The Bloodmoon rises

The Temper Trap frontman, Dougy Mandagi, joined us on a video call where we projected his face onto the walls of the ZERO.NINE studio in Hackney for a ‘remote photo shoot’.

We discussed what the singer has been up to since relocating to Berlin, thoughts on the musical landscape in the midst of the pandemic, and his new electronic-based solo project.

Photography JC Verona Words by Daniel Vildósola

Where are you?
At home in Berlin

Why Berlin?
After 7 years in London I just felt like I needed a change in my life to bring forth some growth. I had heard so many good reports from friends about Berlin and it's art and electronic music scene, club culture and also affordability.

How has that scene influenced your creativity?
Before I moved to Berlin I wasn't really interested in electronic music. I guess I had a rather narrow minded view. However, like most things, you tend to change your mind when you're exposed to things of high quality and at that point there's no denying that electronic music can be just as powerful and transcendent as any genre.

How does it feel to know that Temper Trap’s “Conditions” has been out in the world for over 10 years now?
It's definitely not helping me feel any younger. I'm very proud of my past accomplishments and am so grateful that people had a meaningful connection with that record but it feels like someone else made it, not me.

“Like most things, you tend to change your mind when you're exposed to things of high quality. “

Have Temper Trap been writing any new material?
We have started a Dropbox for new ideas. No idea when we'll put anything out but the creativity and ideas now have a folder to live in until that day comes around again.

Do you miss tour life?
I miss traveling and clubbing. The restrictions in Berlin seem to be pretty relaxed compared to other places so I really can't complain too much to be honest.

Have you found your own upside during this pandemic?
Definitely. I've been forced to really dive deep into music production because of the lockdown whereas before i used to always rely on other producers. It's given me so much more artistic freedom and control. It taught me a valuable lesson in getting shit done. When the world is at a halt and you can't depend on anyone, do it yourself. Make shit happen!

Are you working on a solo project?
Yes, the project is called “bloodmoon” It’s electronic music with vocals. Easiest way to explain these things is to reference other acts. From Moderat and Apparat, that kind of thing, but my style. You can’t fight it. You live in Berlin. Cliche. Make electronic music. Tick another box. It’s good fun. Something new from what I’m used to, so it feels exciting, you gotta change things up.

“You live in Berlin. Cliche. Make electronic music. Tick another box. It’s good fun.”

What kind of synths do you use?
I don’t have any analogue synths, so what I’ve been doing is using VSTs. What I was doing before lockdown I was going to Australia going to my friend’s studio, who I work with a lot. He’s got all the gear, he’s a collector, and a bit of a gear nerd. So he’s got all the vintage synths, and so redo it there.

When can the world hear this new music?
This keeps getting pushed back. No one could have foreseen this pandemic happening, so I don’t know. I’m in two minds about releasing something now because if you release something, you work so hard and then you release it and then you can’t tour it, you can’t really promote it, you don’t know how much of a shelf life it would have. It feels like you could be wasting a good song or something. I might wait until this craziness blows over before I release anything. I have stuff that’s ready to go. It just needs to be mixed.

“When the world is at a halt and you can't depend on anyone, do it yourself.”

Will you be releasing this with a label?
I haven’t found a home for it yet in terms of record labels. I might just look for a distro deal, I’ll see what happens. Once I have a bigger body of work I might send it out and see if there’s any deals that make sense to me. If not maybe I’ll just get a distro deal. I’m not really interested in traditional record deals. I did that with Temper Trap — you live and learn. I don’t know. Record labels are funny. There’s still a role in the industry for them to play but that role is diminishing more and more as artists become more independent. You don’t need the middle man. If you can keep all your music rights and make more money, especially when no one is buying music, you can’t blame artists for wanting a bigger piece of the pie. Eliminating the record label means we get more of what we deserve.

Tell us about your latest ‘Starting as a Musician’ webinar?
I was asked during the middle of the pandemic lockdown to give a talk and share some stories and tips regarding the music industry and how to start out as an aspiring professional musician. It was really nice to speak on an educational platform and share some knowledge to help people get started on their music careers.

Top 3 pieces of advice for young musicians?
1. Practice, practice, practice!
2. Don't follow the crowd, find your own voice!
3. Learn the business of music.

What did you eat for dinner the most during lockdown?
Ramen.

Check out Dougie’s Lockdown Shakedown Playlist on Spotify.