WOW CREATIVE: Matthias Hacksteiner from FIFTH MUSIC
Following upon the promise that every once in a while I will write about amazing people I work with - a lot of them listed in the WOW CREATIVES LIST - I chose to portrait Matthias Hacksteiner and his work he does with FIFTH MUSIC this week.
"Hacki" is a great composer I got to know through my best friend years ago.
Ever since I entered the creative industries it felt quite hard to find really good composers and sound designer that push a visualization - no matter if it is a tv commercial or an animation, a narrative or an installation. Having played various instruments over the years and coming from a very "musical" family, it always gives me the itches to find the perfect composer for any of my projects - Matthias is one of the few that keeps surprising me and amazes me whenever we collaborate.
I think his strength is to capture moods quite perfectly, paint worlds with harmonies and to push a narrative without being cheesy. Turn up the volume, check out his work and the little interview below and whenever you need an awesome tyrolian sound lover, start working with this guy! (click the pics to hear the projects)
best place to work:
As much as I like to work with studios, agencies and musicians – I really need my quiet, sealed off studio to feel comfortable and get into the zone. I sacrifice great acoustics for a cosy, warm and bright place to work any time! I just don’t like cellars.
daily routine:
After sending my kids off to school and having two breakfast eggs and a strong coffee, I check my emails, calendar and my todo app to see what's on my agenda for today. The morning is the best time for me to actually write new music - whenever possible I try to arrange, edit and mix in the afternoon. One of the few advantages (there are some downsides as well) of working from home is, that I can have lunch with my wife & kids. After lunch I usually have a 20 minutes power nap. At the end of the day I try to improve my guitar & piano skills, but mostly I end up shredding some riffs for fun.
matthias’s insight :
Especially with music it’s easy to get numb to the quality of the piece you are working on - hearing the same bassline for hours, playing the same melody over and over again. I try to have multiple small breaks throughout the day (standing up, getting the mail, feeding my chickens, etc.) to recharge myself and challenge the work I have done.
Having a good work/life balance is essential for me – creatively and healthwise. I love being in the mountains (ski tours and hiking) and I like to run 2-3 times a week. Amongst Giants is one of my personal projects where I can try ideas and write the music I want to hear. Nothing's better than live music – so I try to experience as much live concerts as I can.
book him for :
music composition & sound design for any kind of project involving visuals and sound
