Interview with Maztek (Italy) + Mix
Today I'm going to go beyond North America and the UK all the way over to Italy. This artist first caught my ear on Beatport and than on Soundcloud. It seems everything he puts out is top notch quality and I love speculating on who the next big artist in 2012 might be.
Meet Matteo Cavo aka Maztek. Matteo began playing guitar and drums in several bands as a teenager and by the age of 18 his passion for electronic music took over. Matteo began to produce techno and drum and bass tracks and would play out regularly in the Italian underground scene. In 2005 Maztek formed the label “Subculture Records”, releasing his music digitally and on vinyl, garnering international attention.
His productions have also been released on labels such as Modulate, Transistor Technology, Basswerk, Trust in Music, Close 2 Death, and some forthcoming releases on Vampire, Sudden Deff, Icarus Audio, Scripture and Subculture. Maztek has worked on collaborations with Optiv, Couse 4 Concern, Future Signal, Sleeper Cell, Malsum, Proktah, and Billain No Money, Dabs, Aeph and BTK. He has been playing shows in Berlin, Budapest, Cologne, Rome and around Italy but has yet to touch North America. His recent collaboration with Grotesque titled "striaght to bed" is a personal favorite and its absolutely smashing the dance floors at the moment. His recent release on Modulate called "Floating" is also a killer tune a must have in the shops right now. Hopefully it wont be long until we see him behind the decks at a club in Toronto. I spoke to Maztek about his studio habits and his country's underground culture.
Hello Maztek, How are you today?
looks good thanks going to celebrate tonight
How many languages do you speak?
I speak English, a little bit of French, Spanish and Italian
Tell me about the underground scene in Italy. How big are the parties? What are they like? How much of it is Drum and Bass?
Our underground scene is really huge, sometimes you can find big parties like our first label party here ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbiN-le2P10 ) with almost 3000 people. the parties are more commonly in clubs now and the drum and bass is not as underground as it was 2 or 3 years ago. Currently it has a huge following as well as electro, techno and dubstep.
Your tunes always sound great are very well done. Are you self taught, or did you have someone to guide you through the process?
Thanks, I work alone but to get to the actual technique, I compared and I compare myself with many producers and djs and during the last few years I had the opportunity to work with producers who I respect very much. I learned a lot from these experiences.
What kind of hardware and/or software do you use?
I use cubase 5. In terms of hardware I just have a axon midi converter for guitar so I can play synths with my guitar instead of the keyboard which is much easier to me. I also have a motu 828 mk2
What do you think makes you different from any other producer in Drum and Bass?
I think every producer is different from another, just as a person is different from another. To me different is what's inside. We all have different personal experiences and we express things differently.
So I think what makes me different from any other producer is what I am.
Who were your main influences when you were just starting out as a producer?
I started to produce other kinds of music and I was influenced by reggae, hip hop and trip hop. When I started to produce dnb, I was inspired by Badcompany, Grooverider, Ronisize, Adam F and Andy C. right now I take inspiration from many producers (Noisia, Ed Rush, Phace and many many more) but i also continue draw influence from different genres of music.
You also Produce Dubstep and Electro. How is your work flow divided between these three genres? Do you have weeks where you only make one genre or do you constantly go from one to another?
I go from one to another. I have no real method, I open the sequencer and I write beats, sometimes they are dubstep, sometimes electro and usually dnb than it depends on how I feel or on the idea that I have in mind.
How many of the tracks you start do you actually finish and how many of those that you finish actually get released?
Sometimes I start a tune but I never finish it because I start another one. Sometimes I work for months on a tune until it is finished, Most of them are signed and released. Occasionally I close the project becouse I think nothing good will come out.
If you absolutely had to choose either Dubstep, Drum and Bass or Electro to listen to for the rest of your life what would it be?
Hard to say.. For the rest of my life.. I would choose Dubstep but dreaming DnB during nights.
Here in Canada, we have many great artists but a large amount of them find it very difficult to get international recognition among the Drum and Bass giants of the UK. Is it fair to say this about artists in Italy as well?
Uk is where it all began, so you know it is always hard to be in the game, but good music has no boundaries. Right now we are starting to be recognized.
Do you buy bags of milk?
