In his short but impactful time on the scene, MOUNT has managed to be a unique addition to the deep house community with his natural aptitude to create chill, hypnotic tunes through the use of his multi-instrumental and vocal skills, and of course because of his production capabilities. Hailing from Vienna, Austria, the talented artist has released million-streamed tracks on Armada and Ultra Music, like for example “Something good” with Nicolas Haelg and his latest tune “Melody” feat. Bright Sparks. Bound for success with his continued chart toppers, rising DJ MOUNT sat down with Viralbpm and talked about his recent productions, the role of social media in today's music scene and his future plans.
V1. Last month, you had an excellent release featured on Ultra Music, in collaboration with Bright Sparks. How did this collaboration happen? Could you describe the creative process behind this release?
Mount: Ash Hicklin, one of the two members of Bright Sparks hit me up and asked me if I would be interested in collaborating. I instantly fell in love with their music and sent them an instrumental, which eventually turned into what you know now as “Melody”.
V2. You are a self-taught guitarist and now you have original tracks featured on Shazam, Spotify and other platforms with millions of views. Does this kind of success show you that you are currently doing things the right way?
Mount: Without soundcloud, Hype Machine and Spotify I would not be where I am now. I think streaming was one of the better big changes in the music industry. Getting millions of views on all of these plattforms is such an amazing experience, I've never thought that my music will reach so many people.
V3. Could you describe your sound and your type of productions in a more general manner?
Mount: I love working with other artists; especially with vocalists and songwriters. I do also enjoy writing instrumental music on my own, but I guess most of the music will most likely never see the daylight. It just makes me happy from time to time to produce a deep techno tune without vocals.
V4. Before releasing your own tracks, you got prominent with some excellent remixes on platforms like Hypemachine. Was the way of remixing songs from other artists a needed process in order to evolve artistically?
Mount: It is a great way to step outside your comfort zone and evolve as an artist. I really enjoy remixing! It is a huge honor to be working for artists like M83, Tom Odell or Broods. I am very thankful for all these opportunities.
V5. What would you suggest to new, young talents who want to try remixing big songs and share them across the internet. Any “pro tips” available for upcoming artists?
Mount: I think it is not as easy as it used to be, because of the stricter copyright controls. I remember times, where you could upload as many bootlegs as needed without worrying about copyright issues. I'd rather focus on original music nowadays.
V6. Do you believe that in the current era of social media and the internet, that it's easier for people to breakthrough or are there other difficulties for new artists who want to be heard across the world?
Mount: Yes and no. I think it's awesome that distributing your own music is more accessible and easier then ever before. A considerable disadvantage is the fact, that there is so much music out there. It's so easy to get lost in the vastness of the Internet.
V7. Mount, what plans do you have for the summer and the rest of the year?
Mount: Hiking in the mountains, swimming in a lake, making music and playing some shows!
