Must Volkoff Interview
Hi Must, thanks for taking time out for this interview.
Easy.
So you just released Aquanaut, your second production album, what was the inspiration behind this album?
My approach to writing music has always been inspired by albums with a psychedelic feel. Also I’ve been playing Jazz since a very young age and the last few years I’ve realised that I’m a Jazz musician at heart and have been embracing that. These days i see the music i produce as Jazz as much as it is Hip Hop. The idea to make these kind of production albums that play a bit like a mixtape was also heavily inspired by the DJ Louis Slipperz 10 Pound Bag series. Basically I set out to make another production album that could stand up as a sequel to White Russian. I’m real proud of that record and it boosted my career so I put a lot of pressure on myself to make something that would live up to expectations. It was always going to be an aquatic theme. People were telling my beats sounded like some underwater trip so it made sense to go from outer space to the unexplored parts of the Earth.
Your previous release, White Russian, was in 2013, what had you been up to in between that time?
Producing music, shooting videos and running our label Pang Productions. Between White Russian and Aquanaut we released
Mata, Must, Flu & One Sixth - 4 Aces EP
Mata & Must - Get Your Mind Right 2LP
Dyl Thomas & Flu - Idol Hands EP
Adam Koots - Sleeping In The Sink LP
Must Volkoff ft. Dialect - Metastasis/Jewels & Crystals 7”
Joe Snow - I Know You Know Me You EP
Also producing tunes for other labels and independent artists. A little bit of painting here and there too, but mostly music, promo/design and admin 7 days a week.
Easy.
So you just released Aquanaut, your second production album, what was the inspiration behind this album?
My approach to writing music has always been inspired by albums with a psychedelic feel. Also I’ve been playing Jazz since a very young age and the last few years I’ve realised that I’m a Jazz musician at heart and have been embracing that. These days i see the music i produce as Jazz as much as it is Hip Hop. The idea to make these kind of production albums that play a bit like a mixtape was also heavily inspired by the DJ Louis Slipperz 10 Pound Bag series. Basically I set out to make another production album that could stand up as a sequel to White Russian. I’m real proud of that record and it boosted my career so I put a lot of pressure on myself to make something that would live up to expectations. It was always going to be an aquatic theme. People were telling my beats sounded like some underwater trip so it made sense to go from outer space to the unexplored parts of the Earth.
Your previous release, White Russian, was in 2013, what had you been up to in between that time?
Producing music, shooting videos and running our label Pang Productions. Between White Russian and Aquanaut we released
Mata, Must, Flu & One Sixth - 4 Aces EP
Mata & Must - Get Your Mind Right 2LP
Dyl Thomas & Flu - Idol Hands EP
Adam Koots - Sleeping In The Sink LP
Must Volkoff ft. Dialect - Metastasis/Jewels & Crystals 7”
Joe Snow - I Know You Know Me You EP
Also producing tunes for other labels and independent artists. A little bit of painting here and there too, but mostly music, promo/design and admin 7 days a week.
Aquanaut has some great features including some rappers from across the pond, what was the process of making the album?
I started working on it around the start of 2015. Just making loads of beats first. Then Mata and I went to London later in that year. I picked out 100 beats to take with me. We were only there for 3 weeks so it was jam packed linking up with heads, showing beats and teeing things up. A couple of tunes were lined up before we got there. I got about 3 tracks recorded while were there and the rest got sent back via the net.
How did you go about selecting rappers to be on this album?
Obviously the goal was to have a lot more UK artists on this one. I didn’t want to make White Russian again so switching up the lineup was important. So as for local heads I decided to keep it to mostly crew I work with on the reg, as well as a few who weren’t on the last album like Soma & Maundz. With the UK artists i started with heads I was already down with, Chester P, Remus, Sonnyjim, Micall Parknsun and Jehst. The rest just happened naturally once we were in London, word got around and people were hitting me up to get involved.
You made your name in the duo Mata and Must, do you two have anything in the works at the moment?
We’ve both always got projects on the go, but nothing in the works together at the moment.
What else is in store for yourself and Pang Productions in 2017?
I’m in the Northern Territory for the next few weeks doing some youth work. Then onto a little Aquanaut tour, we’re hitting Melbourne, Sydney, Katoomba and Adelaide in July/August. Finishing up new releases with Nelson Dialect and P.Smurf. Working on a new crew release for the label with some guest features, and working on beats for a handful of heads in the UK. Aquanaut vinyl is also coming soon.
Aquanaut is available on the Pang Productions site here. Soon to be released on vinyl!
I started working on it around the start of 2015. Just making loads of beats first. Then Mata and I went to London later in that year. I picked out 100 beats to take with me. We were only there for 3 weeks so it was jam packed linking up with heads, showing beats and teeing things up. A couple of tunes were lined up before we got there. I got about 3 tracks recorded while were there and the rest got sent back via the net.
How did you go about selecting rappers to be on this album?
Obviously the goal was to have a lot more UK artists on this one. I didn’t want to make White Russian again so switching up the lineup was important. So as for local heads I decided to keep it to mostly crew I work with on the reg, as well as a few who weren’t on the last album like Soma & Maundz. With the UK artists i started with heads I was already down with, Chester P, Remus, Sonnyjim, Micall Parknsun and Jehst. The rest just happened naturally once we were in London, word got around and people were hitting me up to get involved.
You made your name in the duo Mata and Must, do you two have anything in the works at the moment?
We’ve both always got projects on the go, but nothing in the works together at the moment.
What else is in store for yourself and Pang Productions in 2017?
I’m in the Northern Territory for the next few weeks doing some youth work. Then onto a little Aquanaut tour, we’re hitting Melbourne, Sydney, Katoomba and Adelaide in July/August. Finishing up new releases with Nelson Dialect and P.Smurf. Working on a new crew release for the label with some guest features, and working on beats for a handful of heads in the UK. Aquanaut vinyl is also coming soon.
Aquanaut is available on the Pang Productions site here. Soon to be released on vinyl!