Artist Profile: Exomatik
002 | Conor Francis | 12-01-23
For this artist profile I am joined by my good friend and resident DJ Exomatik to discuss “Homotopy”, a three track collection of Minimal Techno inspired by topology, and the study of space. We touch on Minimalism and its aesthetics, musical inspirations, and visions for the future.
Exomatik, otherwise known as Mac McCormick, was raised in Dallas, Texas. They moved to the Bronx at 17 to attend Fordham University. Now 22, they reside in Bushwick and are pursuing a PhD in mathematics at the CUNY graduate center.
As a child in Dallas Mac was primarily exposed to indie rock and grunge, two genres they took a liking towards early on. Mac recalls that both their friend MG and their dad were influential in helping them to discover artists such as Silver Jews, whose founder David Berman also spent his adolesence in Dallas. As for grunge, Mac notes that the psychedelic style of the Smashing Pumpkins was something they fell in love with early on. They also notes that as a young teen they were into dubstep, a musical interest which would later evolve into an admiration for techno and other electronic music. In their teenage years their love for dubstep morphed into an interest in vaporwave and other alternative/experimental forms of electronic music such as hyperpop.
Their appreciation for Techno is relatively new however, noting that it wasn’t until their Junior year of University that they were introduced to Techno through a group of friends. “We used to frequent Rash Bar around 2021-early 2022 and that’s where I heard a lot of the techno and electronic music that piqued my interest. I remember hearing “Shudder/King of the Snake” by Underworld there and it became an instant favorite of mine. I listened to that one a lot that year, it really pushed me in the direction of Techno.”
Around that time they began to DJ as well, starting in their bedroom with just a keyboard and a copy of Serato DJ. “It was a lot of fun... I made shitty blade mixes, got into mixing Jungle and learning about its history, and then Techno came into focus and became my priority.” Mac says they got into DJing partly because of the social aspect and the ability to share the music they liked with others. They also say that as a child they had wanted to blend songs and create mash ups, but hadn’t realized there was a technique for it until they discovered DJing. While they had taught themselves guitar and loved playing, the intimidation of playing live and/or in a band combined with the fact that their musical tastes had shifted towards more electronic styles meant they would choose DJing as a medium.
A love for production and music creation would come about through DJing and deeping his interest in Techno. He notes that music production is similar in the sense that one has the ability control all these individual characteristics of the sound. The manipulation of tones and timbres would become the focal interest in his experiments with Techno.
This development would cause them to search for DJs and producers who had turned Techno into a science of precision sound design and intentionality. Artists such as Amotik and Wata Igarashi became sources of inspiration and for Exomatik. Curious, I asked them about their interest in Minimal Techno and what appeal it holds for them. “Strategically using so few core elements, considering the musical context in which they will exist, and having them work off eachother in extremely subtle ways is fascinating. Everything you hear is mixed and mastered to perfection, every small detail is crafted so well and there is such attention to detail. The level of effort and care needed to perfect the subtle of changes is high, and I enjoy it as an antithesis to the overtimulating, over-produced maximalist sound of Hyperpop and other popular electronic music.”
“The beauty of antithesis is tied even deeper to online culture. Everything now is so in your face, vying for your attention, and maximalist electronic music encapsulates the experience of Gen Z. Minimal Techno offers an alternative to this which is refreshing, although I still love to headbang to Hyperpop and Dubstep. Who doesn’t enjoy a good Nightcore Miku x Bladee mashup?
Exomatik’s first EP, “Homotopy” was released on Soundcloud on October 26th, 2023. “Homotopy” is a collection of three Minimal Techno tracks, described by Exomatik as “a study of space, the morphing of that space, and the invariance of space upon its change.” This is due to a belief that studies of space and of techno yield similar questions concerning the fixed and unfixed elements which exist in space at a given time. At its most basic it is cultivating an awareness of what stays the same and what changes, allowing one to understand how the co-existentence of multiple musical elements accentuates certain sounds and rhythms.
They mention that the structure and body of the tracks reflect this inquiry, stating that the tracks share similar samples and sounds. For example, the basslines of Cantor and Hopf are similar, but the melodic and topical elements change suggesting a contrast between dynamism and linearity. The EP was produced entirely in Ableton with few VSTs and plugins. It utilizes Ableton stock sounds, but Exomatik notes that the kicks and the synthesizer patches were designed by them. Posted below are the tracks along with small descriptions I felt fit the nature of the music.
