located in the basement of a really fun hotel. Listening bar Doka is at the same place. The whole basement is actually full of DJs and producers – BSS, Interstellar Funk and Job Sifre are also here for example.
Isn’t that the hotel next to the former Trouw building?
Yes! Trouw was nice, I only got the last part of it since I wasn’t that much into electronic music back then.
Were you at the Trouw closing party? It must have been something special I guess.
Yeah I was actually! The basement was really sick of all I can remember, super dark with only a stroboscope.
I heard that there are many local producers in that hotel, that’s very cool.
Do you sometimes do ‘studio visits’?
Yeah we hang out and just walk into each other's studio to say hi and have a little chat. But if you want to be in a full autism mode, it also works.
What kind of music were you into before? How did your interest change, what was the impulse?
Mostly into band stuff like metal and punk, started out playing drums actually. It changed when I heard a really heavy techno set at a festival, never knowing it could have the same energy as metal music.
Were you into heavier techno after that? Or did it just open the door to the possibilities and intensity of electronic music?
No, not so much actually, I could enjoy it every once in a while but I needed to ease into it a bit. But now I do 100% of course haha.
I think I can still hear some of that metal and punk influence in your sets I went through earlier though.
That’s good to hear, I always like to add a bit of that vibe to my sets and have to hold back to not go too overboard with it.
I guess the overall ethos of industrial and ebm music works well with it. I am sure if the audience is open – if you get them to a right place – it must work quite well.
I agree! I think Parrish Smith can do that quite well even though it’s a lot harder than what I see myself playing.
What is your plan for today’s studio session?
Is that Red Square a new piece?
I have Mila V coming by later this evening. She’s a friend that I started a project with during quarantine. It’s going super well, we’re slamming out tracks everytime we get together. Red square is quite new indeed!
Can you tell me a bit more about this new project? Is it now only being formed or do you already have some specific plans with it?
We started with an idea of making straight up EBM stuff but now it evolved into something else, a bunch of styles totally mixed up. The plan is to release the first track and video sometime at the end of summer. Maybe an EP in the first place, but since we already have so much material it could be something else too. This is actually the project I’m most excited about right now.
I am listening to the clips you've sent, and they are great! I love the vocals, how they are pushed back a little, but still have a very sort of urgent and poignant feel to them. It's a shame we cannot share it just yet, but I am looking forward to when it gets finished.
I can imagine the material working very well in a live performance.
Hahaha I know right? I’m so excited, can’t wait for that either.
Since you are in your studio, can you walk me through your setup a little bit? Show me your favourite machines, secret weapons or even stuff you never get to use.
This is my little modular system that I started last year. I built the case and powered it myself. I sequence it with my Digitakt.
This guy is great for vocal effects but u can basically run anything through it. Then there’s some outboard effects, nothing too crazy. I’m super into using plugins as well since you're a bit more flexible with them, they can be so great nowadays.
The modular is mostly where I start things off together with the Digitakt. I use the Basimilus Iteritas Alter module for drums but most of the eurorack is synth. The top left one is the 0-Coast from Make Noise which is more of a semi-modular but I modified the power cord so it would fit to my rack.
That's cool, you're good with your hands!
Haha, a little bit. I just like to get geeky with stuff. I’ve started soldering some other things as well. It’s nice to keep your head off of things, it's really chill.
And I forgot to send you this guy, it's one of my favourite guitar pedals that I use with my modular. There are really crazy filters in there and also the LFO.
How long have you been producing btw?
A little over 5 years, it was a bit on and off in the beginning. I found the learning curve quite steep since I just learned everything from youtube tutorials and by doing. So it took a lot of patience which I generally don’t have a lot of, I like to move fast haha! But after I got the hang of it, it got more and more fun.
Have you been able to work in a studio more since there haven't been that many DJing opportunities lately?
Yeah 1000% it's actually what kept me sane this past year. If it wasn't for this pandemic I wouldn't have been this far as a producer, so I guess there's something positive about it.
Apart from music, what else do you dedicate your time to?
In the past year I also started to get more into sound design and composing in advertising, which I do freelance. It's really nice to get out of your comfort zone and produce different genres, a lot of times I can take stuff from those sessions and use them on my own productions as well.
That’s a very good way of getting some extra colours into your own creations, while also perfecting the technical detail. And getting paid for something like that isn’t bad at all either.
Do you live off from that as well? I’ve talked with a couple of producers recently, who are interested in this kind of work, just don’t know where to start. Any tips?
