In the bass music scene, MADDY O’NEAL has truly entered the spotlight lately. Her tunes are rich with magic and delicate intricacies, and she has been touring non-stop this year, every set has been incredible for listeners all over the world. Check out her interview below on her touring life, music production, and insight on her latest track with DEFUNK.
In Conversation with MADDY O’NEAL
ALLISON: I’m so excited for your new track with DEFUNK to come out. It has this perfect and intimate blend of genre with old school sound design that really drives the track forward. What was the inspiration for the track when you began writing it?
MADDY O’NEAL: My favorite thing to do is use elements and tones that aren’t classically used in my realm. So, I’ve always wanted to mess around with the 303 acid bass tone or synth tone, which is more typical in house music and techno. I’m always challenging myself to kind of switch up the roles of using different tones in different situations. And that was the start of that song.
ALLISON: I remember I listened to it this morning and the build-up is when that acid sound really comes in. I was like, oh shit, this is so cool.
MADDY: Yeah, it’s kind of unexpected too, which I like. It definitely crosses a lot of genres and I think I do that a lot, not on purpose. I’m just inspired by so many different things. So, if I can blend it and make it cohesive and still sounds like me, then fuck it.
ALLISON: Overall, I absolutely love the funky sound design that you typically use. There’s so much character and magic engrained into your sound. In your new track coming out with DEFUNK, there’s use of acid bass and these old school sounds. Did that come from inspiration from listening to these older sounds and styles or did it happen naturally?
MADDY: Yeah, I’ve been playing a lot of different festivals and watching different sets and I’m being exposed to new music all the time. So, subconsciously, I’m absorbing all of those things and being inspired by things I wasn’t even aware of. You know, I’m doing Insomniac events and things that I have never done before. I think my mind is just expanding into the evolution of what’s next?
ALLISON: It is super awesome to see a female artist really spearhead the industry and create such a coveted and respected name for herself. Has this impacted your choice to spin and produce within multiple genres or multiple fields?
MADDY: Yeah, I’ve been producing for 12 years and I really got into house music over the pandemic when I was doing a lot of live streams. I didn’t know who was going to watch the stream, so I was very careful not to just play my own catalog – I only have so much of my own music.
So, I started DJing a lot more and fell in love with house music and I’m really grateful that I found a way to brand it in a way that I didn’t have to create a whole new alias. I could just do Madhaus sets and it’s still me, but it’s my taste in music and I did have to convince my team to do that. I was like – I think I can do this and it feels really good to be able to be flexible and see that people are being responsive to it.
ALLISON: Yes, it’s so amazing to see. What was it like to work alongside other women who have created these names for themselves, like REZZ and CloZee and all of these artists?
MADDY: When I first met CloZee, I was just blown away. She’s the coolest, most humble, hilarious, talented person. I didn’t have a lot of female relationships. We know of each other and we’re trying to support each other from afar, but I think meeting CloZee and becoming good friends with her was one of those first moments that I was like, this is really special and we need to ramp each other up. Now, I’m good friends with ZINGARA and there’s so many different women that have entered my realm since then. I’m very grateful for it because we have a unique perspective on the music industry, so I think it’s really important that we hang out.
ALLISON: I work a lot within the field of BIPOC and femme representation and I’ve been so lucky to see so many female artists begin their own journeys into production and DJing. So many of them look up to you. Do you have any words of advice for women or non-binary people looking to start their musical journeys?
MADDY: I would say, keep going. I think people expect more immediate results lately – with the way that social media has kind of changed the game. I’ve definitely had a slow rise and I had to be patient with my own growth and success. Don’t get discouraged if you have bad experiences or if things seem to be taking longer. Also, I think the artist-to-artist relationships are really important. Like I was saying with the other female relationships that I’ve built – those were really encouraging to me, just talking to people and not being afraid to reach out. We’re all on the same page and it’s about community at the end of the day. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people because I think we’re all on the same page.
ALLISON: This is all so incredible. Lastly, what can we look forward to next in your journey? There’s so much on the docket from you, from your show coming up with REZZ at Red Rocks to tonight’s set at LiB along with touring all summer after such an impressive run this spring.
MADDY: Well, I am really, really close to finishing my full-length album that I’m going to drop this fall. I think it’s going to be ten songs and it’s 100% my best work. I think I’ve really leveled up and kind of honed in on this evolution of my sound, which I think is going to be surprising and really awesome in a lot of ways. So, that’s what I’m most excited about because I’m sitting on a lot of music right now and I’m working on some fall touring things that I can’t necessarily talk about right now, but I think the next six months are going to be really awesome.
STREAM MADDY O’NEAL’S NEW TRACK WITH DEFUNK OUT NOW
Cover Image by Klick
Keep up with Maddy O’Neal:
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Looking for new music? Keep up with our weekly Spotify Playlist, Fresh Hunts. Updated every Friday with all the latest releases. Whether it’s the newest drops from all your favorite artists, Maddy O’Neal some old-school, or underground…we just want you to hear it.
