MANTRABLU Interview | Respect The Artist
How did you get your name?
There are actually a few stories about that but if it was boiled down to one, it would relate to a game called Asura's Wrath. His form, Mantra Asura was the first thing that inspired the name
How did you get into creating?
I was always used to creative outlets, but the music was very particular for me. I knew that playing an instrument was one thing but creating and producing songs was another game. I didn't know how music was made in the studio when I was really young, but I thought that if I learned how to do it I'd be good at it. So in my Senior year of high school, one of my best friends got me on FL Studio since he was already producing for some years before me, and since then its been a very interesting journey. A lot of life lessons in that
How has creating changed your life?
This relates to the end of my answer to the previous question but I've learned a lot through creating. It started as a hobby and I had dreams but I didn't know how deep it would get. So in a nutshell, I've learned about myself and navigating through life, at both high and low points. It's a tangible thing but it's also something that I can and want to live entirely off of. And sounds just as intense as it is, so it was bound to get very serious over time
Where are you from?
Brooklyn
How did growing up in your neighborhood/city affect you?
Being in schools and programs, sports that were always amongst a diverse demographic shaped me a lot. I've always loved learning about the customs of different cultures, so being in an environment that embodied that naturally made my interests a blend of different styles of whatever the interest is. I would say that has definitely made me be open-minded as a person
What did you do to advance your skills/knowledge?
Study and Practice, but in any conventional and/or unconventional way. Learning about the origins of certain plugins led me to study why that type of plugin was created at all. Learning through rabbit hole-style research isn't for everyone, but that's my approach. And for practice, I'll mimic certain things while I'm messing around with some sounds. Like replicating an effect that I learned about just to gain an understanding of what it does and how I could apply it. Out of all of the ways, there are to learn, I just do what I know and try to mix different approaches to things, which in turn helps me grow in whatever I apply that approach to
What does your current setup look like?
My Maschine MK2 (it's old and kinda busted but I still love it), Presonus AudioBox Interface, an ATH2020 and PGA58, Nectar GX49 Keyboard, M-Audio AV42 Monitors, and AKG K240 Headphones
Who inspires you? Why do they inspire you?
I could name way too many but to dumb them down, at this point my top two are JPEGMAFIA and Hiatus Kaiyote. Peggy (a nickname he goes by for those of you that are new to hearing about him through this), channels a lot of self-confidence in my opinion. He's super straightforward, he's raw, and he's also clever. He throws in a lot of satire but the production sounds like it would be in a grungey-looking warehouse, not a dusty one but you know what I mean. And the Rock/Metal influence speaks to me because those two genres influenced me the most, aside from Hip-Hop/Rap. So to hear how he does it inspired me to get active in channeling that side for myself. And on the other hand, Hiatus Kaiyote just takes me to another universe. Their rhythms on every instrument, Nai Palm's voice included, and their range of what they can do in a song are unbelievable. Their music is supremely smooth, and really captivating too. And they also express the heavier by mixing the Acid/Psych Jazz Fusion that they already do and Rock like on 'All the Words We Don't Say'. And I'm a very "in the middle" person in the sense of, if I can hear or see a blend of my favorite things in a certain way, it's perfect. So a mix of their influences, along with my eternal top influence, Flying Lotus, is where I tend to play in
What is your goal when you create?
To just make something and of course to finish it if it's an idea that I'm feeling at that time. It's fun but it's also my expression, and I don't expect to start a song and finish it in a day. But if I can then I will and if I don't, that's fine. Of course, that sounds a lot more laid-back of an approach considering I do make music often, but it really is an extension of self. So it's not a very clear-cut thing in terms of the process
Why do you create?
It's music. It's part of me, I gotta do it.
What's your go-to song right now and why is it important to you?
Either Hummingbird or Pultek by Elujay. Just feel both of those songs and especially the guitars/ bass and his voice on those and the whole album honestly. Listening to those puts me in a very focused but relaxed zone
What is the best advice you would give someone with a dream?
Learn the basics but omit what you need to. But that's for the technical side. Emotionally, sit with that dream. Think of that dream in reality, or the outcome of it and think of where it fits in your life, even if it's not in reality right now, it's still a result of what you do in the real world at any given point. Shape the path to your dream by what you need to do to take steps towards it and make sure you're doing that by putting in real life work towards it, in as many steps as you need that wont burn you out
Tell us about your most recent release
LIFE HACK??? I had to breathe deeply because of this question because this song has taught me more than any of my other releases. That song started as a cool idea in the spring, fast forward to when I performed it first in July, also trying to learn these things about audio engineering. It drove me insane, it wasn't sounding how I wanted. And I'm currently working on YWTWT so that's a whole album, so I'm STILL working on it as we speak. But I had learned that my self-doubts can really be blinding, so releasing the same Friday as my Major Stage performance, was a very massive relief. I've given transparency to everyone that I know online that it was taking time because of quality reasons and such. And I had to learn that releasing music is the key thing, I'll keep improving. The song itself as well as other songs on the project sound even better, literally from the day the song was released. So I love that song, despite the mental battle I've had with making it. And I can't wait to release the album version. I think that one's gonna be a fun time
Check it out
https://open.spotify.com/track/1wyUjOQy7n8U6iIHjc5iVj?si=f6f1e08aa09f4726
Connect
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mantrabluu
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MANTRABLU
Facebook.com: http://www.Facebook.com/MANTRAWHO
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