#MusicInTheAir Podcast hosts this week :
MUTUL

New week, another new artist for Villahangar’s weekly MusicInTheAir Podcast. Today is the turn of Mateu known as Mutul, born and raised in Selva, a small village from the Balearic Islands by an artist family. His mom was a painting teacher and his dad a graphic designer and music lover. Mutul then decided to leave and start his journey on becoming an established artist within the electronic music scene. He moved to Barcelona after travelling the world, where he experienced and absorbed a multitude of diverse music cultures. 

Mutul made the decision to improve his production skills and revisit his lifelong passion for music inherited from his father. He tells: “I’m lucky to have a musically gifted father who introduced me to Ableton when I lost my focus on studying. From this moment I knew my place in this world would be within the art and music industry, learning my craft to become an established musician”.

After attending Björk Digital, an immersive virtual reality exhibition by the Icelandic musician at Barcelona contemporaneous museum, Mutul became fascinated with art in multiple forms. His music developed a more structured and personal groove, with a lens on afro percussion and experimentation with his own vocals. Five years in the studio have progressively resulted in a wealth of releases of leading deep and progressive house labels alongside globally established artists within the scene.

Mutul’s style today is for one side between Dub and Deep House and actually going to more tribal and percussive of this and some Afro and Ethnic style too. He tells: “I get big influence from Electronic and Alternative music and different from clubbing music as Deep House or Tech House. For making music and in order to influence me I always use my favorite artists into each genre, and always try to link my tracks with organic components; recordings from the forests or jungles are mostly in my tracks, some of my vocals treated to be as a component more of the song, vinyl crushes or white noises”.

Talking about artists of reference, he says: “Actually I am taking reference with Yamil or maybe M.E.M.O, I want to be in a booking management and play at the same places he is playing. My project is focusing the same style and vibes. But definitely the elegance of Pablo Bolivar is always the goal to achieve”. And when he takes off his DJ headset, he often listens to one of his idols, Bonobo.

His winter has been for music production and now he is going to the summer season. He has a gig in Barcelona for the May and will start scheduling more with a well-designed standard, because he loves beach clubs. About musical and life projects, he explains: “My actual plans are to release 24 tracks I have been composing from the famous quarantine. Birds and I Get Lost born there. Then, in June 2021 I decided to leave my job and start moving to my hometown again from Barcelona and finish all the project there. Lots of song were automatically born and improved. I trust in these 24 tracks to be regognized in some good label and then see if some manager is interested in me”.

About his Podcast for Villahangar, he tells: “I enjoyed mixing Afro with my tracks, I discovered my future projection here definitely. I am going to Afro sounds”.

When and how was your first meeting with music?

I remember my firsts meetings with electronic music when my dad was playing Minimal and Tech House with Traktor 2 in the years 2000/2002, I was 10 years old there. Then, I started listening and downloading music to then mix it with the software too.
One of the Albums I had in compact disc and that made me decide to make this journey was “Closer to the Edit by Richie Hawtin”.

When and how did your musical journey begin? How much where you were raised and where you live influence you from a musical point of view?

I started playing in local parties and local promoters in Mallorca in the young age at 15 with djs from the zone, I was starting and was really hard for me to performance in public when arrived the Pioneer CDJ’s. I had two turntables at home and was practicing by vinyl and needed to do big efforts. I remember the first time I played with CDJ’s, I never used it, I was using a computer from another guy and it was really frustrating. I met my girlfriend just before I played and I cried because was I was scared.

Speaking of releases, what about your past, present and future projects?

My past in music is MATE 0000, I was beginner, I was alone, I learned by myself and my formations I did sometimes with other engineers but I have been releasing stuff which was not the professional I wanted. So, then I decided to make this well done. Mutul was born and all the music it is releasing nowadays is accepted for me from an emotionally and professional point of view. Lot of time thinking and improving each of the songs.

What can you tell us specifically about your release with Seven Villas, Pablo Bolivar’s label? What about your experience with this label? What is its style?

The release Fields is my best release until today, Fields’ song was done really fast, “it was like all the components and instruments connected from the first moment and was the first time that I knew this: when you trust the song is finished, is finished, but if there is a small idea that the track could improve, is not done”.
Pablo Bolivar is my mentor, I have been really heavy with him because I always look for the feedback I can and I had to stop asking for it, how many young and beginners want the same from him. He deserves him and relax.
Seven Villas is one of my favorites labels and all the tracks were in the EP when I felt it was finished, and they were for Seven Villas. And then, it was lucky that my predictions accomplished, because it is not always like this.

What do you think about the Spanish music scene? What do you think are the differences of Europe with the rest of the world?

I am lucky to come from a country where we have some of the most artistic and multicultural cities. I was lucky to decide Barcelona as my city, there is an amazing and big clubbing scene, and I am lucky to make this Dub and Deep music in Barcelona because there is interest for it here. Lot of clubbers from all around the world live here and go to clubs every weekend.
At same time I think there is a big potential of Spanish artists playing around the world and for this I am taking goals from them careers and I am studying the way to arrive to their managements.
Then, In Europe we definitely have the two “Mecca” of the clubbing scene. London and Berlin, therefore it is good to stay close to them, maybe one day to fly and play there…

What evolution do you think electronic music is experiencing on the international scene?

I well knew this thing; there is a big number of incredible and talented young guys coming and growing to the TOP music charts and we will have to make really good music from now to be one of them.