Mutant Joe: An Interview
An interview with Mutant Joe.
Madjestic Kasual’s ‘A Mix’ series is considered by geniuses and culture heads to be the “best” music mix series in the world. It’s considered by morons and dunces to be the “worst”. This should speak volumes.
It’s time to do ‘A Mix’, but for interviews. I ask people to respond to questions. Some comply. Introducing ‘An Interview’: a new text-centric series featuring only the best artists in the world.
‘An Interview’ Number 4 is Mutant Joe.
Pictured: Mutant Joe
When it comes to evil music that pretty much just bumps and kicks and goes absolutely effing bucknutty, few people do it as Mutant Joe does. He makes bloodthirsty music, music that slits and drains and rewires the veins that connect rap and acid techno and ghetto house and indefinable ‘club music’ to summon slappers for subterranean lairs and recreational creeping/lurking. He’s cast his instantly recognisable shadow over collabs with a Most Wanted List of serial bad boys: I’m talking Yvncc, Onoe Caponoe, TRiPPJONES, Julien Andreas, Brodinski and many more.
He’s from Brisbane, Australia, yet based in Berlin, Germany, and soon to relocate to London, The United Kingdom. Mutant Joe is doing it. He’s for real just out there in the field — doing it. I have followed his output for a hot ass second, and I suggest you do the same.
Mutant Joe spoke to me. You can read this below.
Mutant Joe - ‘87 Yams’ feat. Apoc Krysis. Off the Collapse EP, out via Steel City Dance Discs.
What are you wearing?
Lu2k’s ‘Fuck Real Life’ EP T-Shirt (shoutout to 99CTS RCRDS / Miley Serious), Black Carhartt Cargo Pants, Black Nike AF1’s.
Imagine you are a music producer and DJ from Brisbane, Australia, seeking to relocate to Berlin. How do you best prepare myself?
Practice sleep deprivation and pack lots of vitamin D. There is little to no sunlight during the winter and the parties seem to never end.
You’re in Berlin now. Berlin is a city known for its thriving nightlife, boasting famous club such as Berghain as well as other clubs. Scene report?
The nightlife is definitely thriving, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced back in Australia. The sheer number of spaces and insane sound systems is pretty wild, so I get why it’s the ‘techno/club capital of the world’. I arrived in Berlin with a pretty cynical attitude towards techno, assuming every place would play 4/4 130bpm minimal techno, but have been surprised by the diversity in genre and tempo. I’ve been lucky enough to catch people like Skee Mask, Objekt, Batu and Djrum all play a wide range of genres. Probably the wildest one was seeing Goldie at Tresor; it was hilarious seeing the Berlin crowd respond to a strictly dnb set in what is typically a techno space. I gotta say though, the hedonism in this city is on another level, I could definitely see how someone could get sucked up by the drug scene. I’m trying to not go out too much and focus on music as a result, which can be difficult when there are so many great events happening.
Pictured: TRiPPJONES and Mutant Joe. New York City, August 2019.
You can assemble a 4-person supergroup. Who's in the band? What are they playing?
RXK Nephew, Lil Ugly Mane, Danny Brown, Yves Tumor. I just know they’d make some wild left-of- field hip-hop and avant-garde stuff. They’re all so versatile although I imagine their ideas and personalities may clash a bit. Would make some craaaaaazy stuff though no doubt.
What’s a song you’re scared to play out?
SADWRIST – INSIDEYES
I really wanna do a set that’s all sadwrist but am genuinely scared to either blow out the speakers or cause serious hearing damage to the audience.
What’s a song you wish you’d made?
SD Laika – Great God Pan
This song/album is unlike anything else ever created in electronic music. I’ve always aspired to make projects like this. Great God Pan is a masterpiece and I wish I made it.
Most formative show you went to?
