Hailing from Wisconsin, Mind Cntrl is a unique talent that’s gained notoriety after releasing his debut EP Lawbreaker.
Released on Uprise, Mind Cntrl recently linked up with GRiZ’s All Good Records imprint. He and Shooka collaborated on the house / break beat infused record “Cool Vibe”
Mind Cntrl’s follow up is a smorgasbord of disco, funk, bass music and house. This is especially apparent in the bridge, which stands out with its disco & break beat flourishes.
Channeling multiple genres at once, “Classic” holds a certain appeal with a diverse range – something that many established producers still work to master today.
In this interview, we chat with Will of Mind Cntrol to discuss influences, the newest project, and more.
Full Q&A, links, and a stream below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
I think what attracts me to this subset of bass and house music is the opportunity to be really creative. I think it has all the best elements of heavy synthetic elements while still being able to be smooth enough to reach a broader audience. There’s really a lot of potential for creativity and combining genres in my opinion.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
I’ve always been a musician. I’ve played saxophone, cello, drums, and piano all at different points in my life at various skill levels and in high school when I started to experiment with computer music software it became an obsession which ultimately led to me wanting to share my creations more and more. I love the feeling of creating an entire composition from scratch and being able to claim it as my own. It’s a really amazing feeling, especially because each song gets better and better and I continue to progress as an artist. I really want to bring something stand out and unique to listeners that they can’t find anywhere else.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
I take influence from a plethora of genres. My signature sound takes a little bit from jazz, funk, house and bass music. Jazz artists like John Coltrane, Sinatra and Stacey Kent definitely show in my work a bit but there’s also a definite hip hop influence from 90s era hip hop albums like resurrection and illmatic. I sort of subconsciously take elements from those styles and have combined them with house and bass music and I think the result is a really unique blend of genres and a sound very specific to Mind Cntrl. My taste always changes as I discover more and more music simply because of the insane amount of music out there I find every day.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
Myself and Blake (Rule of Eight), who is extremely talented, both have really unique creative visions and we wanted to create a blend of french style samples and breaks into bass music with some of my signature synths and the result was really cool. I think we both value taking risks in music and not simply following EDM trends for popularity and that’s why we work well together.
What was the last song you listened to?
The last song I listened to was Pigalle off DJ Snake’s new album.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
MP3s, although I own a lot of classical records and of course had a walkman back in the day. Mp3 is just the easiest way to share and create music in the modern era.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I like spotify because it allows fans the easiest access to my music in my opinion. Spotify captures a really big segment of the listener market in music today.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
I think the biggest challenge in connecting with fans in the digital era is overcoming the sheer volume of information and music thrown at people daily in order to keep them interested. A song today has a much shorter shelf life than in the past and I think that’s because we have so much access to music and information via the internet and social media that the challenge now is keeping the attention of your fans consistently and remaining fresh and relevant.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
The best place to find my music is soundcloud for sure. you can search Mind Cntrl and find all my original music!
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
I have a song coming out on Armada’s Bearded Man label with Fabian James Spetember 22nd so be on the lookout for that! I just want my fans to know that I am very appreciative of them and I hope to keep bringing you all new and unique music. I’ll be playing at Up North Music and Arts festival next weekend as well!
