MVIUM, whose real name is Mats Eriksen, is a 21-year-old music producer from Norway who likes to create experimental electronic music. He is currently studying popular music in Oslo, and he tells us he's passionate about the genres dubstep and riddim.
I had a chat with Mats to get to know him better.
He started playing guitar at 13 years old when he was in secondary school back in 2012. "It was so much fun, and it was one of the subjects in school that I really enjoyed. For Christmas that year I got an electric guitar and an amplifier! I started to go to private lessons not long after, and learned a lot of music theory and songwriting."
He continues: "The first time I felt like I fitted into a bigger social group was when I started to play in a metal band. I learned a ton about playing live and with others that way.
I listened to a lot of dubstep artists such as Excision back in 2012 when it was popular, but got back into dubstep in late 2016/early 2017 and began to mess around in a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). I thought it was easy to create an EDM track with all the 'basic' elements you could hear in top EDM tracks at that time. I was completely wrong and was fascinated by the possibilities and how much effort you have to put in to get a great product. I could make and finish music independently all in my own vision!"
He describes his music as aggressive and experimental. "Dubstep feels like the electronic version of metal, but with crazier sounds and sound design possibilities", he says. "I tend to focus a lot on the drop and make it as impactful as possible with lots of interesting variation. I love to create growls from scratch in serum and also twist samples from my library into glitchy new sounds. I try not to repeat myself in my tracks and create something different each time. I create most of the synth and drum sounds from scratch. I take pride in my work."
2020 has been different and a difficult year for a lot of people with the COVID-19 pandemic. Norway went into lockdown in March after the number of cases increased rapidly. All events got cancelled and people were highly urged to stay at home.
For MVIUM, 2020 has actually been pretty great. He has released 7 singles and a 4-track EP. "I had a breakthrough workflow-wise and also developed my own sound. I'm able to make a track without a 'clear' reference-song in mind, I'm very proud of that. My actual goal this year was to create a discography and experiment with releases. Something I feel I have accomplished!"
MVIUM released two new tracks in November, titled That's The Fact and Tape. He tells us both songs were made during the lockdown/summer break. "I sat inside when there was nice and hot weather outside. I was in a good groove at that time and created both in a week each."
Artwork by Gard Wanderøy (@wanderoy_)
"'That's The Fact' turned into a pretty solid concept quite quickly. I started experimenting with a synth patch and was able to squeeze a ton of variations out of it. Suddenly it turned into a heavy distorted tune with massive drops that stood in good contrast to the verse. I recorded the vocal a while back and it fit like it was meant to be!
The same thing happened with 'Tape'. I got a fairly aggressive sound early on and started building around it. This track is more repetitive than the other, and taught me that fewer sounds does not necessarily mean a less interesting song!"
This Friday, Dec. 11, he is releasing his next single Come Alive, which is a collaboration with Rebekka Nyhus Teigen who's in his class. He tells us the song was a lot of fun to make, and he went in a totally different direction. "We wanted to make an EDM track, and I felt like trying out a more melodic-dubstep approach. There is a bigger focus on the verse and vocals compared to my other tracks. She is such a skilled singer and songwriter, I hope to work more with her later on."
As a last question before we wrap up, I had to ask Mats what his ultimate dream as an artist is. "I want to do music for a living! I want to reach out with my music and play crazy live shows and meet new people. I feel like I'm crazy close to getting the ball to roll properly with solid quality releases. I hope I will be able to find or establish a dubstep scene here in Oslo, and also gather a bigger following. Looking forward to what the future might bring!"
Follow MVIUM on social media
Instagram: @mvium.music
Twitter: @mvium_music
Conducted by Emmi Sollie
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