Max Winter shares new single ‘O Matter’
Max Winter (Credit: Martha Treves)
“Winter’s music is simultaneously familiar and alien, restrained and complex, uplifting and bittersweet — a kind of free-form jazz-influenced pop, also informed by folk, contemporary classical and electronic dance music” - the Quietus
Today, Max Winter returns with a new single titled “O Matter”. The single marks the announcement of a new open series named (zero) powered by London label untitled (recs). (zero) will focus on releasing short form projects, and stems from the willingness to go back to the enthusiasm of spontaneous releases. Home to the likes of TAAHLIAH, Famous, Jerskin Fendrix, Waterbaby and collaborating with artists such as King Krule, Loraine James and BABii, untitled (recs) have made a name for themselves by discovering and representing explorative trailblazing artists.
The first single in the series “O Matter” comes from an artist who wholly embraces that ethos. Having produced and written with the likes of GAIKA, Lauren Auder, and hotly tipped songwriter Sophie May, Max conceived the new single during a week where he was trying to write one musical idea a day. The track also features Max’s long-term collaborators Will Lister on additional production and IMOGEN on guest vocals. The trio continue to play a big part in the development of Max’s sound, sharing a studio in South-East London, they have carefully curated a world where they can collaborate both together and with likeminded artists.
Speaking about the (zero) series, untitled (recs) says, "We have always enjoyed working on LPs and helping artists execute their vision in the long term. Yet, with (zero) we want to return to something more spontaneous. Find it, package it, release it. We want to go back to that simple idea of what a label can be."
Max Winter’s music seeks to traverse a breadth of styles – a world where freewheeling jazzwise drum workouts linger behind driving bass and glooming electronics, where cuttings of melodic and angular vocal clips playfully exchange with restrained melodic ambience, where driving & pummelling big drop productions resurface as experimental pop stunners.
“O Matter” sees Max further solidify this compositional ethic. The track is made up of shuffled fragments taken from guitar and drum takes (that were recorded on his phone) alongside vocal melodies which were then deconstructed, electronically manipulated, and restructured into the final song. The result is a maelstrom of crystalline vocals which warp and buckle around driving low-end bass, glitchy forked guitars, and dynamic drumming (from estimable London drummer Ewan Moore) which careens around lo-fi beats and mellifluous synths.
Hear / Share “O Matter” here
Speaking on the single, Max says, “one of my intentions was to always have it anchored by a clear melody, to help deal with the chaos around it. In the end it turned into some kind of Mariah Carey feature on a glitch rock tune. I think it shows how my sounds has developed from my last release, and I am stepping more into song writing but still using the same processes I may have done for more experimental and instrumental based pieces.”
Whereas Max’s previous releases have focused heavily on sound and texture, this new material exemplifies how his compositions have developed into a more direct, song-based writing, whilst continuing to push the relationship between acoustic instruments and electronic. His writing is informed by inspirations reaching far and wide, from the restrained, understated pathways forged by bands such as Talk Talk and The Necks, to the likes of Injury Reserve and their ability to use melody as an anchor amongst chaos, and then from there gazing towards the future focus of the musically informed, borderless freedom explored by artists such as Oneohtrix Point Never, Laurel Halo, and Tirzah. All of these touchpoints in his writing are subtly underpinned with an understanding and appreciation of classical & quiet music forms of composition encompassed and explored by masters such as Akira Rabelais, Harold Budd, David Sylvian.
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