MUBALI
INTERVIEW
How was the approach to the psychedelic trance?
I got into psychedelic trance technically in 2000 playing my first dj set. I got an opportunity to play at Burning Man and the first record I played was Hallucinogen - Mi loony um. However I was also playing melodic trance that wasn't psychedelic and wasn't very much into Goa at the time.
After a stint of playing Drum and Bass, I was invited to attend a small gathering near Los Angeles, where I encountered the psychedelic trance of 2001. This music from artists like, Hux Flux, Logic Bomb, Cosmosis, and the less melodic end of psychedelic trance made me an instant fan, and I almost immediately stopped playing Drum and Bass and started collecting Psychedelic Trance.
Why is your project called Mubali?
The origin of the name is less interesting than the meaning that it eventually became. I used to play Live Action Role-Playing Games (LARP) and a variant of the name was one of my character names. After becoming a dj, I was searching for a unique name and accidentally found one of my old character sheets with the original character name of M'Bali. After mulling it about and considering the difficulty most would have with the pronunciation, I settled on Mubali. After doing some internet research, I discovered that there was a tribe in the African Congo that referred to their men as Mubali, and in the Gamilaroi language Mubali means "Pregnant". So, I'm a pregnant man, I give birth to sound.
What festivals will you remember forever?
I've been very fortunate to play many amazing festivals over my 16 year career, and all are incredibly memorable in their own way, however some of the most defining festivals for me are..
Boom Festival 2008, Universo Parallelo 2012, Full Moon Festival 2010, Modem 2015, and Jacunda Trance Festival 2019.
How has the result of your project been since it started?
When I started writing music, I had no real objective other than to make the type of music that spoke to me the most. At the time when I started making music in 2003, I wasn't finding exactly the type of music that really resonated with what I wanted to play. I was encouraged to make my own music by a very influential producer by the name of Ocelot. Overall, I am very happy with all the amazing opportunities playing and creating music has provided me. Before this, I had barely traveled anywhere and had never thought that I would be able to travel internationally.
What are the influences of Mubali?
Most of my influences are from the era of 2001-2004, but artists like Absolum, Grapes of Wrath, Digital Talk/Droidsect, Neuromotor, and Xenomorph are all major influences for the sound that I create. Beyond psychedelic trance, I was raised on Black music made from 1960-1990 as well as Rock music from the 60's and 70's, and even metal music of the mid 1990's and 2000's.
To which record labels you belong?
The primary record label that I release on is Parvati, however I have released on many many labels throughout my career. Over the past few years, I have been releasing music on Absolute Shit Records based out of Texas, however Parvati is usually where you find my newer releases.
With which artists he has collaborated Mubali?
I've worked with many artists over my 16 year career, including some heavy hitters like Kindzadza, Furious, Onkel Dunkel, Far East Ghost, Necropsycho, and Highko. However these names are just a few out of the close to 30 collaborations that I have done since about 2003.
What advice do you give new producers looking for a place in the scene?
Keep learning and explore your own sound. Don't get caught up in trying to sound like anyone else, just keep learning how things work and your own sound will develop on its own. Don't let anyone discourage you from trying to make music, and MOST IMPORTANTLY ---
Make music for your own enjoyment, NOT FOR FAME!
In which festivals has your project been presented?
Too many to honestly list them all. After 16 years, I can't even count how many performances I have had. I can safely say that I've probably put in my 10,000 hours.
How did you get involved with Parvati Records?
I was very fortunate to play a show with a few members of the label and was invited to Denmark to visit the people up there. I met Giuseppe, the label head and stayed with Onkel Dunkel for a couple of weeks. The real turning point was writing a song with System Overload which was my first release on Parvati. Eventually in 2010, I officially asked to be part of the label and was welcomed by Giuseppe.
Tell me how you felt when presenting your mubali project in Master Of Puppets?
The event that I performed at was a teaser party for the Master of Puppets Festival, I haven't played the actual festival.
The teaser party was quite magical as it was the first opportunity I had to perform new material that will be on my upcoming album. This will be my 4th full length album and it has been many years since I released something of this magnitude. For me, each album is supposed to be a cohesive journey that is self-contained, and it's taken me a while to figure out the story I wished to tell. I was very happy to present my new stuff for the first time for such an amazing crowd and for some of my favorite friends in the world!
What does Mubali offer to music?
I don't think that I'm able to really say what I offer to music. It's not about my perspective, but rather the listeners to determine how my music affects them. My only philosophy is creating something for the head and something for the ass.
Tell me about your Patreon project?
I had launched a Patreon campaign where I would be recording music production videos and sharing them with my community, however between a lack of interest and the difficulties I had recording videos led me to abandon this idea and focus on providing music production tutoring on an individual basis. I do enjoy working with small groups as I can better serve their individual needs rather than making content that only covers broad concepts.
When can we listen to a new Mubali album?
The new album will be coming before the end of 2019.
