Bass Interview

Mersiv Talks Pretty Dark Loud, The Power of Expression Through Music

October 27, 2021November 22, 2021 by MP3 MAG STAFF No Comments

Music has the ability to exist in its own vacuum – defined by a shade of emotion or thought conceived in the artist’s mind and incepted into the listener’s.

When an artist intentionally fuses these elements—much like Mersiv has on his debut album, Pretty Dark Loud—it creates something universally relatable that can reach beyond fans and connect with listeners everywhere.

Anderson Gallegos was born in Spring of ‘93. Raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, he was first introduced to music through his parent’s ever-flowing CD collection. This seeded an early passion for exploring music and at the age of7, his mother gifted him his first gateway to instruments, piano lessons.

Through grade school, he picked up guitar, and he later developed a taste for heavy and progressive metal acts like Tool. His interest in metal music was derived from a curiosity for the grungy energy these acts emote while still finding an emotional weight through production and songwriting.

In 2011, he was first introduced to electronic music via the local rave scene. Quickly, he resonated with artists like Deadmau5 and Nero, who provided cutting edge sound and depth. Locally, he began to host and throw his own shows in fields or barns in hopes to capture the same magic he experienced with music personally.

“When I first heard electronic music, I had a vision of what it would be like to throw a show that surrounded that vibe even though I had never been to an electronic show,” Gallegos told MP3 MAG. “I spent my first year gathering songs that I felt would create the same moments I felt when I first heard the genre. Almost 10 years later, I’ve made a lot of close friends through music and my mission is to put my friends on lineups that I feel create an atmosphere or vibe for an electronic music event.”

Later, he began DJing parties himself, and developing his own method of mixing bass-heavy music with hip-hop, along with other music that inspired him. By co-mingling styles, he found he could bring people together into an intrapersonal moment where they could escape their everyday monotony and hardships.

In 2012, Gallegos experienced heartbreaking loss when his mother lost her battle to cancer. As a process of coping, and an ode to the person who introduced music in his life, he turned deeper into the process of production. This would serve as his defining way of expressing himself.

Denver has long been home for a progressive music and arts scene, and has developed into one of the predominant hubs for bass music in America today. Aspiring to embark on a career in music, he packed up his car with $500 to his name and set his sights on Colorado.

A few months after his arrival, the universe presented him as a key character in the Mersiv Sound Project story, Knat Turner. A producer and songwriter himself, Knat Turner immediately saw Gallegos’ potential and began serving as his day-to-day manager.

“The first time I met Taylor was through a mutual friend of ours,” Gallegos recalled. “I reached out to him on Facebook asking about getting a show lineup up in Colorado and he asked if he could call me.”

“On the phone, he said he wanted to become an artist manager and that he wanted me to be his first artist. I knew my mission was to build, and I felt comfortable taking a risk with him. We built a solid friendship, and we grew very close over time. It wasn’t until almost two years later we really got started and rebranded to “Mersiv”. That’s when everything started falling into place. Since we built a friendship before business, I felt safe and trusted him along the way. We’ve known each other for almost five years now, and our friendship grows stronger each year.”

With veteran leadership, Mersiv quickly found his way to infiltrating the local scene before ultimately landing his biggest gig to date: Electric Forest. Originally billed for one set, Mersiv would go on to play five over the span of two weekends. His performances there, most notably his now-fabled set at the Grand Artique stage, would serve as a springboard for his career.

Shortly thereafter, Turner would introduce Gallegos to local Colorado-rapper, Chill Bobby, who would co-write and perform the lyrics on Mersiv’s now-classic track, “Beautiful & Filthy.”

Released via Liquid Stranger’s WAKAAN label, the track skyrocketed into a viral festival banger. Behind 2-million-plus Spotify streams, he toured the track via the Beautiful & Filthy tour throughout 2019. The single—along with key bookings at Okeechobee, Electric Forest, and a bevy of solo headlining dates—set the stage for a 2020 in which Mersiv’s name would be elevated amongst the hierarchy in EDM. Fate, however, would present yet another twist.

Following a packed, 10,000 person performance at Okeechobee’s HERE Stage, the COVID-19 Pandemic proceeded to shut down the music industry across the globe. Once again facing adversity, Mersiv would embark on a new journey: writing and executing his first full-length album.

Working from his at-home studio, Mersiv began writing a project bent on an emotional and cathartic experience. The project would be dubbed Pretty Dark Loud, as an ode to the dynamic and wide-ranging sound that offers this transformative ability. Utilizing a full spectrum sonic experience, he hoped to transmit therapeutic energy to listeners.

With his unreleased vault nearly flushed out (14 releases in 2020 alone), he began unveiling the first album merits with a run of Summer singles. “Floating Underwater Above the Clouds” delivered the first Pretty sampling, and has racked up 300k+ plus streams on Spotify behind an immersive video by Joseph Allen.

On October 22, Mersiv debuted his first full album, Pretty Dark Loud, which presented his immersive sonic expression over 20-tracks.

With its release, the producer has also been able to put a stamp on a budding electronic subgenre, Freeform Bass Music. Each song offers a sense of adventure and originality – the energy and impactful emotions that emit are crucial as it showcases the ability of electronic art to connect with just about anyone.

In doing so, Mersiv yields the personal accomplishment and recognition he hasn’t searched for, but appreciates more so as he comes upon this full circle moment. Not only was he able to achieve success in his cross-country journey of self-discovery, but he’s been able to make a widespread impact he’s never imagined.

“It’s incredible. Sometimes it feels real and sometimes I can’t believe that we are here. It’s been such a grind for the last few years and to see it connect is a blessing from the universe. I hope that I can continue to connect with people from the emotion I put into my music.”

Submitting his greatest effort to date in Pretty Dark Loud, Mersiv included a symbolic offering with the album’s epic closer, “If I Was A Raven.” The track revisits an original from fellow Louisiana-artist, Elephant Revival, to serve as a dedication to his late mother, who would have celebrated her birthday this past Sunday.

Not only has Mersiv accomplished the near-impossible task of finding success in the music industry, but also the ability to fully convey his emotions and come to terms with them. The result has empowered him as a human being. Its presented him the ability to help others find themselves and perhaps most important, a new way of expressing those stories.

Make sure not to miss Mersiv next weekend at Hulaween, where he’ll be making his The Spirit of The Suwannee debut at the Spirit Lake Stage. Find more info on Hula day schedules here.