Yes, even when I don’t like milk. but sometimes I go to my friends places for dinner.
I'm a very skinny man. Ive seen how much food you people eat. If I'm ever in Italy, can I stop by for dinner?
Sure mate, I can cook some typical dishes for you and I think in 1 or 2 monthes you can be fat enough (laughs)
www.maztek.net
www.myspace.com/mtkmaztek
www.subculture.it
www.myspace.com/subculturednb
RELEASES
http://www.rolldabeats.com/artist/maztek
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Ma
Here are a few mixes you can download, one mixed by Maztek for the DiamondCast and a Modulate showcase mix in light of his new release.
MAZTEK - DIAMONDCAST01[DIAMOND SOCIETY] by Maztek
Tracklist
Blokhe4d – Kisses And Lies [Bad taste dub]
Fourward – Excessive Use [Bad taste dub]
Maztek & Grotesque – Straight to bad [Icarus Audio dub]
The Upbeats – Tor – Audio Remix [Bad taste dub]
Break,Calyx & Teebee – Don’t Look Down [Symmetry Recordings]
Bulletproof,Dose & Teknik – Thaw – Sidechain Remix[Smptm]
Mayhem & N.PHect -Made in Berlin [SLR Dub]
Optiv & Maztek – Quarks[Renegade Hardware Dub]
Cyantific – Opium [Critical]
Allied – N-Sphere [Rise audio Dub]
BTK – El Commando – Mindscape remix[Dutty Audio Dub]
Telekinesis vs nc17 vs kc – Micronaps [StateOfMind rec]
Silent Witness -Brainedrain [Triple Seed]
Jade – Synthcity – MAztek remix [Close2Death DUb]
Terravita – Lockdown [Beta Rec]
Foreign Beggars & Intiman – Hit That – Maztek remix [Subculture Dub]
Full House Ryan Riback’s ETechno Mix [BugEyed Records]
Wolfgang Gartner – Front To Back
Deadmau5 – Cthulhu Sleeps
Squeeeze – Doop – Uppermost Remix
Bastian Van Shield – Billie Was Here
Foreign Beggars & Intiman – Hit That – Maztek remix [Subculture Dub]
NPhonix – False Flag – [Lost Soul Dub]
Ram Trilogy – Gridlock – Break Remix [Ram Records]
Cause4Concern – Paranormal – Prolix Remix [C4C Recordings]
Proktah feat. MC Coppa – What U Know – Borderline remix [Shadybrain]
Dabs – Pranksters [Citrus Dub]
Break, Silent Witness, Survival – Conference Call [Symmetry Recordings]
Audio – Jibba Jabba [Virus Rec]
Dabs & Future Signal – Two Point Zero [Cyanide Dub]
Maztek – Floating [Modulate Dub]
Future Signal, Paperclip & Semantics – Hurt Locker [Dub]
Maztek & Malsuum – wolf [Subculture Dub]
OUT NOW
AEPH & DABS ‘MADBOX’
MAZTEK ‘FLOATING’
MODULATE RECORDINGS
Check out the release here on soundcloud
"New release on MODULATE RECORDINGS from AEPH & DABS and MAZTEK and to mark the occasion we have a rather sexy D N’ B Modulate Recordings mix to give away below!" - Modulate Rec
Modulate Recordings Showcase DJ Mix
Modulate Recordings Showcase 02/11 by modulate rec
Track list
‘SEA SHANTY’ BAESOM
‘METRO’ B CLOUD
‘MADBOX’ AEPH & DABS
‘RESISTANCE’ (SUBTERRA & DEKKO REMIX) FLAME
‘DROWNED WORLD’ ARP XP
‘INSIPIRE’ NICKBEE & MALK
'HAZY PURPLE TWILIGHT’ BAESOM
‘NVADER’ - HYPOTHERMIA NVADER
‘JIN’ - NECROPOLIS
‘COLD WAR’ B CLOUD
‘GARANTISTA’ JAZZTRON
‘FLOATING’ MAZTEK
‘NVADER’ - WATERDROPS_(WIITH BULLET TIME) NVADER
‘EMOTIVE’ FLAME
’CHASING MEMORIES’ INCIDENT & FLAG
‘ALICE FALLING’ BAESOM
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