Yeah for sure. I really enjoy it and I’m lucky enough to get an opportunity, and also to live off of it. Amsterdam is a huge advertising city, a lot of stuff you see worldwide is made here. So I guess that helps a lot, you meet a lot of people who work in that industry here.
I would suggest scoring random videos on the internet, maybe some silent movies from the past could be cool, or maybe approaching some 3D animators and motion designers and collaborating with them, could be even something artsy. Eventually people will get in the know and approach you for it. Adding all that stuff to a website is also a good one.
Could you show me some examples of your commissioned or commercial work? I know a lot of people don't like to present these things along with their own work, maybe sometimes because of a connection with a huge brand, but I think it's worth examining, especially when these two practices cross-pollinate each other. As you've said, you can take stuff from one practice and use it in the other one.
I have my website where there are a couple of small things. Not really good at keeping it updated which is also not very necessary since I’m in an agency now.
I also need to tell you that this industry is very whitewashed and there are some parts that don't make me happy being in it. The music side of it is great, but the rest I rather not deal with is what I'm actually saying.
I wanted to talk to you about the Dutch music scene. You can tell me otherwise, but when we discuss it over here in Czechia, we always agree that the Dutch scene is something special. I think I can even say that it's an idol. Lot of people here were influenced by what's been going on in the Netherlands. We usually really look up to the people over there, to what they do & how they do it.
So my question is, what are you doing right?
That's actually really sweet, I never knew this. I think it has a lot to do with being a wealthy country where there’s a lot of room to support creativity. There’s funding from the government for arts, clubs and museums. Some say it's not enough, which I agree on since the clubs aren't surviving this pandemic, but it's still a lot more than in a lot of other countries.
Also our culture is very privileged so it's totally okay to do something creative, mostly we are not pushed to become a lawyer or a doctor and our parents (not all ofc) will support us going for something more creative like music or arts.
Secondly this country is very small and most of the artists you talk about live in Amsterdam (you can cycle from to one end of the city to the other in 40 mins) or Rotterdam. So the scene isn't too big so when there’s no pandemic going on you just run into each other everywhere and become friends. That's the biggest thing I reckon. You can just feed off of each other's inspirations and creativity :)
And there's also that whole West Coast Sound that came from Hague which, if we are more specific, has influenced our and probably your scene a lot too.
The historical aspect is important I am sure, there is a longer tradition, but the tightness is what I think is the crucial thing. When the members of the community are supportive of each other – that's what your scene exudes the most, from my perspective. Does it ever get competitive?
I don't really feel the competition but that could be me. But if there is some, I can most definitely say it's a healthy one.
Were you able to pick your way freely? Were your parents supportive of your interest in the creative fields?
My upbringing was a bit divided. There’s my mom who is an immigrant from Hong Kong and my dad who was born in Amsterdam. So I had a bit of resistance from my mom’s side, but my dad was more mellow. Both of them did always say that if I didn't get any education I would only keep dreaming and won't make anything happen. I understand that's how things worked with their generation, but times are different.
I also completely get why it bothered my mom so much since she had to work in the rice fields from a very young age and didn't get the chances in education that I am getting here. But in the end I kept doing everything my way and it's turning out alright. So with things being as they are right now, they have got pretty proud of me.
You’ve mentioned places being closed. Which places are those? How are your favourite ones holding up?
De School closed. Garage Noord is my favorite place. It was supposed to close, but now they've just got the 24/7 license so it's going to stay. Can't wait for things to be normal and go there. Their programming is so on point.
Besides that, Amsterdam is really dull. Great community but hardly any clubs. Also illegal raves get shut down by the police all time.
I am surprised you say that, I would never say that. What do you miss if you can be specific?
A couple more of the same as Garage Noord could be nice. Actually that and De School were in a good balance.
I know about De School of course, it was a shock tbh. Did you use to go there? What do you think about their situation?
Used to go to their weekenders, on Sunday afternoon I would come in fresh around 12pm which was always a nice moment – the fresh people mixing with the ones that had already spent the entire night there. Such a special vibe.
It's a shame but there is some stuff they could have handled differently right before closing everything. It is a bit sour after how they took the whole Black Lives Matter movement.
It is sour, but I admired the way they tried to confront the problem, with the live stream, not a lot of people would face their problems like that. The whole thing is something all clubs and promoters can learn from. Do you think the team will give it one more try and open something new?