Death Grips at Max Watts Brisbane, late 2017. I had just turned 18 and this was the first proper heavy show I had ever been to. Myself and a couple of friends were beyond hyped, being massive Death Grips fans and really didn’t know what to expect, as we had never experienced any hardcore/moshpit environments ever. The show ended up being an absolute shock to the senses, in a good way, and introduced me to a live music environment I had never experienced before. To this day it has had a lasting impact on how I ultimately want to go about doing live shows in the future.
Pictured: Mutant Joe under some fabric.
What’s a smell that instantly evokes memories?
The musk of my grandma’s 2000 Toyota Echo, which my family still has actually.
You can resurrect one dead person such that we can benefit from their contribution. Who are you resurrecting?
Pictured: Albert Einstein, the world’s favourite genius.
You can cryogenically preserve one person such that future generations can benefit from their contribution. Who are you cryogenically preserving?
Wedding song?
Ripsquad - waitt2Rs
Eulogy song?
Robbie Basho – Death Song
Celeb crush?
Who’s playing you in your biopic?
I honestly have no idea but I’ll just say Robert Pattinson because he’s a great actor and seems like a cool guy. Can’t think of a funny answer.
Goated music vid?
So hard to choose, there are so many insane music videos.
Lanark Artefax – Touch Absence
3 items you want to be buried with for use in the afterlife.
Like a 10TB hard drive with all my favourite media on it, water proof portable speaker, a weapon of some kind, in case I have to fight any evil spirits
Something people think is good that’s actually fucking shit?
Rating/scoring art. I don’t get why people enjoy spending so much time scoring albums or movies they hate on rym and imdb. Why not just invest time in finding stuff you do like rather than putting more negative energy onto creators. It’s all subjective anyways. Might seem like a shallow take but fuck it.
A Youtube video that’s the best on Youtube?
I’m currently obsessed with this new wave of insane COD edits. They’re so advanced in so many ways and I just can’t believe this medium/style of edit still exists. This one in particular is dope. The track selection in most of these edits is sick, I’ve also recently learnt that a lot of these dudes making these vids are out of Eastern Europe working off of modded versions of Mw2, keeping the scene alive which is dope.
What’s a film/song/miscellaneous media unit that puts real fear in you?
Shaye Saint John still scares the shit out of me. I remember being shown some of these videos when I was like 13 and to this day it seriously creeps me out. Cool stuff though.
Favourite hidden-gem Wikipedia page?
It’s barely a ‘hidden’ gem but I’m really fascinated by the opening sequence in Powaqqatsi and this Wikipedia provides some context/history behind the place in Brazil.
Pictured: Skin On Skin and Mutant Joe. Brisbane, 2019.
This interview series is ultimately about enterprise and career advancement. What is your Myers-Briggs type?
All of them.
You are a professional athlete and you get to pick a walk-up song. What is your walk-up song?
‘MC RICK E MC DIDI - BH É NÓS - DJ PH DA SERRA’
An Interview Segment: 5-10-15-20-25-30-35-40-45-50-55-60-65, etc.
P4k The Music That Made You question format but it’s Madjestic Kasual. Music from every fifth year of your life that defined your being at that point.
5: John Fahey — Sunflower River Blues
My dad has always played guitar and this was one of the tunes he’d play over and over again growing up, I actually still really love it.
10: The Black Eyed Peas — Pump It
I think this was one of the first ever songs I bought off iTunes, I remember playing it on repeat, still bangs.
15: Lil Ugly Mane — Iron Door
Around this time I had discovered LUM, who singlehandedly inspired me to begin making music/beats. This is probably my favourite instrumental from him.
20: Djrum - Showreel, Pt. 3
Over the past couple of years I’ve gotten into electronic/club music in a more serious way, coming from a more hip-hop orientated background. It was hard to choose who has been the most influential for me, but Djrum’s production always stuck out. I heard someone call this track ‘ethereal gabber’ which I find to be an accurate description.
Mutant Joe: An Interview.
Follow Mutant Joe:
Good good interview. What an interesting fellow. 5/5 stars for sure! 😎
very likeable lad!! too bad I missed Goldie at Tresor, maybe we would have run into each other. Love!