Mr. Carmack is definitely not just about trap. The LA-based producer, by the way of San Fran and Oahu, Hawaii, presents an amalgamation of multiple genres blurring the distinction of the term trap with dynamic fervour. His sonic progression saw him uproot from his hometown in LA to find creative solace in Hawaii where he washed dishes while building his craft into the beast we hear today. Already carving out global reputation as one of the most unique producers in the game, this multi-instrumentalist has been name-checked by the likes of Pharrell and DJ Shadow while maintaining a prolific output through the likes of Mad Decent, Team Supreme, Soulection and occasionally just dropping free beats through Bandcamp.THUMP: Where did it all begin?
MR. Carmack: I got into producing about ten or eleven years ago. My buddy gave me the gift of Cubase and Reason all in the same day. I used nothing but that for six years while I was growing up. I then moved on to Ableton and started producing at the ripe old age of thirteen.Run me through the motivation behind the move from San Francisco to a Hawaii and how beneficial was that move in defining your career?
I actually moved from Long Beach to Hawaii. When I figured that there was a point where I needed to just be away from everything in my life and just sit down and focus on creating the best music that I can actually do. Because by that time I had already been producing for 6 to 8 years and had a lot of the potential skills. But I lacked the discipline and the long-term planning to really create. The vision of just key projects and time and space and you need a cooler mind in order to create culture, movements. Especially if you're doing it by yourself, independently. I moved to this little farm house. all the while working three jobs, washing dishes and food running. Mostly I was just keeping to myself and every other minute I spent working and finishing my projects.You said that your music is an expression of experiences that you've had in your life up until right now. Positive or negative, what were the moments that really shaped your growth as an artist?
I've never really had one big experience that shaped my whole musical career. We could go on a collection of dates where I discovered music, meeting people in my life, some of the people that I call friends now. That are beautiful and open enough to share with me there musical experiences, just as much as I do.Your style is more than just trap and bridges numerous styles together. How would you best describe your creations?
It's like you say, it's an amalgamation of a lot of different styles, a lot of different ideas that I've had. I'm very sporadic and impulsive in my life. I tend to do a lot of things if it has the right feel. Backed in a corner, starting it up and divert my attention, move it elsewhere. Do other things. This sound, the Carmack sound, is whatever we make it to be, whatever people identify with it. I never gave it that name- I hope that it moves on from trap. Not that I don't like trap. I've always loved trap. I love bass music, and I love turning it up, I love to party. I live incorporating the other styles and sounds to fully show that I can produce that. Displaying all my talents in the best way that I can. That's an ongoing thing. I'm far from my idea of where I should be but I feel a lot coming from the sharing of music with people. As long as I get offered the opportunities to come and share my music, I'm more than happy to deliver.Being influential to many new producers these days, many mimic your sound throughout SoundCloud and beyond. How does that impact you in trying to create new music?
It's definitely flattering. It's also confusing, not in that… It's just been really interesting watching that whole thing go on. It made sense from my friends, they would come and show me day after day the new tracks that they'd found. That they get sent, following that certain Carmack sound or the Celestial sound or the Teensy Cream sound, or whatever it is that we've created. It goes back to the being stuck in a rut thing that I was talking about. People are so quick to identify a certain sound in a song, but then they lose the musicality, and beautiful feeling behind it. It doesn't exclude the fact that if someone's trying to reach their own sound, trying to express themselves in a way that they know how. It's kind of dismissive. It's like, Oh, that's Carmack sound. Next. That's Carmack sound. Oh, not again. Ugh, that's the Carmack sound. Like I said in the beginning, I didn't label it as the Carmack sound…The internet did it for you?
Yeah, and I mean, whether that's going to be the bane of my career, my existence, who knows? I don't care. Whatever it is that I choose to make or not to make, it will always be reflective of my situation. I'm not just all of a sudden going to keep making Carmack sounds for the masses. Just because a lot of people now identify it. I still play completely different music and still call it my own. That's just the ride that I want them to feel.Out of all your tracks, which one are you most proud of?
This upcoming music that I'm putting together for the beginning of the new year is probably some of my proudest work to date. I did this one song called, "Death". I was really proud of the light dancing beat on that track. There were only three tracks on the Life/Death EP but I think it was indicative of where I was in that time when I put it out. All In with Kehlani, is probably my most complete track to date. It took a long time, it took weeks to produce it and put it all together. I think that process, I've never done before because keep in mind, I'm still stemming from lying in a bed with my drawers on with the laptop next to my pillow. Writing music on a trackpad. You know what I mean? I'm slowly building … I have the studio now in LA, now it's just coming together as a more quote-unquote professional movement in my career. However, I think that 'All In' track is very indicative of that movement towards a refined sound. "Pay For What" I made, I don't know if you ever heard the song "Chase the Devil": "I'm going to send him to outer space, to find another race." If you listen to that song and play "Pay for What" next to it, it's kind of similar in that… I made that song because I wanted to make a Trap version of the original reggae song by Max Romeo. What better way to do it than with my favourite song, right?What advice would you give to a younger Mr. Carmack?