I think they will eventually! It's good that they tried but in my opinion they should have done some more research on how to approach it. It's funny we talked about running into people here. I just ran into Oko Ebombo! One of my favourite artists from Paris :) He has just released a new tune with Cinnaman.
I am listening to you mix again, love it. A very dirty dancefloor-oriented mix which makes me miss the dance floor. Love that witch-house Salem track in the first half! Where does the voice at the beginning come from? Do you usually mix some voice bits into your mixes?
It’s from a very shitty metal track by Church Bizarre, the title is ‘Inscribed in the Black Book of Death’. Salem is great, I’ve been a fan ever since ‘Sick’ came out.
What is your way of preparing mixes? What do you try to do to make them interesting every time?
Searching for music. I really always go down the rabbithole on any platform when it comes to that. I think it stays interesting because my taste is so broad I always struggle with trying not to play a different genre every track.
There are two untitled tracks of yours in the mix, will they appear somewhere anytime soon? Do you have some releases coming up?
No plans for those yet. I have a bunch of tracks with no destiny. But there is an EP planned for August on Carista’s label United Identities. Things might get delayed, but that’s the plan.
* The conversation took place on whatsapp between 16:15 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 26) and 22:00 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 27), 2021.
Tracklist:
C.P.I - Osera
Upsammy - Bronze Goddess
The Mystery of the Yeti - A Welcome to All Extraterrestrials
A Strange Wedding - Cosmic Bastringue
Neud Photo - Wigwalker
Petroza - New Era
Salem - Red River
Exhausted Modern - Abrakadabra
Mayo - ???
Zarkoff - Transceiver
Gott - Total Kommander
Jack Pattern - System Crack
Belief Defect - Unnatural Instinct
Mayo - ???
Ober Dada - Tomorrow No
Odopt - Rag Runner (4$ Captain Morgan Special Offer)
Chiranuma - Okean (Panorama Channel Remix)
Kafkactrl - Vector
Mila V - Isolated Hero
Scroll to Top ↑
We're welcoming the up-and-coming producer Mayo from Amsterdam for another Endless Illusion mix instalment, who debuted a track on the latest Marguerite Records compilation. She had an in-depth talk with Jonas about music production and equipment and living in Amsterdam.
Hi Mayo, how are you? Where are you at the moment and what are up to?
Hiii, I just cycled to my studio which is 15 mins from my house. Just started patching up this guy. Looks ugly and sounds ugly but in a good way haha.
Do you live in Amsterdam? Where exactly is your studio located?
Yeah I do! My studio is located in the basement of a really fun hotel. Listening bar Doka is at the same place. The whole basement is actually full of DJs and producers – BSS, Interstellar Funk and Job Sifre are also here for example.
Isn’t that the hotel next to the former Trouw building?
Yes! Trouw was nice, I only got the last part of it since I wasn’t that much into electronic music back then.
Were you at the Trouw closing party? It must have been something special I guess.
Yeah I was actually! The basement was really sick of all I can remember, super dark with only a stroboscope.
I heard that there are many local producers in that hotel, that’s very cool.
Do you sometimes do ‘studio visits’?
Yeah we hang out and just walk into each other's studio to say hi and have a little chat. But if you want to be in a full autism mode, it also works.
What kind of music were you into before? How did your interest change, what was the impulse?
Mostly into band stuff like metal and punk, started out playing drums actually. It changed when I heard a really heavy techno set at a festival, never knowing it could have the same energy as metal music.
Were you into heavier techno after that? Or did it just open the door to the possibilities and intensity of electronic music?
No, not so much actually, I could enjoy it every once in a while but I needed to ease into it a bit. But now I do 100% of course haha.
I think I can still hear some of that metal and punk influence in your sets I went through earlier though.
That’s good to hear, I always like to add a bit of that vibe to my sets and have to hold back to not go too overboard with it.
I guess the overall ethos of industrial and ebm music works well with it. I am sure if the audience is open – if you get them to a right place – it must work quite well.
I agree! I think Parrish Smith can do that quite well even though it’s a lot harder than what I see myself playing.
What is your plan for today’s studio session?
Is that Red Square a new piece?
I have Mila V coming by later this evening. She’s a friend that I started a project with during quarantine. It’s going super well, we’re slamming out tracks everytime we get together. Red square is quite new indeed!
Can you tell me a bit more about this new project? Is it now only being formed or do you already have some specific plans with it?
