[FEATURE] VIPER PRESENTS: MACKWOOD

Drummer, producer, songwriter and bandleader,Mackwood, cut his teeth drumming and producing for some of the UK’s most exciting and forward thinking artists, including Col3trane, Nilufer Yanya, Jordan Rakei, Eliza and Blue Lab Beats. Get familiar with this VIPER interview…

What five words define your sound?  

Expansive, Intense, Mindful, Danceable, Curious.

Tell me something unique about your creative process  

I’m in the process of sharing production workflow across my band, so we can achieve sound design instantly both in studio and on stage.

Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?  

‘OutMyMind’ – it’s a good example of where things are going.

What inspired you to make that song?  

I was listening to lots of bass music – Overmono and lots of the stuff on Soulection and I wanted to apply some of that bit of my production workflow into the live band recording.

What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music? 

I think on the song ‘Habits’ – I felt like I wrote about some things that are tricky to talk to people about.

What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?  

Best – selling out Hackney Social. Worst – playing a jam in West London where the drum kit was literally falling apart as I played it [laughs]. 

What is your favourite song to perform?  

I really love ‘Dog’ – the band have to groove really hard but stretch out in the right moments.

Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?  

‘What Is This Thing Called Love?’ played by Kenny Garrett on ‘Standard Of Language’, is still one of my milestone records – the balance of groove and interaction on that track continues to blow my mind.

What’s the meaning behind your name? 

It’s just my middle name! 

If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead? 

Damn good question. Maybe graphic design or some kinda project management type role? I like solving problems and working with people; this sounds like a job interview [laughs]. 

What’s success to you? 

For me success starts internally, listening to what you find important and making stuff that you’re proud of. As long as that foundation is there, the growth of a career can take place in its own way organically – who you keep around you, how you manage your time, etc. 

What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?  

I thought I was gonna be an EDM producer when I was a teenager. I had a real passion for it, but after a while I was hearing a lot of the same sounds in the mainstream and it was so oversaturated I didn’t really know where I fit in. That’s what attracted me to Jazz in the first place, the variety and eclecticism. 

Where can people keep in touch with you? 

Insta! @mackwood.ling – you can also sign up to my mailing list for more juicy details https://mackwood.os.fan/signup. F**k it linktree too linktr.ee/mackwood