My advice would be to always be receptive, always be the student, be available and open to new things, new experiences in life. Not just the music but opportunities that are afforded to you. Don't live the "cookie-cutter" life. The music is your inspiration and the way you see the world will expand your music tenfold. There is always something new to learn and there's always someone willing to teach. Be open to any and all forms of music. Don't be closed minded. And save your money, too.Mr Carmack is currently touring Australia.JAN 8 // MELBOURNE ESPIONAGE // ROXANNE
JAN 9 // BRISBANE FOMO FESTIVAL // RIVERSTAGE
JAN 9 // SYDNEY BEAR OPS // MAX WATTSTickets
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MR. Carmack: I got into producing about ten or eleven years ago. My buddy gave me the gift of Cubase and Reason all in the same day. I used nothing but that for six years while I was growing up. I then moved on to Ableton and started producing at the ripe old age of thirteen.Run me through the motivation behind the move from San Francisco to a Hawaii and how beneficial was that move in defining your career?
I actually moved from Long Beach to Hawaii. When I figured that there was a point where I needed to just be away from everything in my life and just sit down and focus on creating the best music that I can actually do. Because by that time I had already been producing for 6 to 8 years and had a lot of the potential skills. But I lacked the discipline and the long-term planning to really create. The vision of just key projects and time and space and you need a cooler mind in order to create culture, movements. Especially if you're doing it by yourself, independently. I moved to this little farm house. all the while working three jobs, washing dishes and food running. Mostly I was just keeping to myself and every other minute I spent working and finishing my projects.You said that your music is an expression of experiences that you've had in your life up until right now. Positive or negative, what were the moments that really shaped your growth as an artist?
I've never really had one big experience that shaped my whole musical career. We could go on a collection of dates where I discovered music, meeting people in my life, some of the people that I call friends now. That are beautiful and open enough to share with me there musical experiences, just as much as I do.
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It's like you say, it's an amalgamation of a lot of different styles, a lot of different ideas that I've had. I'm very sporadic and impulsive in my life. I tend to do a lot of things if it has the right feel. Backed in a corner, starting it up and divert my attention, move it elsewhere. Do other things. This sound, the Carmack sound, is whatever we make it to be, whatever people identify with it. I never gave it that name- I hope that it moves on from trap. Not that I don't like trap. I've always loved trap. I love bass music, and I love turning it up, I love to party. I live incorporating the other styles and sounds to fully show that I can produce that. Displaying all my talents in the best way that I can. That's an ongoing thing. I'm far from my idea of where I should be but I feel a lot coming from the sharing of music with people. As long as I get offered the opportunities to come and share my music, I'm more than happy to deliver.Being influential to many new producers these days, many mimic your sound throughout SoundCloud and beyond. How does that impact you in trying to create new music?
It's definitely flattering. It's also confusing, not in that… It's just been really interesting watching that whole thing go on. It made sense from my friends, they would come and show me day after day the new tracks that they'd found. That they get sent, following that certain Carmack sound or the Celestial sound or the Teensy Cream sound, or whatever it is that we've created. It goes back to the being stuck in a rut thing that I was talking about. People are so quick to identify a certain sound in a song, but then they lose the musicality, and beautiful feeling behind it. It doesn't exclude the fact that if someone's trying to reach their own sound, trying to express themselves in a way that they know how. It's kind of dismissive. It's like, Oh, that's Carmack sound. Next. That's Carmack sound. Oh, not again. Ugh, that's the Carmack sound. Like I said in the beginning, I didn't label it as the Carmack sound…
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Yeah, and I mean, whether that's going to be the bane of my career, my existence, who knows? I don't care. Whatever it is that I choose to make or not to make, it will always be reflective of my situation. I'm not just all of a sudden going to keep making Carmack sounds for the masses. Just because a lot of people now identify it. I still play completely different music and still call it my own. That's just the ride that I want them to feel.Out of all your tracks, which one are you most proud of?
This upcoming music that I'm putting together for the beginning of the new year is probably some of my proudest work to date. I did this one song called, "Death". I was really proud of the light dancing beat on that track. There were only three tracks on the Life/Death EP but I think it was indicative of where I was in that time when I put it out. All In with Kehlani, is probably my most complete track to date. It took a long time, it took weeks to produce it and put it all together. I think that process, I've never done before because keep in mind, I'm still stemming from lying in a bed with my drawers on with the laptop next to my pillow. Writing music on a trackpad. You know what I mean? I'm slowly building … I have the studio now in LA, now it's just coming together as a more quote-unquote professional movement in my career. However, I think that 'All In' track is very indicative of that movement towards a refined sound. "Pay For What" I made, I don't know if you ever heard the song "Chase the Devil": "I'm going to send him to outer space, to find another race." If you listen to that song and play "Pay for What" next to it, it's kind of similar in that… I made that song because I wanted to make a Trap version of the original reggae song by Max Romeo. What better way to do it than with my favourite song, right?
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My advice would be to always be receptive, always be the student, be available and open to new things, new experiences in life. Not just the music but opportunities that are afforded to you. Don't live the "cookie-cutter" life. The music is your inspiration and the way you see the world will expand your music tenfold. There is always something new to learn and there's always someone willing to teach. Be open to any and all forms of music. Don't be closed minded. And save your money, too.Mr Carmack is currently touring Australia.JAN 8 // MELBOURNE ESPIONAGE // ROXANNE
JAN 9 // BRISBANE FOMO FESTIVAL // RIVERSTAGE
JAN 9 // SYDNEY BEAR OPS // MAX WATTSTickets