Meet The Artist: In-Conversation with Mac Lloyd

Mac Lloyd a.k.a ‘The King Of Melancholic Soul’ has firmly cemented his place in the Bristol Music Scene over the past few years collaborating with the likes of Res One, Jman, Lazy Eyes, sudders, CW Jones and releasing 3 top tier EPs, along with a whole host of quality single releases.

We had the pleasure of catching up and conversing with the multi-talented Singer, Songwriter, and Producer one month on from his iconic ‘Melancholic Soul Club EP’ release to chat about his musical roots, music-making process, and what’s to come for the musician heading into the future.

So… Introduce yourself?

Mac: “What’s up, I’m Mac Lloyd, I like to think I specialise in melancholic soul and hip-hop production. I’m signed to Green Brick Records and currently live in the Southwest of the UK.”

How would you describe the “Melancholic Soul” sound for those that don’t know?

Mac: “It’s definitely on the sadder side haha! But generally speaking, I try to encompass elements of classic soul whilst adding more gritty, sombre tones to the tracks. I take the classic topic matters and add a more modern spin lyrically. Not that it hasn’t been done before, but I feel the term melancholy/melancholic definitely suits the style of the sound.”

Why and when did you start music?

Mac: “I’ve always had an affinity and admiration for musicians, mainly guitarists as a kid. I’d always wanted to play an instrument as my dad had a lot of records around when I was growing up. It wasn’t actually until I watched School of Rock and saw kids my age shredding it. I asked for a guitar for my next birthday and the rest was pretty much history as they say.”

Greg: “That’s so cool man. So it was a proper love at first sight situation!”

so in relation to playing instruments are you self-taught or did someone teach you the ways?

Mac: “I was fortunate to be taught guitar by two amazing dudes. My first teacher was a friend of my parents called Dave Colder, an incredible blue guitarist. He helped me learn the basics whilst also learning to ‘feel’ the instrument.”
“Then shortly after that when I joined Secondary School I was taught by a guy named Sam Wheeler. Sam was an incredibly proficient player and he introduced me to a wide range of music theory which allowed me to understand and ‘feel’ the instrument even more, whilst branching into newer areas.”
“There have been long periods where I’ve not had a teacher as such. I even got rid of all my electric guitars for about 5 years and only kept an acoustic whilst I learning to produce. Now I play every day again.”

How would you describe the music you make?

Mac: “An easy answer is ‘melancholic soul’ but I think there are definitely elements of alternative and indie in there, especially with the actual ‘Melancholic Soul Club’ EP. However, my soul jams and collaborative work with MCs like res is always a bit more upbeat and bouncier.”

What’s your typical music-making process?

Mac: Honestly, there is not really much of a linear process to how I write. It can start with a melody, a hook lyric or chord sequence, typically the beat (or shell of the beat, I should say) would come first, then from there I can generally play on the various elements to my liking.

Greg: “sick, love that process. Gives you a lot of room to experiment with your sound and try new things.”

Describe a day in the studio with Mac Lloyd?

Mac: “A typical day making music would usually include too much coffee, a million vocal takes that all sound the same (According to my Mrs), hours of silent head-nodding followed by a few eureka moments. A lot of smoke breaks. Lately, I feel I’ve been hitting a stride luckily in my beat making, where I don’t have too much time to produce right now, I still find myself walking away with something I’m really pleased with from most sessions.”

Who are your biggest influences musically speaking?

Mac: “That’s always a hard one to answer because my taste is literally all over the place. I’m a big fan of rappers who typically go against the grain in terms of their creative flow and presentation, artists like Danny Brown, Earthgang, Tyler the creator etc.”

Greg: “Nice, it’s interesting how you’re a singer and producer, and all of your biggest musical influences are rappers. It really shows just how much the Hip Hop/Rap sound has evolved!”

If you could collab with any UK artist, who would it be?

“Slowthai on a love song, or James Blake on something that sounds dystopian and depressing as fuck.”

Who are your top 5 singers of all time?

Mac: “That’s a damn good question, its subject to change and one I struggle to answer but here goes:
Ella Fitzgerald,
Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin),
Etta James,
Ned from Title Fight,
Charles Bradley.”

Greg: “Oh wow, a lovely mix of artists there! Some of music’s finest vocalists included in that top 5 for sure!”

What is your biggest/proudest music-based moment up until now?

Mac: “I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have experienced quite a few in just the last couple of years. Supporting Ghostface with Lazy Eyes was pretty bananas, even though I just did two tracks. Or being reviewed in The Wire for my project with Res One Hindsight Hotel. Sorry for giving you two but it was too hard to decide.”

What do you like to do aside from music?

Mac: “I’m a huge fan of pro wrestling, reading and skateboarding (Although I never get the chance to do it). Since last year’s lockdown, I’ve started running and doing yoga regularly which has been helping break the days up a bit!”

Greg: “Oh wow, pro wrestling! Is that like WWE? Yeah, I’m big on running, if it wasn’t for running, I don’t think I’d have had the motivation and courage to start vibe rating up! Really gave me confidence and discipline that I’ve never had before! Really changed my life!”

If you had to give your fans/listeners one piece of advice, what would it be?

Mac: “Shit, no pressure. Push yourself, fail and fail again. Seek out the unknown and strive to be working outside of your comfort zone in some capacity.”

Greg: “When I finally grasped that the best way to learn is through failure, my life really started to change for the better… Powerful advice for those reading for sure!”

What’s next for you (Mac Lloyd) (any future releases)?

Mac: “I’ve got a few things in the bag ready to go... Some more solo stuff and some very interesting collaborative works too. All will be revealed in time!”

Greg: “Dope, I’m very excited to see what’s in store!”

Where can people find you (your socials etc…)?

Website - www.maclloydmusic.com
Instagram - www.instagram.com/therealmaclloyd
Facebook - www.facebook.com/maclloydmusic

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