Manchester’s Mason Collective are a dynamic DJ/production trio taking their high energy grooves around the world. Headed by Blair Suarez, Adam Myles and Omar Guedar, the crew cultivated a loyal following from their MASON Events which have rapidly grown to become one of the most renowned underground parties in Manchester – each having their own unique theme and dress code. This vision and focal concept of fashion allowed another form of creative expression for the collective and has led to national campaigns with Adidas, Footasylum and Gramm.
Mason Collective’s first solo EP ‘Whippin’ hit #1 on Beatport and in 2019 they announced their own independent label of the same name. They’ve had releases on labels such as HotTrax, Desolat, Blackflag, Solid Grooves and Roush. They’ve also released highly acclaimed remixes of Bipolar Sunshine’s ‘Major Love’ and MK’s ‘Back and Forth’.
We had the chance to catch up with the guys ahead of their upcoming performance at Desert Air Festival where they’ll be joining global electronic talent such as Peggy Gou, DJ Koze, Dixon, The Martinez Brothers, Moodymann, Channel Tres, Jayda G, TSHA, and more. Read on to hear about Mason Collective’s beginnings as a group, growing up in Manchester and its influence, and what they’ve got in store for the rest of this year and beyond!
WWD: Hi Blair, Adam and Omar – thank you for taking the time to speak with us! Tell us a little bit about Mason Collective and how the project originated. How did you guys meet? When did you know that music was a pathway that each of you wanted to commit to as a trio?
We’ve known each other since we were in college. We all went to different ones, but, when you’re involved in the creative scene in South Manchester everyone sort of knows each other either directly or through a friend etc. It was after a conversation in the back of Sankeys (Manchester) that we decided to commit to building a brand together. We were all playing smaller basement clubs from 16/17yo, but felt like we weren’t being noticed by the more prominent promoters in the city at the time. When we discovered that we shared the same long term vision and ideas in regards to our MVSON parties and our label, it made sense to knock heads and create something that represented us. First came the parties, then the collective, then the music. Everything developed organically.
WWD: How would you describe your style and who are some of your largest musical influences?
Our style is generally uptempo, high energy groove, although we keep to a good variety when we play, especially as we prefer playing extended sets. It’s important to us to try and educate crowds where we can, and not just reel off ‘bangers’. I guess when we play it’s just all about the groove, the aim is to have everyone dancing.
We draw influence from loads of different sources. We all have a musical background from when we were younger, and most of our knowledge of music came from our parents. We grew up on rare groove, reggae, and soul/r&b, which is likely to have influenced our sound. I guess as we got older we started listening to more electronic music, and were drawn to artists like Jamie Jones, Kerri Chandler and Apollonia when we first started out.
WWD: Being a production trio, what is your workflow and process in the studio like? Does it differentiate from track to track or do you have a system that works well for you?
We share a studio space that we’ve built up over some years. The production process works well for us as a trio, it differentiates from track to track, sometimes the whole process starts together but also if one of us starts making a beat at home we can all go to the studio and get it/them finished off. I feel like playing together for so long also helps to create a synchronicity in the studio as well. We have a solid understanding of the effect we’re trying to create in the club and the direction in which we want to take our sound.
WWD: What goes into running your own independent label, Whippin, and what do you hope to see the label accomplish in the future?
We started Whippin to create a platform for the ‘MVSON sound’ and to showcase high quality music from the best upcoming and established artists around us. We pride ourselves on being ‘selectors’, and so we naturally keep a lookout for new talent and sounds in our scene. We meet so many upcoming producers and love the process of listening to and finding new beats. The plan is to just continue what we’re doing and provide good quality music for people to listen to.
WWD: From major national campaigns and collaborations with Adidas, Footasylum, and Gramm to your MVSON events which have a unique theme and dress code, tell us about your focus on fashion and how it relates to the Mason Collective project.
Fashion has been something we’ve been interested in for as long as we remember, so to get the call up for campaigns such as Adidas and LV was a huge honour and a blessing for us. It’s a story of youth culture. I guess like music, it’s another form of expression, so it made sense to us to occasionally incorporate certain things into our events such as themes and dress codes so that our crowd can get creative and have fun with it. It adds so much to the party.
WWD: How has growing up in Manchester shaped each of your musical careers and what legacy do you hope to bring around the world in representing the city?
Manchester has played a pivotal role in our lives and careers. We always joke that if we weren’t from Manchester we might not be where we are today, as the creative scene here is so strong and supportive. It’s been thriving for as long as we can remember.
The clubs in Manchester have massively helped shape our sound. We were sneaking into clubs from 16 to watch and study our favourite artists. When we got onto the circuit, playing alongside and often b2b with some of the biggest world class DJs of the time during our residencies at Sankeys Manchester and Hidden taught us even more, and helped us to hone our skills as DJs.
WWD: On that note, you’ve played in some spectacular venues around the world and will be adding the debut Desert Air Festival at the Palm Springs Air Museum to that list in December. What do you have in store for this one and is there anything you’re looking forward to in particular?
We’ve been looking forward to this one for a long time. There is some incredible talent on the lineup, some incredibly respected DJs and producers that we’ve held in esteem for the longest. We’ll be digging deep in the vaults in preparation for this one. Looking forward to playing some of the rarer tracks in our collection, whilst keeping the mason stamp on it. We get a lot of love in the US and it’s always a huge pleasure for us to be back over.
WWD: Any other acts on the lineup that you’re going to be sure to check out?
Moodymann for sure. He’s someone we’ve always looked up to and gained great knowledge and inspiration from, especially in regards to the variety of music in his sets. We first saw him perform at Sankeys Manchester nearly 10 years ago, and it was probably one of the best sets we’ve seen to date. Also looking forward to catching Channel Tres who’s another dope artist that we’ve been watching out for recently.
WWD: What does the rest of your year look like? What’s in store for 2022?
We’re about to end the year with this next US tour, playing Tulum, Space Miami and Desert Air in Palm Springs, then come home for Christmas to throw some parties in our city. Before the year is out we’ll be back in the US for some time, starting another tour with the Minimal Effort NYE party in LA. You can also catch us back with the Seran Bendecidos family at BPM Festival in Costa Rica in January. Music wise, we’ve just primed an EP for Knee Deep In Sound that’s definitely one to watch out for.
WWD: Anything else you’d like to tell us or your fans?
It’s good to now be back on the circuit connecting with crowds around the world. More shows, more music, more parties pending.