“Rise Up” is a liquid dance track that ebbs and flows with a sensuality that encapsulates Mass Experience’s desire to project songs of positivity and love even if the subject matter may be dark. The partnership of Mass Experience consists of Katie M. Little and Timothy Poulton who have a long history together having met 25 years ago when electronic music exploded into the mainstream consciousness and charts. The artists were involved in underground rave parties and designing iconic club posters that would probably fetch a pretty penny now. That all flavours “Rise Up” with its elements that are reminiscent of Massive Attack, Morcheeba and all those in the English underground scene of the late 1990s.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Hey Mass Experience, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Hi there! Lovely to chat with you too!
I first met Timothy in 1993 when electronic music first started being imported into Australia, breakbeat from England, hardcore from Rotterdam, HiNRG from Italy... We started putting on underground raves in Sydney and DJing and I programmed intelligent lighting. The spirit of rave has stuck with me my whole life and I’m so appreciative I got to experience those parties pre-smartphone era!
We released a couple of records back then but ultimately built a business around designing artwork for most of the clubs in Sydney. Apart from running a house together our creative careers took us on separate journeys for the better part of ten years, then when the planes grounded Timothy’s career we got back to doing what I think we were always supposed to do together, which is make music!
What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
Timothy is a world renowned landscape photographer - he takes small groups in the wild, trekking up mountains for days in places like Patagonia. People always say don’t you wish you could go too, but I don’t like sleeping in snow thanks!
I’m a tarot reader and a writer, I wrote a black humour memoir a few years ago called ‘Catch A Falling Star - A Story About Growing Up with Jeanne Little’, my inspirational mother who is a bit like Australia’s answer to Lucille Ball!
Presently we’re working on building an off-grid recording studio and artists colony called The Little Estate.
Your latest song is 'Rise Up'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
We’ve got three singles being released as part of the new album - I’ll give you the lowdown on each of them!
‘Rise Up’ came together pretty spontaneously on the last day of recording. We’d been working on another track which was driving me a bit nuts, I’d spent a tonne of time on it and it just didn’t feel right. At the last minute we decided to pull it and throw in ‘Rise Up’ instead - I had a couple of the lyrics down already, and just recorded them there on the spot. It’s perfect actually, as it’s just meant to be a light, breezy, party song, about finding magic in the air and that feeling of expectation when you’re perhaps going to indulge a little in some mood enhancers and instinctively know there’s a special night ahead…
‘Visions’ is the second single off the album. If ‘Rise Up’ is the night before, ‘Visions’ is definitely the morning after! It’s a really fun little flirtatious song about asking someone to put their phone down and give you their 100% undivided attention. I think it’s really important when we’re all battling the crazy effects of being too much in our heads with phones 24/7, to get back into our bodies again and enjoy them ffs - that’s what they’re for!
‘The Sun’ is the big single and it’s the last track on the album. It’s probably a bit more commercial than I’d usually write but the lyrics and the song itself was just so good I couldn’t let it go! It’s a really gorgeous song about the life experience of learning what family is and the importance of friendship to get you through the darkest days.
I had a nervous breakdown last year after losing both my parents and so the whole album ‘Pleasure and Purge’ is my experience of what I called getting through ‘the awfulness’, and the journey to rediscover beauty and reclaim my playful nature.
What do you dislike about the art world?
Nasty people! I’m very generous by nature and I love supporting other people with their creative ideas, so it always surprises me when people don’t return the favour.
Describe a real-life situation that inspired you?
Coming up to our off-grid property inspires me - every time I’m here I come across a new type of creature, a legless lizard who sat in my hand for over half an hour, a green tree snake, exquisite little eastern spinebills collecting nectar. It just reminds you how incredible nature is, it’s easy to loose that connection when you’re in the city.
What accomplishments do you see yourself achieving in the next five to 10 years?
That’s an interesting question! Coming out of a nervous breakdown I really had to go right back to just enjoying the experience of creating art for the pure fun and joy of creating with no expectation attached.
I’m really thrilled at the positive response to the music we’re releasing and I’m loving the way creating music opens you up to working with other artists in the studio! Performing is also a really joyful experience and so that’s where I want to focus most of my creative energy. We’re aiming to produce one Mass Experience album a year, with remixes of the singles and we’re planning on having the off-grid recording studio here in Australia built by then!
What’s your scariest experience?
I’d have to say, seeing my mum diagnosed with Alzheimer’s - how fast she declined and then 11 years lying in a bed and being unable to do anything to help her. I really don’t think it’s surprising I had a nervous breakdown last year after she died, only that I didn’t have one sooner. Alzheimer’s is the number one cause of death for Australian women, yet it rarely makes the news. That to me is terrifying.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
We describe our music as indie-electronica. It’s got the soul of indie music, with the hypnotic beats of electronic.
I like to think our music is inspired by what drew us to raves in the first place - that openness of spirit, of unity and sharing something groundbreaking and bigger than yourself - it’s why we called ourselves Mass Experience!
Have you ever taught or mentored another musician?
Hmmm… I did teach my son how to play piano until he was better than me!
Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?
I’ve always been an extroverted introvert - writing is a hard lonely slog, designing artwork is relaxing but also solitary. Creating music came as a real surprise to me because I’m enjoying so much collaborating with other musicians and producers - it’s so fun!