Mason Drops Details on “Givin Up” and Life in Lockdown

After the release of his latest single “Givin’ Up” and a year spent in quarantine, Mason is ready to take his unique sound to the next level.

Mason has been steadily developing his sound since first breaking onto the scene. From a young age, music production has become embedded in his day-to-day life whether he was cutting his teeth as a singer or becoming enamored with the endless possibilities of electronic production. Now, as the global dance music community starts to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic, there has never been a better time for the world to take notice of blossoming talent like this Amsterdam-based producer.

Mason has never been the type to put himself in a box and defines his sound as “giving one big middle finger to mediocrity and trends.” His latest release, “Givin’ Up,” does precisely that. The disco-infused tech house bop perfectly combines his forward-thinking productions with warm and familiar disco vibes. Yet, this latest masterpiece is far from Mason’s first hit. Over the years, Mason has worked with an eclectic mix of legendary artists to further prove time and time again that he has what it takes to hang with the best of the best.

Aside from landing massive releases on labels like Defected, Island Records, and Toolroom, Mason minted his imprint Animal Language where he finds the freedom to deliver his genre-defying records to the world. As we inch ever closer to a return to the dance floor, thanks to artists like Mason, fans around the world will always have fresh grooves to move to.

When so much of mainstream dance records seem to come from a cookie-cutter formula, Mason delivers a breath of fresh air to modern dance music so when the opportunity arose to catch up with him we couldn’t help but jump at it. Be sure to stream “Givin’ Up” on your preferred platform, check out the equally fantastic music video, and read on for our chat with this rising star in the scene!

Watch the music video for Mason’s “Givin’ Up” on YouTube:

Hey Mason, thanks for chatting with us today. You stem from a musical background that knows no bounds. From singing on TV as a kid to having your entire family immersed in the arts, how did you decide on producing dance music exactly? Was there ever that “a-ha” moment that this is what you wanted to do?

Thanks for having me! I grew up in recording studios as I was this kid singer on tv, in sort of an equivalent of The Disney Club, and got super obsessed by all the big mixing consoles and tape reels and buttons as a 7-year-old. I kinda knew then that I wanted to become a ‘sound engineer’, you know, ponytails, lots of cigarettes, old sweaty t-shirt, the works. I didn’t know writing or performing your own music would be much more fun. But I did end up sitting behind buttons all day so that part worked out. As a teenager, I got hooked on hip hop and dance music. At some point, I started to DJ with my grandmother’s turntables and was sold quite quickly.

“Giving one big finger to mediocrity and trends” has been your motto for the past twenty years. What ignited the fire inside of you to stand out from the sea of monotony in dance music?

It’s probably really subconscious. I just find it boring to make the same music that’s already out there by other guys or to repeat myself and make copies of that same record that did well. So I like to try new things each time. Not always the easiest career path, as the music industry likes to tag genres on people, but I’ve come to a point where I don’t care about all that anymore and just make whatever feels good. Luckily I have a loyal following that seems to appreciate it and make it all possible, which I’m immensely grateful for.

Your latest single, “Givin’ Up” fulfills your motto in full – we love the tech-house meets disco vibe. Can you tell us a little about how this track came to life? What was the production process like?

I really loved this old track from the ’70s and got in touch with the writers in Philadelphia. I then got the possibility to get the full multitrack recordings (so all the instruments separately recorded) which gave me a lot of freedom to create something totally new with it. It’s a lot more creative way of working than old-fashioned sampling.

How has your time away from the stage and live events changed you as a producer? Has your mentality changed significantly during lockdown?

Just when the lockdown started I decided to work on an album – which was released last September called ‘Frisky Biscuits’. It was the perfect big chunk of work to focus on in corona times – locking the door and work on something fun and being productive which all kept me mentally sane.

Apart from that I always considered myself to be quite a balanced calm guy, and in the past year I noticed how much my life for 25 years had also been balanced out by lots of DJ touring, traveling, and heavy nights. Without all that I kinda miss the action in my life a lot – more so than I thought I would.

Staying true to your ethos of not following trends, you created your own record label Animal Language, hosting releases from Harvard Bass, Oliver $, and Roisin Murphy, to name a few. What qualities do you look for when signing a new artist?

The label is purely a platform to pretty much do whatever I want, whenever I want. Sometimes to release my own weirder bits, and sometimes to sign records that I just really dig and which fit. To answer your question: there is no plan, I just need to think something is awesome really…

What does Animal Language’s future look like, are there any “bucket-list” producers you would like to work with?

Yes plenty – common Basement Jaxx, send me that track!

Looking to the future, how would you like to see yourself grow as an artist? Any significant goals you are currently striving towards?

I’m becoming more and more of a mixing nerd, and have plans to create a studio hub in Amsterdam, together with more artists. I’d also secretly-not-so-secretly like to produce more for other pop artists, besides the Mason project. I’m just a sucker for good pop music and think I have some things to contribute there.

When it’s safe for live events to return, how can we collectively make our scene better than before covid? Are there any changes you would like the dance music community to create together? Any specific areas for improvement?

Even though streaming is generating a lot of money for the music industry and such, I think the ratio of how all that money is divided between label, songwriter, publisher, and musician is pretty off and needs a change. I also think countries should invest in proper music education in schools. Promoters should take gender and diversity into consideration when programming. Artists should address some of these issues more collectively, and should also educate themselves so they don’t sign ridiculous contracts. Social media should pay music rights holders whose content is used more properly. And people should stop making stupid people famous.

If you could go back to the very first gig you ever played and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

Trust your own taste and musical instincts, f*ck what’s trendy or how others judge your music. And while you’re at it: drop the violin and play piano instead – it will come in handy in due time.

Finally, when we come visit you in Amsterdam once this is all over, where would you take us for dinner and a night out on the town?

Tacos at Bacalar. And then I’d take you on our Animal Language Kafe Rave. It’s a pub crawl we do every few months, where we only visit depressing hole-in-the-wall bars, and go to four of those bars on one night and take a few hundred ravers and a DJ set and PA on wheels along. We rave and move to the next place, all night long. The best party in town I like to think, not for the faint-hearted so don’t bring your mum.

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