MR.BLACK is one of the most intriguing artists in dance music. A master in Electronic, Electro-House, Progressive, and Club, MR. BLACK, who stems from Tel Aviv, knows how to light the fire in your soul. Never without a queue to hear his turntables spin, MR. BLACK is in high demand as he travels the world gracing lucky crowds with his splendor and chart-topping songs. Working with the likes of Madonna and furthering his reach into commercials and global brands, it’s no wonder Armin van Buuren called him a “Legend” while working with him on a recent collaboration. I managed to get an interview with this dynamo in the music production world.
Hi, It’s RiMo from Fresh Music Freaks and I’m here today talking with MR.BLACK, a pioneer in the Electronic Music field who’s been selling out shows internationally and producing music that everyone loves. Your new song “Gypsy” almost feels like a duet between the old world (gypsy vocals) and modern technology (electronic instruments). Can you tell me how the mix of these two elements came about?
I think that this indeed is what’s interesting about the track. The contrast between live instruments with Mexican vocals and the modern electronic sounds, which involves Big Room and Future Psytrance elements, make this track very special for us and very fresh in my sets. I tried to keep the balance with electronic synths during the entire track, and to keep the energy with drums and massive basslines in the breakdown and in the drop. This keeps the ‘rave’ energy during the whole track but also maintains the authentic Mexican vibes, just gives it an interesting twist.
In this mix and your musical catalog overall, you manage to maintain high energy with a perfect balance of serenity at the same time. How do you manage to do this?
What leads me as a producer is to feel the people and the crowd. Like every party and festival, there is the high-energy moments where everyone is jumping and going crazy, but also memorable and emotional moments that create something you will not forget. In these parts, I think of the break, if it’s sometimes a melody, sometimes it’s vocals or live instruments. For me, it’s very important to have a concept for each track and that’s what I try to maintain during the whole track.
What artists are you listening to in order to get inspired in your own work?
As mentioned in the previous question, every track has a concept. So for example in ‘Gypsy‘ the reference was the legendary Gypsy Kings, with my remix of Daft Punk it was obviously Daft Punk and generally the French House stuff. For ‘Madness‘ with Futuristic Polar Bears, the reference was the old-school Tiësto Trance and so on. It’s also important to mention that I get my inspiration from many genres, for example from Alternative Rock to Classic Pop, etc.
What trend(s) do you foresee in the future of EDM, and would you utilize them in your work?
I see that underground elements and commercial hooks will fuse in several combinations, this can come in Bass, Psytrance or Big-Room, and whoever combine it in the right way will lead the trend. As for my productions, the most important thing for me is the creative hook, and once you have the right hook, you can create several versions to keep the longevity, (life), of the track.
Who would be your dream collaborative effort (vocal and producer)?
I have so many dream collaboration artists that I truly love, but I’ll give you my current top three: Tiësto, Daft Punk, and Drake.
Musically, what can we expect from you in 2020?
Wow. I’ve been working in the studio very hard, even while on tour because I’m to trying to create a story with my upcoming releases. What I can say is that the music will be very diverse in tempo, in style, and in variety. I am aiming to have ten-twelve releases next year lined up. From what I see right now it’s going to be the most massive year in terms of music I’ve ever had in my career, so stay tuned!
Where can we see you perform in 2020?
Actually, I’m doing New Year’s Eve in India, I’ve also got some festivals and tours lined up in Asia. Two weeks ago I kicked off my first residency outside my country in a new superclub in Cyprus and I expect to announce some more big things early next year! I can’t wait.
Here is the exclusive guest mix MR.BLACK made for Fresh Music Freaks:
Check out MR.BLACK’s official lyric video “We Are Lost” below:
Check out MR.BLACK’s tour dates here
*Featured Image of MR.BLACK Via Artist FB*
