Brace yourselves, fellow readers, for we have one great guest today! We had a chat with the man of the moment, the one and only Modapit. We caught him right before quite the week for him, as the mysterious producer behind tracks like ‘Dancing’, and ‘Time To Run’, is about to star in this weekend’s EDC Orlando.
Still coming back down to Earth after his acclaimed debut album Devotion, and an official remix for an iconic blast from the past, ODESZA’s ‘It’s Only’, Modapit, the man behind the dark veil, sat with us for an exclusive interview regarding absolutely everything from his origins as his current name, his firework-like rise to fame, his ways in the studio, and even his vision going forward as an artist.
Without further to do, here’s our chat with Modapit:
1. Where does the name ‘Modapit’ originate? What’s the story behind it?
Modapit: It was completely made up. I only found out later from a friend that “Moda” actually means “fashion” or something similar in Italian and Spanish. I might have been listening to Passion Pit when working on a name and identity, as well. Those two words just sounded good next to each other to me, so that’s what it ended up being! I like that it just sounded like a name, but also entirely made up.
2. When going down the route of covering your face to give way to the music, why did you choose the veil instead of, say, a mask?
Modapit: The veil just seemed like a really weird idea that I had not seen anybody else do yet. I was one of those peculiar goth kids in my younger years, so I am very inspired by goth-influenced fashion.
Putting a fishnet on my head was kind of an accident, but it felt so cool. It was actually just a fishnet shirt that we draped over my head, and when I took a picture of that, I was obsessed. Fishnet and leather remind me of techno events, as well, which is another genre of music I’m extremely inspired by. It just all made sense to put it together like that.
3. In the studio, what’s your go-to process towards crafting new tunes? What inspires you to create a new idea?
Modapit: I don’t really have a process. I sit down, and I’ll start playing on a keyboard, messing around with melodies and chords and at some point. Eventually, something just sparks. I will get an emotional response from something I’m playing, then I record it, then I put drums down. Next thing you know, I have a song. Sometimes, I’ll have an acapella from a vocalist that I like and I’ll make a song around that. It depends on if the vocal sounds like something I would write.
4. Do you have a favourite VST/Analogue synth?
Modapit: A lot of the synths I make are just in Serum. Serum’s versatility is truly remarkable. It kind of feels like an analog synth sometimes. My truly favorite analog synths are the Korg M20 and the Prophet-6. It is hard for me to deny the sound the Prophet-6 creates. They both create such rich sounds that I end up captivated by anything I create on them.
5. Your rise has been explosive! Did you expect to be at the point where you are now in your career when you released ‘Dancing’ back in January?
Modapit: I honestly had no idea what to expect. When you start a project, you can have goals and expectations, but it is impossible to predict whether fans and listeners are going to connect with it or not. Things feel fantastic right now and I’m happy with how fans are connecting with it. Every show I play, it seems more and more people keep coming out to see me who are actually interested in my music.
I saw a few people actually singing the words to my songs at Freaky Deaky in Austin, Texas, this past weekend, and that truly blew my mind. It definitely gave me validation that the music is connecting and that people are listening. I am truly grateful we can unite with people that way and that Modapit is reaching listeners in that same manner.
6. What are some of your bucket list venues/festivals to play, and have you played on any so far?
Modapit: My goal is to be able to do Brooklyn Mirage or the Shrine. Those are legendary venues in my eyes, and it marks a point in an artist’s career. Being able to play circuitGROUNDS at EDC Las Vegas was a pretty huge deal for me as well. circuitGROUNDS is a pretty unique stage for their lineups, yet I would like to get to the point where I’m one of the main acts on circuitGROUNDS. I hope we will get there eventually!
7. About your debut album Devotion, what led you to produce an entire album instead of, say, a handful of EPs?
Modapit: An album just feels like such a huge level of effort that not a lot of artists are doing in the electronic space. I think debuting an electronic project with an album, not only did I want to show a really thought-out body of work, but I wanted to make a statement.
10 songs is a lot to produce. When you put it all together in an album and make sure they all fit together seamlessly, it is very tough. Also, not even knowing how people are going to receive it is such a huge risk from a business standpoint. But I think this is what separates art from business.
8. We heard there’s a special edition vinyl pressing currently happening for Devotion. Could you tell us a little about what makes it stand out from other pressings?
Modapit: Well, there’s only 50 of them available for purchase and once those 50 are gone, we are never printing them in this color again. We have already had a bunch of them gone. It is crazy to see them go since they are so limited. It’s also in my favorite color, Royal Blue. I love how it came out and I hope people appreciate it!
9. Are there plans about new singles/collaborations/EPs/remixes you can tease us about in the near future?
Modapit: I have at least two more albums worth of music that is unreleased. Are they going to be collaborations or EPs or even a next album? We are just going to have to wait and see. Just know, there are a ton of songs waiting to be released. A lot of them exist in the mixes I have posted online.
10. What’s your ultimate goal as Modapit? How would you want people to recognise you in a few years’ time? In other words, what image would you want to carve into the EDM industry in the following years?
Modapit: My hope is to transcend the EDM space and reach audiences that aren’t just restricted to Dance music. I would love to bring people from Hip-Hop, Indie, and Pop into my music. By working with a bunch of artists outside of Dance music, we can start experimenting with the music Modapit is making and opening up different audiences to Modapit’s music.
11. How will your EDC Orlando debut differ from your EDC Las Vegas debut? What are you most excited about for the upcoming performance?
Modapit: EDC Orlando is going to have a mess of new music. My plan is to bring EDC Las Vegas to Orlando but with new music. EDC Orlando is going to hear music that hasn’t been heard by anybody yet. I hope that’s exciting for people because it makes me nervous!
Thank you, Modapit, for the lovely chat. We wish you the best this weekend in Orlando!
