Taking hints from jazz, hip hop, neo-classical and wherever else he pleases, They Call Me Max is a fresh and unconventional new artist hailing from London.
A few weeks back his debut single Come landed in our laps, a spoken word track that revels in mystery, ambience and the touch of true fusion. Since then, we reached out to Max with a few questions.
A genre-bending artist set to make waves with his debut EP Start Small, They Call Me Max crafts experimental tunes bent by a philosophical edge.
HAPPY: Hey Max, what’s happening? What are you up to at the moment?
MAX: Hey, I’m all good man! Well apart from doing social media shenanigans to promote the first single, I’ve been rehearsing with my band, working at RAK Studios as my day job and most excitingly, working on new tracks for the next EP!
HAPPY: Come has been out there for a few weeks now – how have the reactions been so far?
MAX: I’m very happy with the reaction so far. Obviously for lots of people getting 1000 views on a video is no big deal, but as a dude making kinda weird music that nobody has heard until just now, I’m very happy with the response! It’s cool as well, I’ve had a few people I hadn’t heard from in years reach out to me saying they’ve enjoyed the single, so for me, that’s what makes me happy. You know, it’s all about feeling my music has connected with people on a human level, and I would rather a handful of people listen to it but really appreciate it, than have a million people listen but not really be that bothered about it!
HAPPY: Can I ask what the song’s about? It’s almost like you want to keep it mysterious.
MAX: So that’s kind of a big question because I guess my music is quite abstract and figurative, not like a lot of the more literal music that’s about today… but in essence, the song is about people not running away from their problems, and instead confronting them and dealing with them proactively. I feel like a lot of what society is about nowadays is escapism – especially for younger people – it’s all go out, drink this, do that, look like this, and I think sometimes it makes people prioritise the more superficial or immediate things in life, often subconsciously. So when things happen or stuff goes wrong, they don’t know how to deal with it in a positive or productive way.
This song is about something real and more personal to me but I don’t want to infringe on anybody’s privacy or profit off anybody’s suffering by being too literal, so I guess in a way I am trying to keep it mysterious! But also I want people to think about the music in their own way. I’m not trying to push anything on anyone, it’s quite the opposite, I want to encourage people to think about things in their own way and to provoke thought and conversation.
HAPPY: What’s your background musically? There’s so many different influences I hear coming in.
MAX: Well I was playing instruments from a very early age. I started having violin lessons at three and then piano at six or seven, going onto guitar at around 11, and then getting into electronic production and programming around 15 or 16. When I was a kid I was always surrounded by music by my parents. My dad isn’t musical at all but has an incredible library of CDs, especially jazz, which he was always playing. My mum is from Thailand and is Buddhist, so I was also always going to our local temple and listening to the monks chanting.
As well as that, when I was seven I got a music scholarship to a school in Guildford, and a mandatory part of that was joining the cathedral choir so I found myself surrounded by choral and classical music from an early age as well. But then the first CD I ever listened to was Eminem, closely followed by System Of A Down. Probably all of those things influence me now, although it’s certainly not a conscious decision!
HAPPY: We’re loving the video for Come. Who did you work with on this one?
MAX: Thanks a lot! So I worked with an independent company called Context Films, which is run and operated by two people, Emma Hiley and Greg Ryall. They’re friends of friends and Come is the second project I’ve worked on with them. The first time we worked together I was so impressed by their professionalism and efficiency I thought I would collaborate with them on this project, and for sure I’m impressed with the results! The video concept came from myself but it would have been impossible to make it a reality without all of their organisation, professional suggestions and hard work. I highly recommend them, check out their other work online as well. Big up Context Films!
HAPPY: What message did you want to get across with the clip?
MAX: So I think maybe a lot of the answer to this question is in the question about what the song is about, but I wanted to portray a kind of cyclical relationship between two people. This idea of two people feeling distant and unable to connect in so many ways, but also who have not addressed their own issues and in doing so, have become self-reliant on each other. Because they don’t know how to do anything else, they keep coming back and feeding into their own self-destructive habits and spirals, and although they are together, they are only staying to avoid confronting their own problems. It’s a story of how situations can occur when you run from yourself.
HAPPY: I’ll bet there are a few fans out there who want to catch you live. When’s the next show?
MAX: We’ve got two shows coming up, one on 12th April at The Old Queens Head in Islington, and then a really cool show on the 18th May at Paper Dress Vintage in Hackney, supporting a sick hip hop brass band, Dat Brass. I’m also in the process of booking some festival dates, so stay tuned for upcoming announcements!
HAPPY: And what’s a They Call Me Max live show like? Seems like you’d definitely bring something different to the table.
MAX: I mean I like to think so but that’s for the audience to say! We perform as a four piece currently, although I’m always looking to expand and add more people, especially singers. We’re an international bunch; at the moment it’s myself on keys and vocals, my Turkish brother Efe on bass, my country-dwelling flat-mate Arlen on drums and then my longest standing Ukrainian musical ally, Nikita, on various synthesizers. We like to build from solo songs all the way into the most bombastic of the tracks where we rock it out and make as much noise as possible! You know, just to keep the audience on their toes…
HAPPY: Any more music ready for the world to hear?
MAX: Yep, I’ve got the next single coming out in April, and then the rest of the Start Small EP will be dropping in May, so lots of things coming your way! Hopefully everyone enjoys them. I’ve also got the next EP in the pipeline, but that’s certainly not ready yet… you’ll have to stay tuned for that release as well!
HAPPY: Thanks for the chat!
MAX: Thank you man! Much appreciated. Enjoy the sunshine! Speak soon.
