Embark on a journey into the boundless realms of creativity it’s Metropolitan Soul Museum, an enigmatic duo skillfully fusing artistry with the pulsating beats of electronic music, who are next in Torture the Artist’s interview and art:cast series. Metropolitan Soul Museum, also known as Nick and Filippo, brings a rich history to their musical endeavors, having previously steered the ship at Teng Records before immersing themselves in the captivating soundscape of Metropolitan Soul Museum. Nick, currently immersed in the tranquil landscapes of Northern France, intricately shapes the tapestry of new ideas for Metropolitan Soul Museum. Meanwhile, Filippo, stationed in the cultural hub of London, eagerly anticipates the unveiling of Kulture Galerie Volume 2. Join Torture the Artist as they meticulously unravel the origins, collaborative intricacies, and future aspirations of this captivating musical alliance. Noteworthy is the duo’s diverse discography, boasting releases on esteemed labels such as Rawax, SlothBoogie, Heideton, pr0gramma, and many more.
Torture the Artist: Hello, gents, welcome to Torture the Artist. Where are you right now, and what are you up to?
Nick: I’m in Northern France right now and just about to get stuck into writing and arranging a couple of new Metropolitan Soul Museum ideas.
Filippo: I am in London waiting to receive copies of Kulture Galerie Volume 2 from Baldo and Subwax!
Torture the Artist: What’s the story behind your artist moniker Metropolitan Soul Museum?
Nick: We wanted to come up with a name that conjured up our interest in art and the creative world and thought Metropolitan Soul Museum fitted that nicely.
Torture the Artist: What are the tracks that got you hooked with electronic music, and where did you first hear them?
Nick: I’ve been making music for a very long time and gone through so many genres over the years, but the track that got me interested in club music was Lil Louis – French Kiss. I didn’t really understand why it was so good when I heard it on the radio, but once I got into a club and heard it in situ, I totally got what it was all about, and that was me hooked.
Filippo: Oh my, there is a few! Probably DJ Zinc’s Ready Or Not Remix when I still was 15 years old…. But “hooked hooked“ I would say Incident by Joris Voorn! A classic!
I never expect anything, to be honest, but always hope that the project takes on a life of its own and takes us on a journey somewhere interesting.
Nick
Torture the Artist: You’ve had a really consistent run of quality releases since 2015, with appearances on your own self-titled label, but also slammers for top-end labels such as Toy Tonics, Rawax, Echocentric & Gestalt. How has the ride been for you so far, in comparison to what you expected when you first started sending tracks out to labels?
Nick: I never expect anything, to be honest, but always hope that the project takes on a life of its own and takes us on a journey somewhere interesting. MSM has done that for me in a quiet and thoughtful way.
Filippo: We never set up to achieve any goals, but to try and make music we enjoyed. Luckily, we have been able to use connections with some artists and labels we knew and that liked our music and have been able to build a nice catalogue of what we define as oddly different Electronic music.
Torture the Artist: What’s a label you would love to have your music released on, and why?
Filippo: Ghostly International is an inspiration for the music we have been making but also as a label when I look at Kulture Galerie.
I could use the classic “less is more” or “quality over quantity” to explain what I am trying to achieve.
Filippo
Torture the Artist: So far you’ve kept a rather low profile with your label Kulture Galerie. What’s the reason for that, and are you planning a more busy release schedule in the future also including full artists EPs and not only VAs?
Filippo: The label is small and still in its early days, and doing vinyl can be expensive – I am also curating everything to the most minute details so getting it right can take quite some time. I could use the classic “less is more” or “quality over quantity” to explain what I am trying to achieve – at the same time, it’s due to the fact that I love so much different music that it’s hard to find an identity for Kulture Galerie, so I only want to put out what feels right.
Torture the Artist: How did you guys actually meet, and what was the crucial point when you decided to produce and start a label together?
Nick: I was working on my own label Teng back in 2012 /13, and Filippo was interested in what I was releasing and offered me a track he did with Matthias Corsden which I signed to the label. Gradually we got to know each other and started making music. It was always a slow process as we had other jobs / music projects on the go but over time we developed a process that worked well for us.
Filippo: I owe Nick massively for having taught me so much about music and life. I was so lucky to be able to help him with the A&R of Teng which is one of the reasons why I am doing what I am doing with Kulture Galerie.
Torture the Artist: What’s everyone’s task in the studio?
Nick: I am a studio beast. I’ve spent most of my working life in one and can do everything from writing to production, arrangement, and mastering. Working with Filippo is fluid….he can come up with a complete track which I will mix or I can come up with a track that he will arrange and add guidance and sometimes it’s a joint meeting of minds. Whatever works best is best.
We never had a specific set up or style so exploring and experimenting has always been something we have loved doing.
