We were lucky to catch up with Maciej Maćkowski recently and have shared our conversation below.

Maciej, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

There have been some cool and important moments in my music-making and live performance adventure so far. The first music released on cd, the first contact with my own music on vinyl are definitely landmarks and important events for me. They also included participating and performing at big music festivals such as Unsound, Up To Date Festival, Red Bull Music Weekender and Tauron Nowa Muzyka. A performance in Stockholm and the release of a cassette in Japan would also add to this modest but important list for me. From the perspective of commercial work, collaborations with brands such as Tylko, Swatch or Puma, the use of my music in film productions available on AXN/Netflix, but also actions related to the creation and participation in charitable initiatives, such as compilations and releases dedicated to supporting Palestine or Ukraine, were certainly important.

Maciej, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My fascination with electronic music dates back to my early teens, when I learned about the pioneers of the genre thanks to the fact that my parents listened to such music at home, among other things. Later, I became fascinated with scratching and dreamed of having a turntable and a mixer. However, in those years it was very expensive equipment, so with the purchase of my first computer I began to learn how to make music. Those were the days when there was no YouTube or tutorials yet, also by trial and error I explored different programs, tools and techniques. Over the years, my knowledge deepened and systematized, so that over time the hobby turned into a hobby that sometimes brings money. My first professional assignment was to create music for a audiobook. I had absolutely no idea how to do it, but eventually managed to finish this project and it was met with acclaim. Subsequent projects and commissions were more or less complicated and elaborate, their list at this point is quite long. Over the past years, I’ve had the opportunity to create radio jingles, music for yoga workouts, sounds for an application to improve relaxation and faster recovery (using binaural sounds), but also music for design exhibitions and advertisements. Working with each client is completely different and I approach it individually. I try to understand the needs and adapt to them as best as possible. Of course, I give my ideas and suggestions, so that the projects still have their own character and are not typical music-from-stock compositions. Very important in this work is the brief and understanding of the client’s needs. For my part, I always expect to understand that my vision and style is also important, so each time I make sure that the potential client is familiar with my work.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In an age of ubiquitous access to streaming platforms and YouTube, it is critical to support artists (in my example, music artists) by buying music on Bandcamp, going to their performances or buying merch. The more we support small creative initiatives, artists, collectives or small labels, the more profits will go directly to the creators.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

From my perspective, it is worth being inspired by the past, present and future. It is certainly worth remembering the pioneers, the creators who are often no longer on this planet. Here it can be very inspiring to watch and listen to their works, read biographies and memoirs. You never know when one sentence read or sound heard will open some magical portal in our mind.
When it comes to contemporary artists, it’s worth experiencing live art whenever possible. In galleries, at exhibitions, concerts or festivals. You never know if by chance you will run into an artist in person and manage to exchange a few sentences with him. Maybe it will be that inspiring moment, that zen moment? However, to reveal a few names or names that inspire me, I will list them in no order: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Eugeniusz Rudnik, Beastie Boys, Hiroshi Yoshimura, Mark Gonzales, Leonora Carrington, Miles Davis, Rick Rubin or Paul Bowles. And hey! Check artists from Poland: Izabela Dłużyk, Seliga, Michał Wolski, Kaśka Paluch (Noice From Iceland), Błażej Malinowski, Hani Rani, Earth Trax, Mirt, EABS, to name a few.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sayyestobotanica.bandcamp.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sayyestobotanica/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sayyestobotanica
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thisisbotanica

Image Credits

Krzysztof Karpiński
Paweł Sławski
Dawid Ścigalski
Katia Eggcloud
Dj Czarek