We started with an idea of making straight up EBM stuff but now it evolved into something else, a bunch of styles totally mixed up. The plan is to release the first track and video sometime at the end of summer. Maybe an EP in the first place, but since we already have so much material it could be something else too. This is actually the project I’m most excited about right now.
I am listening to the clips you've sent, and they are great! I love the vocals, how they are pushed back a little, but still have a very sort of urgent and poignant feel to them. It's a shame we cannot share it just yet, but I am looking forward to when it gets finished.
I can imagine the material working very well in a live performance.
Hahaha I know right? I’m so excited, can’t wait for that either.
Since you are in your studio, can you walk me through your setup a little bit? Show me your favourite machines, secret weapons or even stuff you never get to use.
This is my little modular system that I started last year. I built the case and powered it myself. I sequence it with my Digitakt.
This guy is great for vocal effects but u can basically run anything through it. Then there’s some outboard effects, nothing too crazy. I’m super into using plugins as well since you're a bit more flexible with them, they can be so great nowadays.
The modular is mostly where I start things off together with the Digitakt. I use the Basimilus Iteritas Alter module for drums but most of the eurorack is synth. The top left one is the 0-Coast from Make Noise which is more of a semi-modular but I modified the power cord so it would fit to my rack.
That's cool, you're good with your hands!
Haha, a little bit. I just like to get geeky with stuff. I’ve started soldering some other things as well. It’s nice to keep your head off of things, it's really chill.
And I forgot to send you this guy, it's one of my favourite guitar pedals that I use with my modular. There are really crazy filters in there and also the LFO.
How long have you been producing btw?
A little over 5 years, it was a bit on and off in the beginning. I found the learning curve quite steep since I just learned everything from youtube tutorials and by doing. So it took a lot of patience which I generally don’t have a lot of, I like to move fast haha! But after I got the hang of it, it got more and more fun.
Have you been able to work in a studio more since there haven't been that many DJing opportunities lately?
Yeah 1000% it's actually what kept me sane this past year. If it wasn't for this pandemic I wouldn't have been this far as a producer, so I guess there's something positive about it.
Apart from music, what else do you dedicate your time to?
In the past year I also started to get more into sound design and composing in advertising, which I do freelance. It's really nice to get out of your comfort zone and produce different genres, a lot of times I can take stuff from those sessions and use them on my own productions as well.
That’s a very good way of getting some extra colours into your own creations, while also perfecting the technical detail. And getting paid for something like that isn’t bad at all either.
Do you live off from that as well? I’ve talked with a couple of producers recently, who are interested in this kind of work, just don’t know where to start. Any tips?
Yeah for sure. I really enjoy it and I’m lucky enough to get an opportunity, and also to live off of it. Amsterdam is a huge advertising city, a lot of stuff you see worldwide is made here. So I guess that helps a lot, you meet a lot of people who work in that industry here.
I would suggest scoring random videos on the internet, maybe some silent movies from the past could be cool, or maybe approaching some 3D animators and motion designers and collaborating with them, could be even something artsy. Eventually people will get in the know and approach you for it. Adding all that stuff to a website is also a good one.
Could you show me some examples of your commissioned or commercial work? I know a lot of people don't like to present these things along with their own work, maybe sometimes because of a connection with a huge brand, but I think it's worth examining, especially when these two practices cross-pollinate each other. As you've said, you can take stuff from one practice and use it in the other one.
I have my website where there are a couple of small things. Not really good at keeping it updated which is also not very necessary since I’m in an agency now.
I also need to tell you that this industry is very whitewashed and there are some parts that don't make me happy being in it. The music side of it is great, but the rest I rather not deal with is what I'm actually saying.
I wanted to talk to you about the Dutch music scene. You can tell me otherwise, but when we discuss it over here in Czechia, we always agree that the Dutch scene is something special. I think I can even say that it's an idol. Lot of people here were influenced by what's been going on in the Netherlands. We usually really look up to the people over there, to what they do & how they do it.
So my question is, what are you doing right?
That's actually really sweet, I never knew this. I think it has a lot to do with being a wealthy country where there’s a lot of room to support creativity. There’s funding from the government for arts, clubs and museums. Some say it's not enough, which I agree on since the clubs aren't surviving this pandemic, but it's still a lot more than in a lot of other countries.
Also our culture is very privileged so it's totally okay to do something creative, mostly we are not pushed to become a lawyer or a doctor and our parents (not all ofc) will support us going for something more creative like music or arts.
