Behind Mau P’s First EDC and the vocals on “Your Mind is Dirty” [INTERVIEW]
Continuing to build momentum with every release, from “Drugs from Amsterdam” to “Gimme that Bounce,” and his remix of Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding‘s “Miracle,” Mau P has become one of the most talked about artists to come up in the house and techno scene and recently celebrated the release of his latest single, “Your Mind is Dirty,” at Insomniac‘s EDC Las Vegas – the biggest festival in the world. Released via John Summit‘s label Off the Grid, this song has a build up like no other – no puns intended. For those who are yet to hear the track, it’s particularly edgy and become quite the topic of discussion in dance music, as the primary vocal, is not quite safe for work.
The anticipation for the single showcased a series of performances on festival and college stages around the world. And at last, its big release (haha). The controversial record has gotten DJs banned from performing at venues, inspired some VERY open expressions of PDA throughout crowds, and one girl even deemed Mau’s EDC performance a “moan reveal,” instead of a gender reveal party:
In addition to videos of crowds moaning along, the social spheres online have also exploded with tweets explaining various scenarios of passerbys having funny reactions to those who are actually enjoying listening to it, but some of us are living those moments. On my way to EDCLV, I was blasting Your Mind is Dirty on my flight and I didn’t realize my neighboring passengers could hear what I was playing – whoops. A sweet woman next to me definitely heard the moaning being played loudly through my headphones and gave me a very concerned look and then was quiet throughout the rest of the flight. This passenger was clearly not on her way to EDC, like myself.
I got to briefly speak with Mau about his first time at EDC, what it’s been like releasing with John Summit’s label Off the Grid, and how the boundary-breaking vocal came to be.
On the inspiration and creative process, Mau shared,
One day I woke up and I had this idea of using the sound of people having s*x as a buildup for a song, so I started to experiment with it in the studio. I combined a bit heavier Mau P techno sound with a girl moaning louder and louder until she reaches org*sm. I love how people get triggered by it. At first it was a little awkward on the dancefloor when I played it but after a few times we have all given in and it feels like the song has broken another boundary.
What was it like playing EDC for the first time?
Really insane. Even if you’re not playing and you get to experience the festival for the first time you will be left in awe. It’s just like you’re stepping into dance music Narnia. My set was so much fun and I still think about it a lot.
The hype around “Your Mind is Dirty” has been absolutely insane. What’s been your favorite part of it all?
My favorite part is when I show this song to the world for the first time when I start testing it at my sets. You have to imagine all of these songs start in a small studio in Amsterdam and I have no idea how the reactions are gonna be. So to see this song do that much damage both live and online is amazing.
How’s it been releasing “Your Mind is Dirty” with John Summit’s Off the Grid?
It feels like a perfect fit. I had John’s label in mind for this song right after I finished it. We actually met for the first time in San Diego during new year’s eve and I asked him if he would be down to release a more techno-ish song from me on his label. He immediately said yes so I sent it to him right away and the rest is history. I love the label and the team and they have been doing such a great job.
Is “Your Mind Is Dirty” using an authentic recorded vocal, or is it a sound you’ve manipulated to give the impression that the listeners minds are dirty (assuming it’s dirty, when really, it’s innocent)?
So the main vocal that goes “Your mind is dirty, it’s filthy, it’s flirty… ah ah ah” is me, obviously with a lot of processing on it. The actual moaning is a bunch of samples from different girls put together to make it sound like one girl.
For those who missed out on EDCLV this year, no worries, the set was recorded for you to enjoy as well:
Photo credits: Tommy Reerink
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