In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up & coming stars on the planet.   

This time we meet Valerio Dittrich aka MOTSA – the half-Russian, half-Austrian producer making electronic music at the fruitful nexus of the mindful and the danceable.

Though born and now permanently based in Vienna, Dittrich spent 11 years of his youth in the rural village of Findhorn with direct exposure to Scotland’s burgeoning bass scene, and this seems to have left an indelible mark. Earlier bass-heavy tracks ‘Digital World’ and ‘The Moment’ can attest to this, alongside a bountiful supply of thumping and increasingly high-profile remixes. However, it is on 2016’s Petricolour, with its truly mellifluous blend of electro-acoustic instrumentation, that Dittrich reveals his strongest and most affecting statement to date.

While electronic and (thoroughly) danceable at base, Petricolour actually shares more in common with artists like Bonobo or Caribou than Scottish electro-powerhouse LuckyMe, engaging with an eclectic array of sonic textures in the creation of its deeply sensuous world. It also explores more philosophical territory than on previous recordings, namely the precarious state of humanity and our mindless repetition of fatal wrongdoings. Indeed, while the MOTSA name might be well-established in some circles, it is on Petricolour that we truly hear the sound of this artist finding his voice.

We caught up with the ascendant producer to chat artwork, Vienna and the story of Petricolour. Here’s what he had to say…

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TMR: To start, perhaps you could give us a little background on yourself and how the MOTSA project came to be?

MOTSA: I was born in Vienna and spent a large chunk of my youth growing up in the north-east of Scotland - that’s also where I first came into contact with electronic music as we had a DIY party scene in our area. I had several projects before I started MOTSA, with which I was experimenting in many different styles of electronic music. MOTSA became the combination of all these influences and has been my most personal project since then.

TMR: You’re now based in Vienna which, at least to a Londoner's eyes, is fast becoming a very attractive city due to the quality of life and a seemingly thriving music scene. What’s your experience of being a musician in Vienna? Do you feel part of a community? And could you imagine living somewhere else?

MOTSA: When I started making music over here in Vienna, the party scene I experienced was very different. There was a lot of jealousy and rivalry between people working in the music I liked at that time. There also weren’t that many parties pushing the music I was into which was frustrating back then… I think the scene has developed really well! There’s a lot of young talent, in many different styles of electronic music, that has international potential and I feel like there’s more respect for each other’s work, rather than the aforementioned jealousy. In that sense I certainly feel more part of a community than I did when I first started out and I think that the environment is better for young musicians now, as we motivate each other to push ourselves and create exciting music. I think it’s great being a musician in Vienna, mainly due to the high quality of life, which is also affordable if compared to cities like London, Paris, New York… At the moment I’m more than happy living here and I wouldn’t want to miss my family and close friends!



TMR: More than on previous MOTSA records Petricolour feels like it has a unity; a narrative. At least to my ear, there is the same general feeling of melancholy across all the tracks (even the visuals too) but not to the degree of complete hopelessness; there is a buried optimism; a tiny shard of light. What inspired this record and what does Petricolour mean to you?

MOTSA: Petricolour means a lot to me. All-in-all it encompasses my decision to release my music on my own account, with my personal vision, and being as independent as possible. On the other hand, it was a personal record in the sense that I wanted to tell my story and express how I see the world. Each track has its own personal meaning and captures vibes and emotions that I experienced when writing the songs…

TMR: In addition to this sense of a narrative, your new EP sounds much more organic than previous records (this is even noticeable in your track titles, moving from ‘Digital World’ to titles like ‘Petrichor’). The focus seems less on the club space than upon more natural environments. What brought about this sonic shift?

MOTSA: I’ve had the urge for a while not to restrict myself to pure club music and Petricolour was the record with which I wanted to make that transition. I wanted to make music that can also be listened to outside the club and that evokes different emotions. I also wanted to challenge myself with new approaches to production, recording and songwriting.



TMR: In late 2016 you released the visually spectacular video for ‘Petrichor’. Could you tell us a little about how did it come about and how this experience was for you?

MOTSA: When I decided to release Petricolour myself rather than with an external label, it was clear to me that I wanted a full audio/visual release. Something that I hadn’t had before. I got in touch with Martyna Trepczyk, as I really liked another video she had made for the Austrian band Leyya. I played her ‘Petrichor’ and she also really liked the track. We worked from there and sent initial ideas back and forth. Then she asked to bring Nicola von Leffern on board as they were thinking of starting a directing duo and that’s when the idea for the video started to take shape. After discussing initial ideas they sent me a mood board and I felt it straight away. It was a really intense shoot and a completely new experience for me, also to have a collaboration not just in music, but between music and video. I’m very happy with the outcome!

TMR: Both the ‘Petrichor’ video and Petricolour’s front cover seem totally in line with the musical tone on this new record. How involved are you in the visual presentation of your music?

MOTSA: In the case of the video I mainly just gave mood words, colours and emotions that I felt with the track and sent them the artwork for the release alongside my press shots to give them a basic vibe for the video and the visual presentation of the release that I had in mind. Martyna and Nicola sent back a mood board that fitted perfectly to what I had in mind. The artwork came about differently: My good friend Andreas P. Wall took the photograph of the flowers as part of a series he did a few years ago. I always really loved those photos. One day I was in his shop and I saw the cover photograph in the mirror and it just clicked. I originally had something else in mind, but in that moment I had a feeling that that picture would fit perfectly with the mood and story of the EP! Luckily Andreas also liked the idea and was happy to be part of the project. I had a wee go at adding the text and choosing fonts for the picture to see how it worked as a cover, but my dear friend Mimu Merz did the final layout for the record. The visual presentation for the EP and the video was very important to me as I wanted to show a certain coherence that I also see within all the tracks on the EP.



TMR: What are your plans for your new record label imprint, also called Petricolour?

MOTSA: Let’s see… The next release will be a ‘Petricolour Remix EP’ with some great remixes from some of my friends.

TMR: We’re a blog specializing in new music so are there any up-and-coming artists or bands you’re really enjoying lately? 

MOTSA: Check out: Leyya, Hearts Hearts, Dandario, Flamingods, Kalipo, Midas…

TMR: What does 2017 hold for you? 

MOTSA: Hopefully many more fun gigs and smiling faces! Lots of new music and a more peaceful world!

TMR: Finally, what’s your most treasured musical experience (that you were involved in or otherwise) and why?

MOTSA: Probably one of the most treasured moments was when I performed together with my father German Vinogradov in front of Jean Tinguely’s 74ft high sculpture “Le Cyclop” in Milly-la-Forêt in France…



Petricolour is out now.

-Karl Jawara