Muto Interview - Giving It A Crack
Meet Sydney's musical sensation, Muto. The Northern Beaches based producer has been making waves over the past year with his many stunning releases. With each track Muto reminds you that music can be a truly special experience. Muto and I had a chat about his production process, music career, and his upcoming gig at This That Festival.
Futuremag Music: Hey Muto, how’ve you been?
Muto: Really good man, pretty busy being on the road, so it’s nice to have a couple of days off. I’m currently sitting in the studio, finishing off some things, and getting some work done.
Futuremag Music: Can you give us some insight to how you initially moved into the music scene?
Muto: I think I got to a point in my life where I really wanted to give making music a go. I had the tools, and the environment to sort of kick me off into the scene. I also had Harley (Flume) who’s my best mate helping me out, so I thought, “I guess I’ll give it a crack”. I practiced for ages, and made shit song after shit song, then finally made something around about four years ago that I was proud to release. That track was the Justin Timberlake remix. It took me a while to get to the point where I was making things I was happy with, but that remix was sort of the catalyst to keep things moving.
Futuremag Music: What was the production process for ‘Say Nothing’, and how did you get in contact with Emerson Leif?
Muto: I was sent a demo vocal, which is the one you hear in the track. The sample was initially meant for a different piece of music, but because I liked it so much I decided to keep it. I did a bit of production magic because I wanted to give the vocal some space to shine because it’s so strong. I didn’t really want to go too crazy like I did in some of my other productions. Emerson and I met through our management. I first heard his work on Golden Vessel’s track, ‘Tell The Girl’ and I loved his stuff, it was great to have him on the track.
Futuremag Music: What’s your live show going to be like at This That Festival?
Muto: The live show will definitely progress a lot in the next coming month. After my EP comes out, I’ll be focusing on changing my live show up and try to get some guest vocalist up on stage. I don’t want to over complicate things too much at this point, because I want to master every element before I throw more stuff up on stage, for the sake of it. I think it’s going to be a slow but steady progression. As I get bigger and better, I’m going to continue changing it up, to keep things fresh.
Futuremag Music: Who on the This That line up are you excited to catch?
Muto: I really want to see Elk Road again. I missed Golden Vessel at BIGSOUND, so I’ll be keen to see him live, along with the The Presets because I’m a big fan, and Motez for sure, his live show looks amazing!
Futuremag Music: If ‘Muto’ was a cocktail what would be in it to best describe yourself and your music?
Muto: Ahhhh Geeezzzz… Pairing alcohol to my music… Well I’m a big fan of tequila, but I’m not sure if that sort of fits my vibe. My music isn’t as hectic as tequila makes you feel, so maybe we’ll go with a Japanese whiskey. I like the sound of a whiskey old fashion. I use to be a bartender, so this question takes me back to the days in the bar.
Futuremag Music: What does the future hold for the Muto project?
Muto: There’s an upcoming EP, and there will be a bit of touring. Hopefully I’ll pick and choose the right shows that fit the tone of the music I’m making. I don’t want to continue playing club shows, my music doesn’t really fit into that realm. I want to keep working on new music, and I just really want to keep things open, and explore the European setting a bit more. Bits of everything really.
