By Nicholas Jason Lopez
Cheer up, emo kid.
Already regarded for his synthwave tendencies, enigmatic producer Das Mörtal has taken it upon himself to explore other sounds, albeit with that same emo foundation.
Comparable to the likes of Kap Bambino, Perturbator and Crystal Castles, his latest collaboration with darkwave duo Dance With The Dead is entitled “PIECES” and is sure to hit the spot for upbeat techno lovers and sad souls alike.
A followup to the successful single, “IDÖL,” the track serves as another glimpse into his aptly-titled upcoming fourth album ‘Bury The Sorrow,’ slated to drop Oct. 13, 2023 via Lisbon Lux Records. Fans may be pleasantly surprised to learn ‘Bury The Sorrow’ will take a more personal turn in terms of subject matter, with quarantine-related topics such as mental health and pressure.
The Music Bugle had the opportunity to talk with him about “PIECES” among other topics, which you can check out below.
Music Bugle – What was the moment that inspired you to become a musician?
Das Mörtal – Playing with a keyboard, it just brought so much fun to me. To this day, I still don’t know how to properly play keys, but I still have as much fun on it.
Music Bugle – What has been your creative mindset behind your latest work?
Das Mörtal – It’s been about how hard it was to make music during the pandemic. I really wanted to produce more work, but my mind just wasn’t able to. I can clearly hear the struggles I had when I listen back to the soon-to-be-released album and it makes it more personal than my previous works.
Music Bugle – What do you enjoy the most about producing?
Das Mörtal – Exploration. I don’t always have a specific idea of what I’m working on. It gets shaped through time while trying new techniques out or doing things differently, so that process of exploring what I can come up with is very enjoyable. It might not always end up giving a good result, but it helps me staying invested and pushing things further, rather than repeating what I have already released.
Music Bugle – How has it been like working on your upcoming ‘Bury The Sorrow’ album?
Das Mörtal – It’s been very hard, because during the pandemic, my mind had just shut down. I was having no fun trying to produce music, but once I latched on the idea that the album should be about how hard it was to make, things started picking up a bit.
Music Bugle – What has been your proudest accomplishment so far?
Das Mörtal – It’s hard to say. I’ve done so many things I would have never imagined as a kid, like scoring a movie or traveling the world playing my music, but I think it might be doing the boss music for “Streets of Rage 4,” just because I was such a fan of the franchise as a kid already.
Music Bugle – What makes you the most proud about where you come from?
Das Mörtal – Speaking Spanish.
Music Bugle – Who are you listening to right now, music-wise?
Das Mörtal – “Dance Dance Revolution” soundtracks. After how dark the album ended up being, I just needed something to lighten up my mood and DDR always had great uplifting eurodance music. The last track on ‘Bury The Sorrow’ kinda has a DDR vibe to it, because I wanted it to end on a lighter tone.
Music Bugle – Does social media help or hurt musicians?
Das Mörtal – Both. I hate the whole PR part of it that kinda forces people to post stuff for promotional reasons rather than post because the artist feels like it’s a good time for him to interact with his fanbase.
Music Bugle – What do you feel is the next step for your career?
Das Mörtal – Destroying Spotify.
Music Bugle – What’s your stance on the use of AI in music?
Das Mörtal – I don’t really know. I think it’s cool technology and will probably do a lot of musical grunt work like the music you would find in royalty free soundbanks that people use on their ads and such. I don’t think it will replace actual artists, but I could be wrong.
*Photo Credit: Ariana Molly*
