After months of anticipation, the Estonian-born, LA based, producer known as Mord Fustang released his latest album 9999 in 1 late last month to droves of fans with perked ears and a healthy appetite for a full serving of bit-crushed complextro sounds. The result was a long-awaited and tantalizing spread of disparate sounds and samples linked together atop a vibrant background that feels oddly alien yet remarkably nostalgic to the signature sound that fueled Mord Fustang’s rise in electronic music.
“I guess it’s subconscious,” Mord ponders. “The album is supposed to be like a cartridge of video games. So yeah in a way each track is supposed to be a different game. Not necessarily this track is a Zelda track or a Mario track, I feel like this is more of a collection of sounds rather than trying to push an individual track. It’s more of a collection of what’s been going on in my life.”
After countless plays, 9999 In 1 remains as refreshing and spirited as it did upon release. Its expansive and experimental blend of synths and melodies continually spark the listener’s imagination, and with each play, one question lingered… Is there some deeper message behind this record?
As our curiosity grew, we felt it only fitting to sit down with the elusive artist himself and delve deeper into 9999 In 1 once and for all.
Video games are my obsession. I don’t play golf, I don’t go out, that’s what I do.
The Story Behind 9991 in 1
“I’m kind of brainwashing myself with tons of video games and so I guess that’s where the inspiration came from. Video games are my obsession. I don’t play golf, I don’t go out, that’s what I do. I’ve played video games on and off my whole life. I guess there was one period where I didn’t play video games, that was during like my high school era, but before then and after I have always played video games. Games like Tekken, Gran Turismo and modern stuff like Heavy Rain and Tokyo Jungle.
Also, since I’ve been brainwashing myself, my mind isn’t at one place at a time so that’s why some of the tracks sound so weird or it doesn’t really sound much like Mord Fustang at this point. As the album progressed, it became a slower electro type thing. It’s not like a big room electro house. It’s a lot of 16-bit, bit-crushy kinds of sounds.”
“The way I create tracks is a two part process. So first I create blips and bloops and individual sounds first, because it’s harder to produce those sounds on the road or while traveling. Then once I have the sounds, I put together these random sounds and begin to build the track. With Milky Way Pt. 2 for instance, I took the sounds from the original and re-sampled them and tried to make something new and different.”
“Pop is a very special track on the album. This was my first time creating a track with vocals. I did think beforehand that I was going to make a vocal track, but the process for creating it was very similar. It’s a bit shorter and more radio-friendly. I don’t make conscious decisions. It’s rather random.”
“Another special track from the album was The Morning After The Morning After Pill. I recorded the sample… I can’t remember when, it may have been the Feed Me tour but it took me like 5 minutes to record the sample. The idea was to represent the feeling of a morning where you’ve been up all night and it’s just like this cool memory that every party will be over. Like a party can’t go on forever, which is sad. I wish parties never ended. It was just kind of my idea and an inside joke. It was for me.“
As Mord Fustang rather nonchalantly described the culmination of months of work as “a collection of sounds” his artistic persona began to truly shine.
“I’m glad to get that out of me and I’m done with that kind of arcade sound. Now I’m going to be focusing on the label, Magic Trooper. It’s time to see where complextro starts to go….”
Whether in the form of complextro, trap, big room, or even dubstep, Mord Fustang has made one fact evidently clear; regardless of his activity or lack thereof in electronic music, his skill and creative vision as a producer will always be revered.
(Photo Credit: Oh Dag Yo)
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