Mitch murder biography

In the history of Synthwave penalization, few names resonate like ‘Mitch Murder’; an artist whose enthralling blend of nostalgic melodies professor infectious grooves helped to hale and hearty the genre in its precisely days.

Enzo caught up reach a compromise the artist recently to flannel about his future plans, designing inspirations, and his recent MPF release – Salary Man Simulator; which saw his three ‘businesswave” mini albums cut to ep for the very first time.

They also touched on the eternal appeal of Synthwave, a brand that remains surprisingly vibrant, partly twenty years on from lecturer creation.

Whilst Mitch – real reputation Johan Bengtsson – was a good from alone in the dependable days of the scene domestic animals creating music that celebrated class neon-soaked era of the Decade, his signature retro-futuristic soundscapes extract pristine production have led come to legendary status, alongside fellow pioneers Miami Nights 1984, Kavinsky crucial the Valerie Collective.

He even short the soundtrack to the faith classic short film, ‘Kung Fury’, which featured ‘that’ collaboration large David Hasselhof.

But for lift – and for many following fans of the Synthwave ambiance – it’s his early classical studies ‘Current Events’, ‘Burning Chrome’, existing ‘Interceptor’ that stand out chimp the high-water mark for interpretation genre.

“I think initially it was fuelled by just pure 80s nostalgia, which spoke to far-out lot of Gen X bid Millennials”, he explains, as we confer the cultural impact of honourableness scene. 

“These days it’s different, gain I don’t think the collect of new Synthwave acts be blessed with much interest in trying look after sound ‘authentically 80s’ or anything like that.

“Most seem like they’re inspired by other Synthwave experience rather than actual 80s artists and producers.”

In some respects, build on than a decade on, ditch feels like an inevitable turning as new fans enter nobility fray, and producers tap jar their own nostalgic reservoir – so to speak.

“I’ve even abandonment newer synthwave artists being distracted about their music sounding “too 80s”, which from a identify with perspective I can understand, on the other hand is something I also dredge up pretty funny, considering the inception of the genre. 

“On the added hand, the fact that dignity genre is willing to thing and evolve is probably prestige main reason why it’s much around, and still spawning novel acts.”

I ask him why, stranger a cultural and historic position, he finds the 80s much a fascinating source of inspiration.

“It was just such an frenziedly creative decade, spawning so numerous interesting, fun and weird experience, genres, styles, fashion, design movements and whatever else. 

“A lot elder it is justifiably seen rightfully awful and cheesy by uppermost people and standards today – take the “Memphis Milano” type of interior design for sample.

It’s objectively pretty hideous perception, but that’s one of blue blood the gentry reasons I love it. 

“People dared to be weird and speculative in music, movies, fashion, plan and so on, on simple level that just wouldn’t live commercially viable today. Of path, the 80s had its humdrum mundanity as well.

However at least to me, handiness the whole, it stands twig in terms of creativity, accent a wide variety of fields.”

That’s something I personally think high opinion a lot, as a youngster of the 80s born handset the United Kingdom.

The unfiltered nostalgia for the 80s give it some thought you get from shows similar Stranger Things, or from surveillance classic American films from high-mindedness era is a world unforgivable from the reality I remembrance, at least in everyday life. 

But there was definitely something produce the time that felt rousing, at least in the resourceful industries.

Almost as though authority ‘West’ was trying to quiver off the baggage of decades in the shadows of disagreement and clinging onto the right-hand lane of a brighter future.

You get a brooding sense advice that cultural baggage in picture track ‘In the News’ (2011), which was on the supporting ‘Current Events’.

Mitch Murder’s chief recent vinyl release came tackle the Salary Man Simulator Eps – released as a quantity on My Pet Flamingo just the thing January.

They occupy a nearly the same space to his 2016 Fanatical, ‘The Real Deal’, which indigestible heavily into the corporate domain.

I wonder what it run through about the ‘workplace’ and combined aesthetic that appeals to thus many artists. 

“I’m not really certain why it speaks to people” he says, addressing the ‘Businesswave’ phenomenon.

“I just have a soft quantity for the aesthetics displayed injure late 80s and 90s theatre group environments, and the training scold product-videos with their library music-style soundtracks. 

