Upfrontbeats

Mak and Pasteman

Having crafted a sound that sits between House and Techno, Mak and Pasteman have firmly established their philosophy and discography amongst fans and peers across the globe. Since the duo’s inception, Mak and Pasteman have been exporting their music on some of the most recognised labels the industry has to offer.

Set aside their production talents, and the boys from Leeds command a monthly radio show on Rinse FM, which has seen them rewarded with countless followers and accolades. Furthermore, their work has been featured on James Zabiela’s Balance 029 mix compilation and is set to become a staple feature at this year’s Miami Music Week, having been included on CamelPhat’s and Defected’s Miami 2018 compilations.

UpFrontBeats caught up with Mak and Pasteman to discuss the success of their EP ‘I Need You’ and their forthcoming release, on Shadow Child’s Food Music, ‘My MPC’, which has been gaining support from the likes of Jamie Jones, Danny Howard and Paolo Martini. Additionally, their future plans and ethos.

I think it’s only right we start by talking about your hugely successful ‘I Need U’ EP on DFTD. Its gained massive support, destroyed countless dancefloors and continues to grow in strength. How did the EP come about and why do you think it has been so successful’

I think a lot has to be said for taking a bit of a step back. We had been steadily releasing music for 5-6 years and hadn’t really considered how much the landscape had changed in the industry and how much we had changed, as people, as producers and as DJs. With taking a bit of time to address that we realised that we could actually achieve the sound sonically we had always aspired to using the equipment we had amassed since our inception. Being in our 30s, the 90s had always been a massive influence to us and we had wanted to refine our sound and make it reflective of our tastes and influences so that is what this next phase in music is about for us. The levels are high, the sound is familiar but modern and we are so engaged in what’s going on you’re really getting a piece of us in the tracks!

James Zabiela recently featured your work ‘Pulses’ on the critically acclaimed Balance mix series, but who are your hero’s, and can you recall any memorable sets you have witnessed’ Anybody you would particularly like to feature as guest on your own Rinse show and why’

For both of us it spans from Prodigy to Jeff Mills, Skream to Prince, it’s such a mass of sound and influence it’s near impossible to sum up! I think what’s always a positive thing to remember and focus on are those people who shaped you along the way, for Craig it was his lecturer at College who showed him you could make music with a sampler and actually make a career out of it, for me it was my neighbour who taught me how to DJ and my Dad who gave me an insight into the history of music. All of these people were the foundations for us and will live on through all the music we make because they are so ingrained in our lives.

Your forthcoming release ‘My MPC’ is set for release on Shadow Childs Food Music. Dave recently played it on his Rinse FM show and looks to be a solid substitution for ‘I Need U’. Where did the inspiration derive from for the three track EP’ How did the Food Music collaboration come about’ Furthermore, Velvit is a bomb!

We don’t see it as a solid substitution as such, it’s a progression, a building block in our discography and another step forward in our sound and vibe we are pushing to show to people. We have always found inspiration in Chicago and Detroit as pretty much any producer would cite, but for us the balance is nurturing that influence and tempering it with modern production, trying to reference those sounds in a fresh way and bring them up to the modern day making music that stands up to our contemporaries.

You’ve steadily carved out a name for yourselves over the past four years via your monthly Rinse FM show, but what has been your biggest achieved to date’ Is there anything you would like to achieve, which you haven’t done so yet’

A fabriclive and Essential Mix have been on our list since we first heard of them as youths and will remain there until we achieve them, they to us are the ultimate endorsement for your hard work and commitment to music.

Festival and Ibiza season are just around the corner, what do you have in store this Spring and Summer’ Where can we catch you playing’ Anything we should be looking forward to’ Any exclusives’

So so much stuff but we can’t let anything off in too much detail, just be prepared for lots more music, new relationships with incredible labels, artists and brands. We just want to keep pushing forward and giving everything to the music and our fans.

As radio hosts, you must receive a lot of music through the post, but what tracks have been a staple feature in your sets since the New Year’

It’s a real mixture of classics that we dig out and the inspiring modern stomper! We love Eats Everything, DJ Haus, Oli Furness, Shadow Child – But we also like digging out something classic by like a Danny Krivit Edit or some Krome & Time. Our sets are inspired by our history and how other people embrace that ethos.

Mental Health is a huge issue right now, but now do you unwind and gather your thoughts’

We both meditate and cannot recommend it enough. It’s fantastic people are being able to escape the stigma of mental health issues and be open about it, it’s something we have both suffered from and spend time trying to manage and balance with our lives. It’s important to take time and invest in you, it’s not selfish and will only develop yourself and your happiness. Best advice we can give is there’s nothing wrong in saying no, trust your judgement and do you and that energy will permeate all aspects of your life and happiness.

What’s on the horizon for Mak and Pasteman in terms of production, is there anything we should be getting excited about’ Any exclusives’

We are boxing off our next 2 EPs coming on 2 of our favourite labels!! More news to come. We’ve also just done a remix for a house legend coming out on Defected!!

Thanks for creating some a fantastic mix. How did you go about producing the mix and is there anything we should be listening out for’

We just mixed this one on the fly, no real planning just felt out the vibe similar to how we do live! It’s a mixture of new stuff we’ve been sent and are playing in our sets so we hope you enjoy it!