Filippo
Torture the Artist: Would you say it’s easier to produce together since the chance of being creatively stuck in the studio is lower than working on your own, or is it more difficult to agree on certain sounds/directions of a track as an artist duo?
Nick: These days I spend more time in France and especially since covid, we have evolved into working remotely a lot of the time. It has its plusses and minuses but is the best way to get round our work and living commitments and we have developed a way to make it positive and productive.
Filippo: Also, we never had a specific set up or style so exploring and experimenting has always been something we have loved doing and this has given us an opportunity to try new tools out. The ‘Negative Mouth’ track on Kulture Galerie volume 2 is the result of just that.
Torture the Artist: What’s your secret skill nobody knows?
Nick: I’m a speed freak and love driving and riding fast, either on circuits or off-road in the mountains.
Filippo: I make a mean cauliflower cheese.
Torture the Artist: Release-/ remix-wise what are you working on at the moment?
Filippo: We have just dropped a track on Heideton Records which has come out on the 1st of December + Negative Mouth. Currently, we have decided to take a little break at working together to explore new creative avenues so we don’t have anything planned just yet.
I’ve no idea why the label wanted to do that as I well remember how we hated cassettes back in the day.
Nick
Torture the Artist: You released a limited edition album on cassette back in 2018 – what made you want to revert to that format for the release?
Nick: I’ve no idea why the label wanted to do that as I well remember how we hated cassettes back in the day. I guess it’s an old school medium for a new generation that never had to rely on them for their listening pleasure and see it as something fresh.
Filippo: HYPE! No, but the lofi and deep sounds well-fitted the idea of doing something different – and a tape release worked so well!
Torture the Artist: Any plans for a follow-up album, either on cassette or other physical/digital format?
Nick: I’m always up for releasing new music on any relevant format but vinyl is always best for me.
Filippo: With Kulture Galerie I will do more CDs as well as vinyl and digital. <smiles>
Torture the Artist: How do you agree on music that you sign for your label, and do you also sign tracks that one of you loves but the other does not or do you always have to have consent?
Nick: Consent is always best.
Filippo: If you refer to Kulture Galerie, I share ideas with Nick and play some of the stuff people send me but the decision-making comes down to me as this is my little project. <smiles> I am trying to bring something to life that sounds and feels like what we were doing with Metropolitan Soul Museum: different, melodic, out there.
Torture the Artist: Gig-wise, how has 2023 been for you overall? Any plans for more maneuvers outside the UK as we move into 2024?
Filippo: 2022/2023 has been great; I started getting more into DJing again with my wife and had the chance to play in London and Milan in spots like Artefact, Ton Of Brix, Allmyfriends with a lot of artists like Neville Watson, Caldera, Jade Seattle, Enchanted Rhythms and more. 2024 we are talking about gigs in Berlin, Macedonia, Milan and who knows. <smiles>
Torture the Artist: Following the question before, which DJ/act would you love to play alongside, plus to add a second part to this question, what DJ/act gets you on the dancefloor for a good old knees-up?
Nick: I’ll leave that question for Filippo as I don’t go clubbing much these days.
Filippo: Call Super and Josey Rebelle!
Torture the Artist: If there was one country you could play, where you’ve not been previously, which would it be and why?
Nick: I would love to play in Japan. I always hoped to get a gig there with Mock & Toof and thought when we signed a track to Mule Music that would happen but sadly it didn’t. I’ve always wanted to go and check it out!
Filippo: I am with Nick! Japan all the way. <smiles>
Torture the Artist: Speaking of the art:cast that comes with this interview. Can you give us a flavor of how you selected the tracks for it and what approach you take to record it?
Filippo: The selection comes from a list of tracks I have carefully selected through the last 6 months of digging, trying to carefully build a crescendo that could work both at home and on the dance floor. I added a couple of unreleased and released tracks from Kulture Galerie to try them out but mostly this helps represent what I am trying to achieve sound-wise with my sets and with the label.
Torture the Artist: Where is the art:cast best listened to?
Nick & Filippo: At home with friends just before going out (out).
Torture the Artist: Finally, if you were to open a physical Metropolitan Soul Museum, displaying works from people whose souls have inspired you, whose work would be featured in the first exhibition, and why?
Nick: That’s a difficult question as there is so much amazing art out there. My preferences are 20th-century modern and renaissance art but I have broad taste. What springs to mind are Mondrian, Rothko, Picasso, Monet, Chagall… but there are lots of new upcoming artists and sculptors out there who are doing interesting work too.
Filippo: I am a huge Keith Haring fan so I would have to go with his stuff – alongside Dali and Valerio Adami for measure. I love their colors!
Words by Al Bradley & Holger Breuer
Torture the Artist 