Secondly this country is very small and most of the artists you talk about live in Amsterdam (you can cycle from to one end of the city to the other in 40 mins) or Rotterdam. So the scene isn't too big so when there’s no pandemic going on you just run into each other everywhere and become friends. That's the biggest thing I reckon. You can just feed off of each other's inspirations and creativity :)
And there's also that whole West Coast Sound that came from Hague which, if we are more specific, has influenced our and probably your scene a lot too.
The historical aspect is important I am sure, there is a longer tradition, but the tightness is what I think is the crucial thing. When the members of the community are supportive of each other – that's what your scene exudes the most, from my perspective. Does it ever get competitive?
I don't really feel the competition but that could be me. But if there is some, I can most definitely say it's a healthy one.
Were you able to pick your way freely? Were your parents supportive of your interest in the creative fields?
My upbringing was a bit divided. There’s my mom who is an immigrant from Hong Kong and my dad who was born in Amsterdam. So I had a bit of resistance from my mom’s side, but my dad was more mellow. Both of them did always say that if I didn't get any education I would only keep dreaming and won't make anything happen. I understand that's how things worked with their generation, but times are different.
I also completely get why it bothered my mom so much since she had to work in the rice fields from a very young age and didn't get the chances in education that I am getting here. But in the end I kept doing everything my way and it's turning out alright. So with things being as they are right now, they have got pretty proud of me.
You’ve mentioned places being closed. Which places are those? How are your favourite ones holding up?
De School closed. Garage Noord is my favorite place. It was supposed to close, but now they've just got the 24/7 license so it's going to stay. Can't wait for things to be normal and go there. Their programming is so on point.
Besides that, Amsterdam is really dull. Great community but hardly any clubs. Also illegal raves get shut down by the police all time.
I am surprised you say that, I would never say that. What do you miss if you can be specific?
A couple more of the same as Garage Noord could be nice. Actually that and De School were in a good balance.
I know about De School of course, it was a shock tbh. Did you use to go there? What do you think about their situation?
Used to go to their weekenders, on Sunday afternoon I would come in fresh around 12pm which was always a nice moment – the fresh people mixing with the ones that had already spent the entire night there. Such a special vibe.
It's a shame but there is some stuff they could have handled differently right before closing everything. It is a bit sour after how they took the whole Black Lives Matter movement.
It is sour, but I admired the way they tried to confront the problem, with the live stream, not a lot of people would face their problems like that. The whole thing is something all clubs and promoters can learn from. Do you think the team will give it one more try and open something new?
I think they will eventually! It's good that they tried but in my opinion they should have done some more research on how to approach it. It's funny we talked about running into people here. I just ran into Oko Ebombo! One of my favourite artists from Paris :) He has just released a new tune with Cinnaman.
I am listening to you mix again, love it. A very dirty dancefloor-oriented mix which makes me miss the dance floor. Love that witch-house Salem track in the first half! Where does the voice at the beginning come from? Do you usually mix some voice bits into your mixes?
It’s from a very shitty metal track by Church Bizarre, the title is ‘Inscribed in the Black Book of Death’. Salem is great, I’ve been a fan ever since ‘Sick’ came out.
What is your way of preparing mixes? What do you try to do to make them interesting every time?
Searching for music. I really always go down the rabbithole on any platform when it comes to that. I think it stays interesting because my taste is so broad I always struggle with trying not to play a different genre every track.
There are two untitled tracks of yours in the mix, will they appear somewhere anytime soon? Do you have some releases coming up?
No plans for those yet. I have a bunch of tracks with no destiny. But there is an EP planned for August on Carista’s label United Identities. Things might get delayed, but that’s the plan.
* The conversation took place on whatsapp between 16:15 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 26) and 22:00 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 27), 2021.
Tracklist:
C.P.I - Osera
Upsammy - Bronze Goddess
The Mystery of the Yeti - A Welcome to All Extraterrestrials
A Strange Wedding - Cosmic Bastringue
Neud Photo - Wigwalker
Petroza - New Era
Salem - Red River
Exhausted Modern - Abrakadabra
Mayo - ???
Zarkoff - Transceiver
Gott - Total Kommander
Jack Pattern - System Crack
Belief Defect - Unnatural Instinct
Mayo - ???
Ober Dada - Tomorrow No
Odopt - Rag Runner (4$ Captain Morgan Special Offer)
Chiranuma - Okean (Panorama Channel Remix)
Kafkactrl - Vector
Mila V - Isolated Hero
Scroll to Top ↑
© Endless-Illusion