Maymind has shared a new 45-minute live performance, available to download via WeTransfer below.

Recorded in Downtown LA earlier this year with three synths and a drum machine, it’s a meditative mix full of deep, low-slung grooves and warm ambience, and a perfect representation of the live improvisational methods Maymind has employed on this year’s Wait For Me Out Front EP and Cheap Storage album for DC label Atlantic Rhythms. 

Ahead of a new LP for Kid606’s Tigerbeat6 imprint, we sent Maymind a handful of questions to find out a bit more on the mix, his recording processes, and what’s on the horizon.

You can stream and download the mix below.

When and where was the mix recorded?

While DJing has been a big part of my life in the past five years, making music live and in the moment has been a part of my daily activities for much longer. This mix is actually a live show I played in Downtown LA, earlier in the evening. I tried to follow the advice of one of my mentors long ago—keep it raw, keep it funky.

Can you describe the atmosphere and vibe of the party?

It was a warm, late summer night. I distinctly remember the smell of tacos hanging in the air. At one point, I looked up and a group of children were dancing in front of me. It was a very joyous moment.

What equipment did you record the mix on?

Whenever I see an artist I admire mention a piece of gear, I have the tendency to immediately research that tool and see what it’s all about. Because I also write about and review gear as part of my day job, I’m constantly inundated with new music but also new musical tools. It’s very easy to become convinced you need the latest “thing” to make music, whether it’s a drum machine, sample pack, or plugin, and I must admit I have been a victim of that mindset in the past as well. So I’ll just say that this was recorded with one drum machine, one FM synth, one analog monosynth, and one analog polysynth, all running to a 12 channel mixer. Use the tools you have!

Your recording process favors a limited set-up focused on live and improvised performances—what led you down this path and what draws you to this way of working?

At first, I started working this way out of necessity. I had moved to LA from NY, and in the process sold most of my old analog synths that had lived in my studio, including a Sequential Circuits Pro-One that had an amazing custom purple case, a Roland SH-101, a Korg Polysix, and others. Shortly after arriving in LA, my main recording computer died, and I was left with an old Macbook and a few cheap drum machines. I decided to take a completely different approach than the Ableton-centric approach I had been taking, and bought an MPC-1000 on a whim. Using just the MPC as my main sequencing and sound tool really focused my recording sessions.

Ironically, the recordings that became Illumina, Cheap Storage, and Wait For Me out Front were all made around the same time, more so as just sonic explorations while I was biding my time till I could get back to producing more “proper” house and techno. One thing I quickly learned in LA is that the walls are very thin! Making anything with a big kick was really tough in my living situation, so I naturally gravitated towards making more ambient and experimental tracks. It wasn’t till I went back and listened to a bunch of bits I recorded that a new world appeared to me.

How was 2018 for you?

It was a really eventful year. I must admit that I’ve been making music for a very long time, but it wasn’t until the past year or two that I’ve really figured out how I want to say what is inside of me. The distractions of social media and the careerist approach of many made me think I had to make a certain kind of music, and those fears and doubts have been pushed aside as I’ve gotten a little older. My album Cheap Storage and a follow-up EP, Wait For Me Out Front, both came out on Atlantic Rhythms, a label in DC that is doing some great things and that I’m happy to be a part of. I know they have a few pretty exciting things coming out in the months ahead as well.

What’s on the horizon for 2019?

The pendulum has swung back in the other direction, and I’m finally back to working on tracks with a bit more focus in the box. I’m going to be going out to Joshua Tree in a few weeks to finish up a more club-focused EP. My next full-length album, Contoured Euphoria is finished and waiting to be mastered; that will be out on Kid606’s Tigerbeat6 in Spring 2019. Besides that, finding time to connect with my friends and family, devoting more time to design work, and stepping further away from the distractions of social media. And practicing my jazz chords. 

Due to issues regarding the GDPR, EU readers can download the mix here.

Photo: AM Gordon