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 Momu has been in the boxes of so many deejays that you can't mention all of them. JD Moyer and Mark Musselman are back with a full length album and i:Vibes.nu chats to them about everything Momu and even more things.
Momu has been around for some time, it was a side project of JD Moyer (Half of Jondi and Spesh) and half of the brain trust that runs Looq records (him and Spesh run it) out of sunny San Francisco. The other is much respected deejay Mark Musselman who has really made a name for himself lately, even got a mix on John Digweed's show. Momu really hit us hard with "The Dive", a few years ago and they have continued with lots of other things. So the album hits Feb 28th, 2006, so on the eve of their first Momu album, simply titled Momu, i:Vibes.nu sat down with the boys.
i:Vibes: So you guys disappeared for a while and decided to hit us with an album, be honest, how much weed, booze and other things did this album take to make?
A: Jondi: The album came together without too much chemical assistance ... with the exception of the all nighter with grayarea when we co-wrote the track "one" (but even in that case i think it was just one bottle of whiskey, nothing too extreme). Of course there is the track "Hydergine" ... it's a drug that activates neurogenesis.
Mark: do you count Jondi's extensive Tea and Chocolate Collection?
i:Vibes: .Seriously tho, How long did this album take from planning to finished product?
A: Jondi: Well, a few of the tracks were written a couple years ago, but the new material was written over the course of a year or so.
Mark: This one took awhile if you factor in the previous singles that are included. Over the last year or so we had written some really cool tracks that seemed more like Album material than tracks headed directly for the dancefloor. Once we had a bunch of these racked up it was like, hey, we have an album! We also kind of finished a saga and the album summed it up…we have already begun work on a follow up. We can't stop, won't stop.
i:Vibes: Its called Momu - Momu released on Looq, are you guys planning to tour with it around North America and Europe.
A: Jondi: We've got a few dates so far. We're opening for Nick Warren in San Francisco March 17th.
Mark: It is really hard for me to tour this year, I have a 6 month old daughter named Maya who is my world right now. My wife is really supportive of me taking lots of time to work on Momu in the studio but extensive touring is not in the cards right now. Maybe next year!
i:Vibes: So what does the tracklist look like? Did you purposely want to include your known tracks with some new studio work? or was it more of Hey this is us, check us out?
A: Jondi:It's our debut artist album so we wanted to include some favorite singles, but the majority of the album is new material. We don't mind being classified as a "prog breaks" act but we've got some downtempo, some weird stuff, some acid breaks ... a wide variety of material but it's all "Momu."
Mark: It was more like…this is a very accurate snapshot of Momu To-Date. Lets get it out there!!! There is a historical component with the previous singles like The Dive, Sunsicle, and This is Momu (I mean how could we not include that??). BUT, like Jondi points out the majority is new material that seems so far to be well received and appreciated.
i:Vibes: What do you anticipate the reception to be for the album?
A: Jondi: Hopefully people will like it! How can you anticipate something like that? Sometimes the progressive breaks genre is associated with a snooty attitude or something. I hope people don't take the music too seriously, or think that we do. It's just meant to be enjoyed.
Mark: Yeah, we just have fun in the studio. We might be working on something that sounds dark or melancholy and it might seem like we are trying to be all intellectual but its really just joyous for us. We might be laughing and getting stoked not being all "we are so dark, fear us, fear us!!!!". We hope people get to hear it and play it many many times and not because it gets jammed in the car's CD player. The accessibility with iTunes and the other download sites should help spread the Momu word.
i:Vibes: Describe in under 10 words the album for the public.
A: Jondi:Trippy floaty irreverent otherworldy natural dirty breaks.
Mark: Therapeutic journey to a not so far away future.
i:Vibes: What were some of the problems making the album?
A: Jondi: Having to ruthlessly drop tracks that we love, because the album would have been too fucking long.
Mark: Yeah, what he said. Check the iTunes download for some bonus tracks and www.thisismomu.com for some free downloads. There really were not any other problems, we now work very fast together and agree on things so much its smooth. Jondi is a genius and he puts up with me.
i:Vibes: What do you feel is the best track on the album?
