Over the last four years Mashd N Kutcher have cemented themselves as one of Australia’s leading electronic acts. The Brisbane based producers and multi instrumentalists have impressed live audiences with over 700 energetic shows and they are not showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon. Other than Australia they have also toured the world and played in Asia, New Zealand, North America, South America and Europe as well as even performing at Ultra Music Festival. Their breakthrough single ‘Do It Now’ climbed up the top 10 ITunes chart and even went 2x gold. They are wanting to do it all over again with their new single ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ which hears the duo re-imagining Journey’s classic rock song with an electronic pop production. To celebrate the release of the single they will be returning to Australia in August and September for a massive run of dates. I recently chatted to Adam Morris from Mashd N Kutcher about the new single, their upcoming tour and found out where the weirdest place they’ve heard their songs played is. Check it out;
TB: Don’t Stop Believin’ is a very iconic song so what drew you towards this song in particular to give it an EDM makeover?
AM: It’s actually always been part of our live sets since day one with Mashd N Kutcher. So really the next best thing to do was turn it from a mashup of the original into a new record.
TB: When you went into the studio to work on Don’t Stop Believin’ how did you go about envisioning how you wanted to sonically de-construct and rebuild it?
AM: The most important thing was the vocal. We knew we had to treat that so carefully to do the iconic lyrics some justice. No one was ever going to do it better than Journey but we reached out to our buddy IIan from The Potbelleez and asked if he knew anyone. Immediately he introduced us to Addison, and boy did he have the chops for it!
TB: With the high calibre of the song did you have anyone around your inner circles that tried to discourage you from doing this track?
AM: Nope! *laughs*.
TB: Electronic music is constantly changing and evolving so how do you keep up the trends or do you try to disconnect from what is going on in the world when you’re in the studio?
AM: A bit of both. We are aware of the sonic landscape that’s out there and what sort of vibe people are connecting with but with this record it was a case of just going with what felt right at the time. And luckily it worked out.
TB: With only 6 years in the industry your stats are massively impressive. So what is next for you guys as a duo? Can we expect some more original music soon?
AM: Music! Music! Music! Lots of it. As well as working with as many people as we can.
TB: Where is the weirdest place you’ve heard one of your songs being played?
AM: It’s always fun to be at a gas station or a 7/11 store and see the clerk behind the counter grooving away to one on the radio. It’s always a good vibe.
TB: You’re currently wrapping up some shows in Europe before heading home to Australia to kick off a massive run of dates. So what can people expect from this new live show?
AM: We’ve actually picked up a lot of new music being over here for the Europe summer so we are going to incorporate plenty of that into our set.
TB: What do you love most about playing club shows?
AM: Club shows are a lot more intimate than a giant festival crowd so you really get up close and personal with the people. Not to mention club crowds can shift and change in the moment so it’s definitely more about reading the room which is a fun challenge.
TB: Let’s play a little game when you answer these questions with the first thing that comes to mind.
AM: Okay!
TB: The emoji that best describe our duo is…
AM: The plane because we’re always on one.
TB: Most mornings on tour we…
AM: Sleep in.
TB: The messiest member of Mashd N Kutcher is…
AM: Matt. He gets into a hotel room and within 5 minutes there’s clothes everywhere *laughs*.
TB: Most people think we….
AM: Are Ashton Kutcher.
TB: If we weren’t called Mashd N Kutcher we would be called…
AM: The Edamame boys. Because who doesn’t like edamame?!
Mashd N Kutcher’s new single ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ is out now and you can catch them on their Australian club tour this August and September.
MASHD N KUTCHER’S AUSTRALIAN TOUR
4 August – Dog N Duck, Adelaide
11 August – Ettamagoah Hotel, Kellyville Ride
18 August – Regional Adelaide. Venue TBC
24 August – Fuze KL, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1 September – King Street Hotel, Newcastle
15 September – Platinum Nightclub, Gold Coast
22 September – Regional Adelaide – Venue TBC
29 September – The Helm, Mooloolaba
13 October – Club 54, Launceston
19 October – Racehorse Hotel, Ipswich
26 October – Goulbourn Workers Club, Goulbourn
27 October – Dog N Duck, Adelaide