Artist Spotlight: Moods
Shot by @marc_haers
Moods is one of the most progressive, grandiose and vital producers in the current burgeoning jazz renaissance.
The Rotterdam native has been garnering acclaim for his intricate, expressive and jazz-infused take on lo-fi hip-hop. He released his debut LP ‘Zoom Out’ back in 2018, which included collaborations with hotly tipped names like Pip Millett, Sam Wills and JAEL, and was met with wide spread praise for its vibrant palettes and eclectic style. Over the past few years, Moods has been further elevating his craft, working with some truly superb instrumentalists and refining his nuanced sound. We have now been gifted with the producers sophomore body of work; the sanguine, sophisticated and spell binding project ’Music Ruined My Life’.
I sat down with Moods to discuss his captivating new album and its accompanying short film, the importance of sonic variety, and future collaborations.
Who influences you?
At the moment artists like Mndsgn, Mocky, Dj Harrison are influential on my music. It’s something about their sound!
What is it about production that you love?
That it’s never ending really. There are always things to learn and experiment with. It’s an ongoing process and that’s why it has kept me busy for 18 years straight. I’m the type of person who is very focussed to master something but once I do I move on to something new. With music production it has been different so far.
I love the name 'Moods' - such a good epitomisation of you as an artist! Why did you opt for it?
My music is very focussed on vibe & mood and at the time it felt like the right choice so I just went with it. It’s quite a common word in music and there was definitely some hesitation but in the end I just committed to it.
Who would you love to collaborate with?
I would love to work with singers like Leon Bridges, Andreya Triana, Mac Ayres, Cleo Sol to name a few. I’m sure that would lead to interesting music.
Would you like to do joint projects with any rappers/singers?
For sure.. I’ve never done that actually, a full project with one singer/rapper. It’s definitely on the list! Once traveling is easier I’m going to think about it.
What instruments do you play? What other instrumentalists on there and why did you choose them?
I play keys myself, good enough to able to figure it out when I’m producing music. I never had any schooling so it’s all by ear. Some of my good friends are very good instrumentalists and I love to work with them. Usually they can extend my ideas into something new & better. Stuff I could not have figured out myself, so it’s great to just observe that and learn from it.
Loved the album! How do you feel about it finally being released into the world?
Ah thank you, that means a lot! It was quite scary to release the album because it felt like something new & you’re always in a bit of a vulnerable spot when you put out a new project. Will people like it etc.. I’ve never worked with a band before so all you can do is hope it turns out well and everybody gets what you’re trying to do. It definitely worked out though!
I’m very happy and proud of the whole thing and how it turned out so that makes things easier. So far the feedback & support has been great & that really makes me feel good about it.
How long have you been working on it?
It took one year to finish. From writing demo’s to recording it and mixing it down.
How do you feel it differs from your debut project?
It’s more focussed on organic sound compared to Zoom Out my debut. Because it’s recorded live it’s a lot more dynamic.
A bit of a learning curve on the mixing side as well. I’ve never worked with live recordings as the foundation of every track and thats a different ball game compared to making beats where you are a lot more in control of the overall sound. In the end the goal was to still give it that Moods flavour & that was the challenge.
I loved how you documented the album creation with the short film of ‘Music Ruined My Life’. Why did you choose to do this?
The album is simply about my relation with music. I feel like music is ruining my life regularly, and then making it bloom again.. “Music ruined my life, then saved it”. That explains it. It’s a love / hate thing. A constant cycle and i’m addicted to the feeling of it. That’s why I’ve been doing it for 18 years non stop. I think it’s an important quality in any creative pursuit. You have to lose yourself in the art to be able to push boundaries for ourselves and the work we make. It can be the most beautiful thing but it can also be very demanding at times. This was just a harsh way to put it as I’m also looking for the humor of it. It’s pretty funny to call an album “Music Ruined My Life”.
One thing about the project that really impressed me was the variety in the arrangements. Talk me through the structuring process of the tracks.
I gave the band an idea of the arrangements with the demos I made before the studio sessions.
The basics were clear in terms of chord progressions and timing for every track but there was room for improvisation. It got a lot more dimension after we recorded it because we came up to new ideas on the spot by just jamming and let the band add their own flavour to certain parts. After the recordings I still could tweak stuff myself in the mixing process and add sounds on top in my own studio. That gave it the small extra details It needed.
I really liked the back run of the album especially; ‘Talk About It’ and ‘Push Pull’ stood out for me. Which is your favourite track and why?
My personal favourite is Return To 4ever. Working on that track made me feel like I’m not human. It felt like I was not here in the moment/state/dimension however you want to call it. It’s a little journey to the inward world. It goes deep to the point where I can’t explain it.. but I feel it in the music.
The general timbre of the work is uplifting and light-hearted. What was the thought process when putting together the tracklist?
I wanted it to be cohesive in sound but vary in range. With an album you can tell a story so it was interesting to experiment with those concepts and how I could tell that story without lyrics but just sound. It started with making a lot of demos. Around 25 demo’s and then we stripped it back to 8. This selection had range and worked well together. It all fell in to place naturally from there.
I found the mixing buttery and sharp mixing. What advice would you give to budding producers looking to work on their post-production?
My main bit of advice would be to experiment, try things, figure it out yourself first. It’s easy to watch tutorials on youtube on how to mix/sound like this or that producer. The fun & magic is found in your own little experiments.
If you had to play one track of yours to someone who has never heard of you, what song are you putting on?
‘Love Is Real’. People seem to like that one haha
What’s next for you?
First up is wrapping up a bunch of pending songs with singers and after that i’ll think about a new record maybe. Let’s see!