A: Jondi:My favorite is the last track, "Hydergine", but we tried very hard not to have any "filler" on the album so hopefully every track will have some fans. I also think we possibly created something unique in the track "Antietam." We sampled actual ghosts.
Mark: I'm partial to "One" right now…but we got back to our Roots with a few more Location Inspired tracks like Antietam and Mavericks. We have good luck with Location Inspiration…our first ones like Kitty Hawk, NC and Donner Pass, CA were so well received it was logical that we would continue for some album tracks. You can't plan inspiration you just take it where you can get it.
i:Vibes: How has Momu evolved from your early days till now? Have you really done what you wanted, to create more variety instead of people just hammering Ashtrax - Helsinki?
A: Jondi: I think and hope that we've succeeded in creating some at least halfway original music that people will really get into.We've definitely evolved ... and you can hear some of that evolution on the album by comparing tracks that we wrote a couple years ago, like "The Dive" to something like "Mavericks."
Mark: We have definitely evolved…I think you are referring to a previous interview when I said I needed more tracks like Helsinki instead of one just every few months or a few a year. So…yup, we have filled that gap and lo and behold there was actually a huge wave of progressive breaks interest and productions in the last 3 years. Some amazingly great stuff has been coming, so much so that you really do have to sort through it now instead of just saying yes I'm buying it just because it's progressive and has a breakbeat! I'd rather have a feast than a famine and I'm sure that new crews will be popping up all over the world. Can't wait to hear how the sound evolves and please, all you up and coming producers, please don't stop sending us your demos and tracks. We love to hear them and thanks to all of you who have shared your work with us over the years.
i:Vibes: So have you sent out any copies to the big mags yet to gauge reaction? If so, what's the reaction?
A: Jondi: Great reactions so far. DJ Mag said our album is "a sophisticated brew ...they fuse their breaks with ethereal textures that conjure natural landscapes." ProMobile magazine said it's "a visionary album ... a buzz around when these tunes grace the decks." It's really early still, but we're pleased with the reactions so far.
Mark: Initial press and reactions are just coming in, it's an exciting time.
i:Vibes: What's next for Momu or will it be a tour then another Jondi and Spesh record
A: Jondi: My next album project with be a collaboration with Sez Giulian (the vocalist on the most recent Jondi & Spesh album). It's going to be called "Good At Human" and has more of an indie vibe. But of course I'll continue making tracks with both Spesh and Mark. Spesh and I have a new single coming out called "I Love The Drums" which you will hopefully be able to hear on a mix that Mark and I are putting together for John Digweed's show, and there is plenty of new Momu material in the works too.
Mark: I am going to play drums in Good at Human if Jondi and Sez let me but I'm going to have to get away from Cubase long enough to get some sticks in my hands and practice! But seriously, if you look at the Body of Work that Jondi is responsible for it is staggering. Between Jondi and Spesh, Momu, JSJ, Good at Human, and the other stuff he works on it blows my mind. He is a genius. There I said it again. Hands down he has to be one of the most prolific masterminds in the music business.
We will also continue doing Momu remixes for Looq and other labels. We love doing remixes, we get a great vibe going, always.
i:Vibes: How are the Looq parties going in San Fran? and how is the label going?
A: Jondi: Qoöl, the Wednesday happy hour weekly that Spesh and I have been hosting for over ten years, is amazingly still going strong. It's a crazy dance floor every Wednesday, in the early evening! Loöq Records has some fantastic releases planned for 2006, including Tronso, Nugen & Archer, Espen & Stian, Dirtyhertz & Musselman, and of course Jondi & Spesh and Momu.
Mark: Qool is the Energizer Bunny of West Coast Progressive…it keeps going, going, going, going!!! I'm proud to be a part of Looq and Qool, they have accomplished so much already on their own terms. It is inspiring.
i:Vibes.nu would like to thank Jondi and Mark for taking time of their schedules for it. Momu -Momu will be released on Feb 28th, 2006 on Looq Records. It's fantastic, watch for it in your local CD store or try Amazon.
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