The Glitch Mob
via Magnum PR

Interview: Josh Mayer of The Glitch Mob

Rolling Stone deemed them one of the “50 Best Things They Saw” at Coachella Music Festival. Spin Magazine described their music as “monumentally gleaming.” They’ve performed back-to-back sold-out shows at Denver’s Filmore Auditorium and a sold-out show at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. And, on October 29, they’re coming to Boston.

Perhaps one of the most eclectic musical groups of our time, The Glitch Mob transcends the concept of genre. Composed of Ooah (Josh Mayer), edIT (Ed Ma), and Boreta (Justin Boreta), the famous trio manages to mix sounds from every inch of the musical spectrum, juxtaposing gritty bass lines with ethereal melodies into a formula that melts the ears. Hot on the heels of their critically acclaimed sophomore album Love, Death, Immortality, the band is embarking on a massive North American tour with supporting acts The M Machine and Chrome Sparks, scheduled to hit iconic venues across the country.

The Glitch Mob’s live shows are famous for good reason; the trio triggers different sound samples rather than simply playing back-recorded material and improvises in real time. We spoke with band member Josh Mayer (aka Ooah) about the group’s success, their new album, and what to expect during their stop at Boston’s House of Blues.

TK: The Glitch Mob will be playing in Boston on October 29. This isn’t your first show in Boston, so how do you feel about playing in this city? What vibes do you get?

Josh: We love playing in Boston. It’s actually edIT’s hometown, so there’s always that element to make it really exciting and special to us. Whenever we play hometowns, the shows just always seem turned up to 11. Last year in Boston was amazing—it was incredible—so we’re looking forward to it.

TK: This tour will feature a new musical element you call The Blade. Can you tell us a little bit more about it?

Josh: The Blade is our new instrument that we play, which also is a set piece and a visual element. We basically built it as one giant instrument. We play The Blade. All the instruments that we play are actually customized and built into it. It also houses tons of lights and it’s all been painted with tons of texture and detail. Actually, the guys that we designed it with also built huge movie sets in LA. When it came together, it was such an amazing thing. It really represents who we are and what we’re trying to say, and it’s just a functional thing that lets us play our music the way we want to play our music.

TK: You’ve garnered a lot of attention because you’re triggering samples in real time and improvising on the fly, which not many electronic music performers do. Given that you’re doing that and you’re so focused on the different samples that you’re playing, how do you manage to interact with the crowd while performing?

Josh: I think we do that just through our energy and our playing—like, the movement we do while playing. There are moments here and there where one of us has a section of the song where we’re not doing something because two of the other guys are playing, so we’ll use those moments to connect with the crowd. It’s really just through the way that we play and the way that we move during the performance that is the connective piece.

TK: Your sophomore album, Love, Death, Immortality, has been a great success, and without a doubt it will be getting a ton of playing time during your performances. It also contrasts with your previous album, Drink the Sea, in the sense that Love, Death, Immortality has a more stadium and raging feel. What made you want to head in this direction?

Josh: Well, we just wanted to try something new. We’re not the kind of guys that just write one style of music and just go with that. We always like to challenge ourselves, try different things, try different tempos and sounds of mixing music, working with vocalists, and pushing ourselves to explore new ideas and other ways to tell our story. And, for this new record, we wanted to explore what The Glitch Mob sounded like in that type of setting like you said: a more stadium-sounding record. And that’s what Love, Death, Immortality is. That’s kind of where we are in our lives and how we feel about everything right now, and it just comes out through this new record and that’s what we’re trying to say.

TK: How do you find time balancing The Glitch Mob with your own solo careers as well as your personal lives? Do you find it difficult?

Josh: I wouldn’t really say it’s difficult. We love what we do so much that we make time for what we want to do if we can. When it comes down to it, The Glitch Mob is our main focus. It’s what all three of us came together [to do] after being solo artists deciding this is what we wanted to do. This is the pinnacle of the three of us making music. There’s never going to be a time where one side project or solo project is going to take the front seat of The Glitch Mob, at least now in our careers. Our focus is just Glitch Mob music and putting on an amazing experience for our fans and just taking The Glitch Mob to the top.

TK: Given the current nature of the music industry and the saturation of electronic music within it, do you ever feel pressure to conform to a certain sound or style?

Josh: No, I don’t feel like we get compared to anyone really. That’s kind of one of the amazing things we fell upon. We sound different than most electronic music and kind of do what we do. It wasn’t because we tried to necessarily be different than everyone else after listening to tons of music; we just did us and that’s just what it sounds like. The way that we decided to perform our music is the natural flow of what happens with us. We’re very grateful and thankful and honored to be where we are and feeling unique in a very over-saturated electronic music world… For us, we just let nature kinda take its course and we never tried to force anything or try to be really different with this genre and that genre. We just structured The Glitch Mob from whatever we were feeling in that moment.

TK: So then this would also qualify as advice that you would give to young musicians looking to break into the scene right?

Josh: Totally, man. It’s not easy… This is our eighth year with The Mob. It’s a very long road, but it’s really fun and enjoyable. One thing we always tell people is, “Be you,” and don’t just try and make what your peers are making and don’t try and make what other popular artists make just because they’re popular… We just tell people to be original, try something new, try and be unique and don’t copy other people. Obviously everyone’s influenced by everything, but really strive to be your own voice in the world.

TK: Are there any other artists you would like to collaborate with, both in terms of producers and vocalists?

Josh: Not really. We collaborate with our friends. All the vocalists we’ve had on both of our records have been either a friend or a really close acquaintance, but we don’t really think about collaborating with producers or vocalists. We also let it all kind of happen naturally, and if it’s all in the right place at the right time and it happens, then cool. We’re not going to go and be like “Oh, we should really try and collaborate with Thom Yorke and have our manager reach out to their manager,” and that kinda stuff. We try and do our thing and we make music, and if Thom Yorke comes along through our natural paths and is like, “Hey, I have this great idea, we should try and do something,” then we’ll explore that.

TK: What is in store for The Glitch Mob in the future?

Josh: It’s hard to say. We’re just going to keep at it. We’re talking now about writing some more music soon. We’ve got this tour, we’re going to keep expanding The Blade, keep on working on the show and figuring how to always make it bigger and better. Right now we’re just kinda locked into that and focused on writing new music and touring and creating bigger and better experiences for everyone because it’s what we really enjoy doing. Nothing’s set in stone. It’s just focus on touring, enjoying our time out here with Chrome Sparks and The M Machine, and we’ll just go from there.

Don’t miss The Glitch Mob at House of Blues with supporting acts Chrome Sparks and The M Machine on October 29. Tickets are available here.