Name: Simon Mavin
Occupation: Keyboarder, composer, songwriter, producer
Nationality: Australian
Current release: Simon Mavin's Good Hair Day / Only You and Me EP is out via Bastard Jazz.
Recommendations: Azimuth - "Ze e Parana"; Holy Hive - "Deadly Valentine"

If you enjoyed this Simon Mavin interview and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit hI'm on Instagram. For more information about Hiatus Kaiyote, head over to their official homepage.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

It depends on the music for me. If I’m listening to a singer songwriter I tend to be more relaxed and don’t think about the music (theory concepts / rhythmic ideas), I start to see different scenery / landscapes.

Whereas if I’m listening to an improv / more jazz based thing I tend to focus on the communication that is happening within the musicians. In this circumstance I'm not focussing on visual imagery and tend to be solely focused on the communication within the musicians.

What were your very first steps in music like - and how do you rate gains made through experience versus the naiveté of those first steps?

My first memories of music are waking up to my mother playing classical piano and dancing round the lounge room to records with my brother and sister.

I think these warm and fun memories were very important for me. They helped to create a positive environment for me when I got into the piano a few years later.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music meant to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

Music at this time was a bit confusing for me. I was studying classical music privately and was attending a very musical driven school. I didn’t connect the two and felt very estranged from my peers.

It wasn’t till I reached university years later that I truly became passionate with music and connected all my musical worlds together.  

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools and how have they shaped your perspective on music?

I have predominately played the piano for my whole life so that is definitely the most important instrument to me. It's an amazing instrument to learn because it is applicable to so many different situations in music. I can play solo / duo / trio / quartet / large ensemble and every situation I need to approach the instrument differently.

I have been a part of many choirs from a young age, which has given me insight into a few things the piano did not. Something that I didn’t realise till later in life was the importance of being trained how to breathe properly. This has not only helped with my singing, but also my general life!

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

I love to collaborate. The moment I started playing with other people I truly fell in love with music. I find that when I bring a musical idea to a group and let everyone produce it / do with it what they want, we are able to create something that one person cannot.

This is one of my key motivations in music: The mystery of collaboration.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

It can sometimes be a difficult thing to listen one's own music … these days I try my hardest to see them as creations in the moment (like a photograph). This way I become more confident with my initial choices and the creation turnaround becomes a lot quicker.

This helps with listening later because I treat it like a moment captured in time, one that I can evolve from and be less critical!

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

I love hearing birds talk to each other. Being from Australia I have access to some amazing nature spots. My favourite place for this are rainforests in Queensland.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

I love listening to music that is recorded quietly. This enables the recording engineer to push the gain on the microphones high and create an incredible presence within the stereo spectrum. This works incredibly well on drums.

Another thing that I always listen out for is pocket. Where It's a singer songwriter, a beat maker, a live band, If there is no pocket, I will normally not listen for too long …

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

Totally depends on who I’m working with or what I’m working on.

At the moment I’m working on a solo piano album. My approach to this is one of two things. Either It's completely improvised, (trying to be a true representation of where I am musically right now) or It's something that I write and record in the same session.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

A few years ago I made a record with a singer / producer called Natalie Slade. This was the first time I had embarked on writing / recording / producing / mixing a record with a singer.

We would get together approx. once a month to write the tracks, (it was a very fluid process) and before we knew it we had a whole record done. I thoroughly enjoyed the process because she was very easy to work with, a great vocalist and writer. I’m proud of the record we made together.

Sometimes, science and art converge in unexpected ways. Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

Not that I know of. I try my hardest to be a clean slate when I’m creating. I find if I think about it too much the music becomes contrived and forced.

In saying that, I did write a piece for Hiatus Kaiyote that came from a polyrhythmic idea (that’s science right?). The initial concept was to group quintuplets in a way that felt like it was in 4/4. Instead of having a melodic idea that outlined the 5, I wanted something that was in groups of 4 4 2 (two 5’s) … erghh sorry that’s tough to explain.

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

From being involved in many bands over the last 20 years, I have developed an understanding of how to deal with relationships on all levels. Whether I’m leading a project, involved in a diplomatic group, or being involved in someone's vision, a different approach needs to be taken when entering these environments.

The most difficult one has been the diplomatic scenario when you need to be a leader and a follower, and know when the appropriate skill set is necessary. This has helped me in life for obvious reasons …

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I think there are similarities to more ‘mundane’ tasks, but a big difference when performing music is the immediate and continuous feedback you get from either the audience or the other musicians on stage. When communicating with other musicians, you are constantly evolving the conversations from what has been expressed to you.

I think the deeper you dive into a subject or become passionate about something, the more you can establish this feeling, this understanding of the language that is required to be spoken.

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

Music I continuously listen to, and have listened to for many years is difficult to decipher. The initial effect it had on me would have been at a time that I was in a completely different mind frame, and when I listen in the present, I takes me back to that time, reminds me of the feelings that I was going through, almost like a time machine into my own conscious.

I listened to a lot of Elliot Smith when I was a teenager and still do to this day.  This is a good example of the above.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

No cables. I’m soooo over cables.