Let's Get To Know MVTANT

Where did you grow up?

I was born in McAllen, which is on the border of Texas and Mexico. When I was 4 we moved to San Antonio and that's where I grew up, but we regularly visited family down in the Valley.

What is one of the first songs you remember liking as a kid?

My mom and dad were into classic rock and I distinctly remember hearing Any Color You Like off Pink Floyd's Dark Side. The synthesizer comes sweeping through the song after Us and Them ends.. as a child I was enchanted by the sound and I knew I wanted to play the synth. What influenced you to get into music? I had a cousin down in the Valley who played guitar and when I was in middle school he taught me a few Metallica and Pantera rifs. My family does musicals, so singing Queen and Crosby Stills and Nash was pretty common. Music was a major part of my childhood. Hearing Bjork and NIN in the 4th grade was pretty pivotal for me.

At what age did you start playing/singing?

When I met other musicians in the eighth grade, I opted to sing in the cover band we started (mostly covers of Rage Against the Machine, this was 1997). I kept learning the guitar, other instruments, and I was the singer of a nu metal band in highschool... that's when I started learning about electronic music, 2001 or so. First on Fruity Loops, pirated soft synths. I was obsessed, learned even FM synthesis back then. I started collecting synths back in maybe 2003. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to yourself after finishing school?

All the problems I've had as a musician sort of circle around writers block, and I'd probably write out a playbook for how to punch through a drought of ideas. Brian Eno's ideas on songwriting have been very influential for me. What are some of your favorite songs at the moment?

For modern music, I seem to spend a lot of time listening to what friends of mine are doing. Id write a list, but it would be absurdly long, but basically everybody who's done a remix for me, who I've done a remix for, who I've toured with, who I've played a show with... I'm constantly listen to this stuff. Someone called it friend rock. I have friends and they rock so I listen to what they do! For older music, I think there is the obvious stuff, like Wax Trax, Mute, 4AD.. always on rotation in my car. My three favorite artists are Bjork, Bowie, and NIN, so that stuff is always on too. I'm pretty eclectic though, I like yacht rock, pop music, hip hop, rap.. sorry this list got long haha.

Do you listen to your own music? I feel like I do more than I really want to. I will go through bouts of self doubt, but when I revisit it.. I feel like I'm reminded of what was exciting for me when I was making it, and I get motivated to keep going. I also listen to the stuff I'm currently writing all the time. It helps generate ideas, to listen to your own stuff I think. Which musician would you like to collaborate with next?

Well I have some remixes that I'll be working on soon, but I'm gonna keep quiet about that for now. I'd honestly wanna collab with some friends of mine here in Texas. I like doing things with the homies. What is one of your favorite memories so far in your music career?

The tour I just went on with Lunacy was riddled with precious memories. All the shows were special and I feel really fortunate to have performed with so many amazing artists and to have been supported by and become friends with so many rad people. I feel like that's what it's all about. If I had to single out a memory, it might be San Antonio at HiTones with my friends Bewitched. Hometown came through, it was a wild night. What advice would you give to someone that is just starting to get into music? I often think about something the painter Chuck Close said. I'm paraphrasing, but basically it was that everybody he knows who is a successful artist... They don't sit around waiting for inspiration to hit them. They go into their studio day in

and day out and get to work and the creativity comes in the working. I really think that's helped me a bunch. If I'm feeling uninspired I will literally just go into the studio and flip on all my machines and play like a child... make a big mess. Cool things happen when you behave in child-like ways.

Listen to MVTANT on Bandcamp below: