Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Meduza Demonstrate They're More than Just Catchy House Music [Interview]

The Italian trio talk on their recent Grammy nomination, successful singles, and upcoming shows.

The science behind an earworm record is quite simple: upbeat tempos, similar pitch patterns, and big leaps in notes. As straightforward as it may be, the challenge lies in making it difficult to leave your brain. The term itself is given to songs that you can't get out of your head, to catchy, rhythmic tunes. 

In the vast catalogue of records in dance music, there is one recent track in particular that has managed to bury itself in the noggin of house enthusiasts. Whether it be on the radio or in the club, you've undoubtedly stumbled upon (and maybe even sang along) to its signature verse.

The memorable record, "Piece of Your Heart," is the brainchild of Italian trio Meduza, who collaborated with Goodboys on this infectious track. A Grammy-nominated cut, the song infiltrated mainstream radio and has been a hit on the dance floor since debuting in 2019. 

Not ones to be outdone, the triad's follow-up single, "Lose Control," is just as catchy as its predecessor. Both releases have managed to cement Meduza as the next big thing in house music.

As prosperous as their endeavor has been, the group are keen on not being classified as radio-friendly mainstays. Their live performances take a more underground tone, reflecting the diverse range in their take on house music.

The group's rise in popularity was evident during a recent sold-out, three-hour set at Exchange LA. It was at the Los Angeles show where we caught up with Meduza, who candidly spoke on their recent success.

EDM.COM: How have club shows like your recent three-hour performance at Exchange LA treated you?

MEDUZA: We loved playing Exchange LA a couple of weeks ago. We might be having commercial success on the radio, but we play quite underground. It’s great to take audiences on a long journey also, so you can expect longer sets from us in 2020 and beyond. It gives us the freedom to set the tone and take everyone on a musical journey.

The event was sold out. How are you managing your growing fan base?

We love the support from the fans. We take that positive energy that they give us and manifest it into our work. House music is growing, especially in the U.S., and that is great to see.

Your two tracks "Piece of Your Heart" and "Lose Control" are very catchy. Is that what you had in mind when producing those tracks? Are you guys trying to make songs that stay in people's heads?

The nature of both tracks was special as the sound is something different from what a lot of DJs are making. We are making music that feels natural and connects to us and what we enjoy. Its house music with great songs - nothing more, nothing less.

Both of those records have gone on to receive plenty of airplay in mainstream radio. How does it feel to be one of the rare acts to bring house music to the masses?

It feels amazing. We set out on our mission to bring house music back on the radio like back in the good old days. That's not to say we don’t enjoy or support other genres that have taken precedent in recent years. We just believe that house music brings everyone together and we’re happy to see it reflected on such a massive platform as the radio.

As a trio, what do each of you individually bring to Meduza? Do you find it difficult to balance ideas in the studio?

Simone is really talented on the keys and production, Luca is the strength behind the production, and I [Matt] am the DJ and also help with the direction of production. It’s a team effort and we all bring little things that make our sound. We balance out very well.

We have to take the time to congratulate you guys on the Grammy nomination for "Piece of Your Heart." That is huge for new artists such as yourselves. How did you take the news?

We still can’t believe it. We honestly don't know how to describe the feeling. It's something unbelievable ... from our wildest dreams. We’ve seen some of our favorite acts in this industry be nominated since we were all quite young. When you're a child and see your hero walk across that stage you think, "I would like to be like them one day," and then this happens. It's quite astonishing and great for house music.

How was your experience at this year's Grammy's? The mood seemed somber due to the passing of Kobe Bryant.

Being in Los Angeles that day was surreal. When we woke up that morning and went for breakfast it was really foggy, quite unusual for L.A. Then social media started saying a helicopter had crashed with several people onboard including Kobe.

We were naturally extremely shocked. When we arrived at the Staples Center there was a very weird atmosphere. A few thousand people had already gathered in the square outside Staples. We took some time and walked around. It brought home quite acutely that even though we're there to celebrate something quite special in our lives, things can change in a split second, whoever you may be. It was quite humbling to be honest.

We're seeing your name pop up on many festival lineups for 2020. I know you recently performed at Escape Halloween in Southern California. How has the American music festival scene treated you?

Escape was great for us. We played quite early for this show, but the tent was super busy. Insomniac really put a lot of time and effort into the experience side of the festival for the public. We walked around for a few hours post our set to see different things, the thing we noticed was the house stage was full pretty much from open to close. The U.S. house scene is growing.

We didn’t catch the festival run last year as it was already booked before we had our success with “Piece Of Your Heart." Moving forward into 2020, we have a lot of great festivals lined up not only in the U.S. but across the globe. We're looking forward to a great year.

You guys were also announced to perform at Tomorrowland, arguably the biggest EDM festival in the world. How do you guys prepare for a festival of that caliber?

We’ll just go and do our thing. We’ll check the set time we are given and play accordingly to that. We are on the Freedom Stage with Kölsch and Charlotte de Witte, so musically, it should be excellent.

The future seems very bright for you guys. Aside from a Grammy nomination, two top hits, and a spot at Tomorrowland, what are some other things you guys wish to accomplish in the near future?

We are here to disrupt things, to break boundaries. We are not going to be pigeonholed in any way by anyone. You can have commercial success with house on the radio and still play noncommercial stages and events. The sooner people understand this the better.

We are also planning a full live show. We are all musicians, so this is close to our hearts. We did the first one at Eurosonic Nooderslag in January so expect to see a few live shows this year and something a little special in 2021.

Finally, we just started 2020 so what can we expect out of Meduza in this new year? A debut album, perhaps?

We’re working on a ton of new music right now. We have lots of touring scheduled and a few original releases over the coming months. We are excited!

FOLLOW MEDUZA:

Facebook: facebook.com/MeduzaMusic
Instagraminstagram.com/meduzamusic
Twitter:twitter.com/meduzamusic
SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/meduzamusic



source https://edm.com/interviews/meduza-interview

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