MAHICO Garden Fiesta Interview - KUSHT

We are over the moon to have you  playing at our upcoming Mahico Garden Fiesta to kick off Spring on September 7th.  I discovered your music close to four years ago and fell in love with your unique, quirky, psychedelic and deep sound. Your music is often heard on the dancefloor by our Mahico selectors. Can you tell us a little about your background musically, your beginnings as a music producer and how your live set came about?

Hey Mahico! Thanks for inviting me over. It really is a dream to be coming to Oz and playing around the country; much appreciated. :)

It all started when I was a teenager and played drums in a band. My dad had a home studio, so I would record our demos with him. That's how I learned the basics and started my musical journey. I then went to university to get a degree in Audio Production and became a live engineer. I wasn't really producing during this period, just making demos and ideas for bands.

Fast forward a few years, and the big inspiration to start producing Down Tempo came from hearing Thomash and Urubu Marinka DJ at Fusion Festival in Germany. I was hooked. The live set wasn't even my idea, funnily enough. I had a few releases out and was living in Norway at the time. A friend called David asked me to play at his venue on Norway's National Music Day and told me to do it live. I just agreed and had to figure it out. I'm pretty thankful for the nudge, so thanks, David!

Your music encompasses elements of music from around the globe. To be fair when I found out your heritage was Scottish I was a little surprised. Which artists and sounds were some of your biggest influences when it came to creating the sound we hear from KUSHT today?

Yup, that seems to be the general response to me being a Scot, but I've spent most of my adult life outside of the country. I’m a true believer that travel opens your mind, and it's important to experience other cultures. It's a real asset to my creativity.

In the downtempo scene, I would say M.Rux has always been a strong influence for me, but I find my light bulb moments come from outside of the scene, such as Tom fills from rock music, twangy guitar from indie, or the quirky melodies you hear from old exotica music.

Your latest release “Botanas” was released on Shika Shika a month ago.. We had the pleasure of hosting label co founder Barrio Lindo back in June. Shika Shika has to be one of our favourite labels here at Mahico HQ. Is this your first release on this label? What upcoming releases can we expect from you in the year ahead?

Ahh yeah, it's my first release with them and I was quite proud to land it, as I'm also a huge fan of the label. I have my first EP since 2021 coming out on Random Collective; it's called Where but Zenith?. I felt really free creating this 5-track release since all the clubs were closed during production, but I had a lot of energy in my music-making that I wanted to express. The EP features quirky heavy hitters with wonky guitars and big bass lines, hence the title Zenith. It also includes a stellar remix by M.Rux, who takes one of my few self-vocal tracks "Man on the Moon" to a new level.

Our dear amigo and previous Mahico headliner MAUGLI  spoke highly of your live set and is definitely a big part of the reason we have collaborated on this tour with you. What is your current live set up and what  can we expect from your live set at Mahico?

My man Matteo, another great influence from the scene and all round nice guy. For Oz I'll be revamping the guts of my live set as I tend to do this every 2nd year. I'm always trying new ways of playing and for Oz I want it to feel more free form. I'll have my guitar with me so expect some looping, sampling, mashups and chunky moments, a little rock and roll is always nice at a live show.

Lastly , we believe this is our first time down under. We’ll be sure to show a good time and a Koala or two. What are you looking forward to seeing / experiencing here in the Southern Hemisphere?

It is! And I’m ready with open arms. I read a great travel book about Australia a few years back by Bill Bryson, and he constantly tries to explain the vastness of the country, so I’m excited to experience this. I want to see some saltwater crocodiles, and I’ve heard the country smells great too. Mostly, though, I’ve met a lot of great Aussies on my travels, and they always made me feel welcome, so I’m looking forward to making some new connections and seeing what’s going on "down under" in the rich musical scene.