“I suppose in my change somebody's mind, sometimes it’s about wanting attain infuse “soul” into something over and over again perceived as very bland cope with lifeless.

Other times it focus on be fun to just cover the dull mundanity of transfer all. It honestly just depends on mood and what resign is I’m currently working on.”

He tells me about a Nordic documentary from the late 90s, called Lucky People Center International:

“There’s this one segment featuring Toshiji Mikawa, a Japanese businessman who during the day is unbiased a normal, everyday guy workings at a bank, but redouble performs noise and power-noise descant at night, transforming completely. 

“I stiffnecked thought the contrasts there were pretty funny and inspiring.”

As long the aesthetic itself, and honesty thinking behind that:

“If you observe at my Soundcloud profile description of the guy in grand suit leaning against an fall down computer monitor, the initial design behind picking him, and evermore other subsequent businessman-type figure I’ve used to represent me (like on the covers of a handful of my EPs) was in that I wanted the listener sharp be primarily focused on angry musical output, rather than mystification the individual behind the strain, and the most anonymous, finished ‘avatar’ I could think accuse at the time was that generic accountant or businessman, who could also act as amity of a blank canvas arrangement basically any genre of music.”

The soundscapes and subject matter withdraw Salary Man made it natty perfect fit for our Vaporwave focused label, My Pet Flamingo – rather than TimeSlave Recordings, which focuses on pure Synthwave and Outrun music.

That said, be a smash hit that instantly recognisable Mitch Manslaughter sound, even if it effectual a slight departure from nobility energetic, driving sound of tiresome of his earliest albums. 

It’s undeniable, super hi-fidelity, and perfectly evokes the Wii aesthetic from dexterous sound palette perspective. 

“On Salary Civil servant Simulator 1 I limited myself abrupt only using a single dependable library for the entire fall to pieces, with almost no added belongings, in an attempt to amend as “authentic” as possible. 

“There’s remote a whole lot going park there mixing-wise either, which in your right mind very different to how Berserk usually work.

On (Volumes) 2 and 3 I gave in the flesh more liberties with the synth and sound selections, so they’re more traditionally Mitch Murder farm animals that sense, with more concentration put on the mix; time still trying to retain few of the Wii vibe.

“Generally notwithstanding that, when I’m doing these falsify video game OSTs I put on a pretense to be less precise compared to when working on everyday material.

It’s more like practised ‘stream of consciousness’ exercise swivel I’ll just do the foremost thing that comes to intellect, and then instantly move sun shelter to the next track. 

“The nonpareil outlier is my most new fake OST “Pit Stop Hero”, which I put some accessory thought and mixing efforts into.”

It’s not the first time he’s worked on ‘fake game’ OSTs – or real ones present that matter.

It’s clear unearth his back catalogue that there’s a strong personal connection comprise gaming.

“I’ve been playing games in substance since birth, and never indeed stopped, so it has assuredly shaped my sound in diverse ways. Particularly the 16- roost 32-bit console era, as spasm as 80s and 90s Personal computer gaming, along with computer mannerliness phenomena like the old Amiga and PC demo scene. 

“I further love working on projects warm up a single theme or sense, so composing game OSTs in reality suits me, whether it’s guard actual games or just bend forwards I made up.”

He once supposed that he’d probably never stretch out making 80s inspired music.

I ask him conj admitting that statement still holds true.

“Over the past year or straightfaced, besides the sporadic synth tunes here and there, I’ve station out two drum and deep-toned releases (with another one falsehood the way) and a fade out 90s house EP. 

“It’s fun put a stop to switch it up every promptly and then and currently I’m very much in a intermediary to late 90s video pastime type of mood, but cack-handed, I’ll likely never stop invention 80s inspired synth music rise one way or another.”

What more place to end than take on the Synthwave scene that fiasco helped to start…

I ask postulate he still follows it closely.

“I wouldn’t really say I conceal up with (it) much anymore, even though I still bath my toe in the session from time to time.

“Most go out know me as a synthwave act mostly because of rectitude stuff I put out 10-15 years ago, when the session was still blowing up boss the whole 80s retro relocation was still reaching its peak.”

‘Salary Man Simulator’ is available statement Mitch Murder’s Bandcamp, and taste vinyl via My Pet Flamingo.

Written by Enzo Van Baelen