Mauro Masi [Interview]

Hailing from Argentina, Mauro Masi has enjoyed success in the early stages of his career. 3rd Avenue, AMITABHA, Flug Lab, RYNTH and more have played host to his organic sounds, while tastemaker favourites Hernan Cattaneo and Nick Warren have already chimed in with support. Now making his Nature Rec debut, Mauro teams up with fellow countrymen Julian Liander and Brian David for an EP entitled ‘Kumbaya’, we had a chance to catch up with Mauro for an interview leading up to the release. Enjoy.

Hello Mauro, thanks for joining us. What is your current mood and what was the last piece of music you listened to?

 I'm very happy for the invitation and for the music to come, amm now I'm listening to Folamour in the background.

 How’s your year so far? And what are your plans for the coming week?

 The year luckily excellent! coming out of the horrible pandemic, in which a lot of music came out, and next week big releases are coming

 Can you name five tracks that were important in your musical development and why they are so significant for you?

Of course!

The first and second was with the double accompaniment in Hernan Cattaneo's resident N°461 With Mauro Masi - Xsendra (Original Mix) which came out on the Balkan Conection label and Mauro Masi, Julian Liander - Purity (Original Mix) which came out on the Amitabha label. Then the Ilusion For My EP that came out on the Flug Lab label was supported by the great Tony McGuinness

from A&B: Deep Set 31. And I'm keeping the fourth and fifth because they will be out at the end of the year ;)

Talk to us about growing up and living in Argentina, how has it affected your musical taste and the music you make?

Argentina is a very pleasant country, I am from the south of Greater Buenos Aires, from a town called Berazategui, I have lived here all my life, and luckily, as it is the capital of the country, we have several musical attractions and that helps in the time of production as it helps us get inspired

 What are some of your best memories from first going to clubs in your country? Were there specific nights or sets that really made you feel you wanted to pursue electronic music?

Of course, since I was 14 years old I used Virtual Dj and dreamed of making music, and there are very good Clubs in Argentina that luckily I was able to enjoy and also the creamfields of the time.

What your favourite venues to play in Argentina and why?

I haven't been out playing much yet, but one of the places where I really like the weather, the atmosphere and the quality of the sound is the downtempo rooftop in the federal capital, of course I dream of playing in Bahrain.

 Who are some up and coming Argentinean artists to look out for?

My favorite is simon vuarambon, but artists like Nebula, nacho varela and cruz vittor, facundo mohrr

 When your first productions came out in 2019 they were primarily progressive house but over the last few years you’ve become known as more of an organic house artist, was this a conscience shift in style or did it happen naturally?

It came naturally because it was what I was looking for a long time ago, a fan of House, I hoped to get to my sound so I could transmit original organic ideas to everyone.

 What is it about organic house that you find more satisfying creating than other genres?

It gives me the feeling that each sound has a life of its own and is so pure and fresh that it transforms electronic music into such a fresh and warm house song with a unique atmosphere.

 What was your first big DJ support and what did it do going forward in terms of your confidence and drive?

First that of my family and friends. but to have the support of artists like Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren, Amonita, Modd, Lisandro Ar and many others with a return to my music to always keep improving

 You have a new EP out this week with Julián Liander and Brian David on Nature Rec, tell us about the release and how this collaborative project came to be.

This beautiful project came out in a meeting with friends, who like to produce and do the same genre. So one night that the three of us were able to get together, we achieved that combination of Brazilian candombe with organic house and some African voices to transport us to other dimensions.

 Nature Rec is a not label you’ve released with previously, so what makes them a good home for your original music straight away?

Nature is a great renowned label and with a great arrival for a long time, Leo Pérez has trusted my productions from the beginning and always showed me affection for a future project, perhaps being a label of the Progressive House style, he gave me the opportunity to experiment with the organic house style that I have been applying lately and a bombshell EP came out.

 What does your set-up like? Do you favor physical gear over digital? And what studio tools featured heavily in the writing of this EP?

for a matter of accessibility I have what every producer has a PC and Ableton Live, which with plugins you search for and put together the first rhythms until everything begins to take shape.

 Generally speaking, do you find it more difficult to come up with original tracks than remixing a track from another artist?

I love doing Originals, it's what I do the most, but when you do a remix of another artist it makes it easier for you to create because you already have some sounds to use and experiment with.

 How much road testing or friend feedback is done before you’re ready to say a track is finished? And who is someone you share your new music with first for feedback?

I like to produce a lot, sometimes I even say that I make songs just to practice or alternative genres, but when an idea has potential and we are in the process of finishing it, a song can have about 30 versions. And immediately to my friends, Julian Liander, Brian David, Fer Mora, Patricio Mucchielli, Nico Soria, Lisandro ar. they are the first

What’s the task you enjoy the most when producing and what is something you’d rather have taken care of by somebody else?

I really enjoy the moment of putting together the idea of ​​the track. And that another person compose a musical loop and thanks to that I can get to the sound I want faster

What would be a musical extravagance for your studio you would pay for, if you were very wealthy?

I would very much like to have my studio acoustic and professionally prepared.

What’s a superpower you wish you had and how would you use it?

Without a doubt fly, I would enjoy the trips in another way jaja

What’s a book you’ve read or film you watched that has left an impact on you, and why?

Book: The Law of Attraction: The Secret Revealed, the truth helped me a lot to continue in this life that is so hard that it hits, but with love you can.

Movie: I really like science fiction and the last thing I saw Uncharted: Off the map and I loved the special effects and the search for a mysterious place

If you could travel anywhere for one day, all laws and limitations void, where would it be?

I would love to know the beaches of Thailand

In your opinion, what’s the biggest risk you’ve taken and what made you do it?

The truth is that I still do not feel that I have taken any kind of risk, I am lucky to have a family and friends who support me and who like what I do and that makes me happy, and then I feel that I can do everything without feeling that I'm taking risks.

What is your current favourite place to eat and what do you generally order there?

That place is the Mass at my house, with my family, my wife, my son.

Apart from music, what makes you happiest?

Many, playing with my son, having fun with my wife, chats with my brothers, my mom's meals, the fun of being with friends. I think it oozes in sharing moments with those close

What does 2022 hold for you? Anything you can share with us?

The truth is that 2022 was a great year, musically with a lot of growth, great consas are coming with lisandro Ar on a great Organic label. And focused on that path, making a lot of music.

Thank you very much for the space

'Kumbaya' is out now via Nature Rec: https://bit.ly/3zQTrYD