Track A1 - Cantor: A beautifully stripped back collage of warm bells and bloops layered over a monotonous stab. It develops organically, the ebbs and flow of sound reminiscient of an entire ecosystem moving in tandem, its energy increasing and decreasing in long, slow arcs.
Track A2 - Hopf: Embodies a distinct feeling related to current day anxieties. An ambient sounscape provides a tense and strained background while dissonant chord stabs express their frustation over and over, reaching an eventual crescendo.
Track B1 - Erdos: A steady pace is maintained throughout the song. A muted, repetitive lead slowly builds in volume over a more reserved bassline while a sixteenth note high hat groove maintains order and energy. A good weapon for those three and four deck warriors who enjoying layering multiple grooves.
Exomatik’s set marks the 36th episode of Flow Radio One. As cold as ice, it shimmers with a collection of unique timbres and textures. They maintain a constant tension throughout the set which is sparesely released. When it is, it is only done so intentionally to uplift our spirits, such as when they drop “Cantor” or upon ending their set with a trancey twist. You can listen to Exomatik’s set for Flow Radio One here.
You can support Exomatik by following them on IG, Soundcloud, and by listening to the Homotopy EP
A love for production and music creation would come about through DJing and deeping his interest in Techno. He notes that music production is similar in the sense that one has the ability control all these individual characteristics of the sound. The manipulation of tones and timbres would become the focal interest in his experiments with Techno.
This development would cause them to search for DJs and producers who had turned Techno into a science of precision sound design and intentionality. Artists such as Amotik and Wata Igarashi became sources of inspiration and for Exomatik. Curious, I asked them about their interest in Minimal Techno and what appeal it holds for them. “Strategically using so few core elements, considering the musical context in which they will exist, and having them work off eachother in extremely subtle ways is fascinating. Everything you hear is mixed and mastered to perfection, every small detail is crafted so well and there is such attention to detail. The level of effort and care needed to perfect the subtle of changes is high, and I enjoy it as an antithesis to the overtimulating, over-produced maximalist sound of Hyperpop and other popular electronic music.”
“The beauty of antithesis is tied even deeper to online culture. Everything now is so in your face, vying for your attention, and maximalist electronic music encapsulates the experience of Gen Z. Minimal Techno offers an alternative to this which is refreshing, although I still love to headbang to Hyperpop and Dubstep. Who doesn’t enjoy a good Nightcore Miku x Bladee mashup?
Exomatik’s first EP, “Homotopy” was released on Soundcloud on October 26th, 2023. “Homotopy” is a collection of three Minimal Techno tracks, described by Exomatik as “a study of space, the morphing of that space, and the invariance of space upon its change.” This is due to a belief that studies of space and of techno yield similar questions concerning the fixed and unfixed elements which exist in space at a given time. At its most basic it is cultivating an awareness of what stays the same and what changes, allowing one to understand how the co-existentence of multiple musical elements accentuates certain sounds and rhythms.
They mention that the structure and body of the tracks reflect this inquiry, stating that the tracks share similar samples and sounds. For example, the basslines of Cantor and Hopf are similar, but the melodic and topical elements change suggesting a contrast between dynamism and linearity. The EP was produced entirely in Ableton with few VSTs and plugins. It utilizes Ableton stock sounds, but Exomatik notes that the kicks and the synthesizer patches were designed by them. Posted below are the tracks along with small descriptions I felt fit the nature of the music.
Track A1 - Cantor: A beautifully stripped back collage of warm bells and bloops layered over a monotonous stab. It develops organically, the ebbs and flow of sound reminiscient of an entire ecosystem moving in tandem, its energy increasing and decreasing in long, slow arcs.
Track A2 - Hopf: Embodies a distinct feeling related to current day anxieties. An ambient sounscape provides a tense and strained background while dissonant chord stabs express their frustation over and over, reaching an eventual crescendo.
Track B1 - Erdos: A steady pace is maintained throughout the song. A muted, repetitive lead slowly builds in volume over a more reserved bassline while a sixteenth note high hat groove maintains order and energy. A good weapon for those three and four deck warriors who enjoying layering multiple grooves.
Exomatik’s set marks the 36th episode of Flow Radio One. As cold as ice, it shimmers with a collection of unique timbres and textures. They maintain a constant tension throughout the set which is sparesely released. When it is, it is only done so intentionally to uplift our spirits, such as when they drop “Cantor” or upon ending their set with a trancey twist. You can listen to Exomatik’s set for Flow Radio One here.
You can support Exomatik by following them on IG, Soundcloud, and by listening to the Homotopy EP