LUBELSKI

A conversation with Lubelski — half of Mungo Sound Machine,
curator of Marmalade Jams, and resident of Midnight Lovers — about modular synths, hypothetical b2b’s, and his upcoming shows.

Interview // Cameron Bunge

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Hi!

How did you first get into modular synths?

LUBELSKI // In college I was exposed to it while taking an electronic music class. They had all these synths with big wires hanging out of them and I was like “how do you get them to do what you want them to do?”

So I just started talking to them, and we started having conversations and we’ve been talking ever since.

What do you find special about it?

LUBELSKI // There’s a degree of uncertainty to it. I think with digital synths, it’s a little too perfect. I like the messiness of it, the mistakes. I feel like it sounds more human in an odd way.

What’s one of your favorite pieces of equipment you own?

LUBELSKI // Probably my Rossum Panharmounim Mutating Spectral Resynthesizer. Basically you feed it a signal and it recreates that signal in whatever waveform you select. You can manipulate up to 33 sine waves.

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What do you think is the ideal setting to listen to your music in?

LUBELSKI // I think the room dictates the music. If I’m under the bridge somewhere in nature with a stream going by, I’m going to play ambient, something more atmospheric. But if I’m in a small room and people are ready to dance, I’ll give the people what they want: tech house. (joke)

What are your favorite venues in LA to play?

LUBELSKI // I’m a really big fan of the warehouses in LA. I love playing at Under the Sixth Street Bridge.

I used to like some of the clubs, but I don’t think they’re even worth mentioning now…

Why do you say now? What’s changed?

LUBELSKI // DJ culture has changed. I feel like at these clubs it feels more spectacle than connection. I don’t know… I’d rather not just watch some tech house DJ through someone else’s phone.

What about on the other end of spectrum.

Who are some artists you’ve seen live recently that have inspired you?

LUBELSKI // I think the most impressive live set I’ve ever seen was Four Tet and Squid Soup at the Palladium.

They had all these lights hanging down in the middle of the dance floor all in sync with the music. It was so impressive, more than just the music which was already absolutely phenomenal.

I’m also really impressed with a lot of the local modular acts like Trovarsi, BASECK, CLIFF SEQUENCE, David Castellani and oh! Richard Devine. Yea, wow. Phenomenal.

Any shows coming up we should know about?

LUBELSKI // Yea so, I’m playing a set at Groove Factory on March 7th in Santa Monica.

I’m also throwing a party on March 21st with Wyatt — we’re a duo called Mungo Sound Machine and we throw an party series call Marmalade Jams. It’s mostly a vinyl party and we play kind of like 2000’s tech house. Just really fun house music.

The last one I can only describe as a party at a farmers market inside of an orange.

If you could play a B2B with anyone who would it be?

LUBELSKI // I would probably do a live modular set with Suzanne Ciani who is like the godmother of modular. She created that Coca Cola sound w all know.

But she’s sick, she’s like 90 years old (editor note: she’s 79). I’m pretty sure she lives in LA, I met her at a modular synth con once.

Maybe at the next enc0re show…

Lastly, anything you want to share? Advice? Words of wisdom?

LUBELSKI // Someone told me early in my career “don’t get too weird” because they knew I like to get really weird with my sets. I said watch me, and I’ve got as weird as I wanted to and resonated on the frequency I want to amplify in this world.

Push what you believe in and those who resonate will harmonize as well.

Amazing. See you at the show on Saturday!

< Lubelski >

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