Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mathias Kunzli. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Mathias, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I’ve been making a living playing, recording and producing music for about twenty-seven years. There are always ups and downs and keeping up the trust and the morale is key but not always easy. During my years at Berklee College of Music, I studied and played with a lot of people who would later show up in my professional circles.
Freelancing is not steady and it is crucial to keep up relationships and connections.
I’ve been touring, recording with and for people all over the globe.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My music days are filled with a combination of recording in my home studio or elsewhere, rehearsing or learning new music that we’re about to perform, playing shows all around the globe or at a local venue.

Besides drum set I play a fairly wide range of various percussion instruments and I get involved with lots of different folks from around the world to collaborate and contribute to their projects, bands, film scores or anything else that might require someone like me.

I frequently make my own unique instruments and collect objects from all over. This provides an always growing pallet of sounds that I use for my recording work.

A rewarding feeling is certainly when I get called to be me and deliver my own sound and ideas to be added to a project. It is satisfying to hear and sense people’s real personality and honesty in a piece of music. That is all I really desire.

I’m grateful for every opportunity that comes my way but the most rewarding ones are the ones that cover it all: Good people, good music and good pay (in that order).

I’ve had the pleasure to do so with folks like Regina Spektor, Yo-Yo Ma, John Zorn, Brooklyn Rider and many many others over the years.

I’ve gained plenty of valuable experiences touring with Lauryn Hill, Moby and artists around the globe. Every experience can teach you something if you let it.

I feel confident in saying that I give it my all whenever I get asked to deliver. Whether that is playing in front of 60’000 people or teaching a drum lesson in my living room.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Generally it is best to connect with the artist as directly as possible. In today’s world that is a fairly easy task since pretty much everyone has some sort of online presence where they can be reached.

If there are any streamlined ways to pay the artist directly and fairly, use those if you value us.

Subscription based streaming platforms pay us almost nothing. These platforms can be good in ways of exposure etc. but if you like to help a musician survive, BUY their products directly from them, hire them to play at your events, pay them fairly and treat them like you would like to be treated offering your services.

Most of us work very hard around the clock in order to get to where we are. We have all spent countless hours every week, every month for years and years and years: Practicing, learning new musical trades, lots of technology(!), adding to the repertoire, social media presence, paying for rehearsal spaces, studios, other musicians, publicists…. it goes on and on.

On top of all these tasks we strive to stay creative and inspired. After all we want to keep creating new music for you/us. That is ultimately all we want to do but we have to run a business on the side in order to be noticed enough to potentially make a living doing this.

It’s a never ending process, a beautiful and ultimately rewarding one if things come together in a way that works for you.

So, if you have the means, show your love and help us keep going because ultimately we all need each other.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The fact that I get exposed to endless cultures and get to play with people of any given background, musically and otherwise.

Music really does have the power to connect us and build bridges if you let it.

I hope that we can set a positive example for all of us in our daily lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mathiaskunzli.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mathiaskunzli/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mathias.kunzli.5/

Image Credits
Rene Mosele Markus Froemml