Exron Exclusive Interview: Mindchatter at Okeechobee 2022

Making his Florida debut, Bryce Connolly, better known as Mindchatter, gave Okeechobee Music Festival a taste of his breathtaking discography and unique live performance. We got the opportunity to catch up with Mindchatter on the last day of the festival, picking his brain on all things from the history of his project to his upcoming tour.

The New York-based DJ and producer is one of the fastest-growing artists in the dance music space. Currently gearing up for his Dream Soup Tour, Mindchatter notes that he’s most looking forward to performing in his hometown, where he’s scheduled to play at one of Brooklyn’s most coveted music venues, Elsewhere.

His debut tour, Dream Soup, coincides with his sophomore album of the same title. The young artist will be making rounds at major cities across North America, including Denver, Seattle, Atlanta, Montreal, and beyond. All of this anticipation begs the question: how did he get here? Bryce launched his Mindchatter project just three short years ago. We were curious to learn how he’s found so much success in a relatively short period of time.

Mindchatter tells us that he’s actually been producing since he was fifteen, taking the hobby with him to college, where he continued to play around with music. “I always had this dream to be my own artist and not produce for other people,” he says. This vision is what drove him to pursue production seriously at Icon Collective. His time studying music at Icon ultimately encouraged him to push his own boundaries, allowing him to morph into the multifaceted artist he is today. 

“They forced me to start singing, and I started writing music, which I’ve never done,” says Mindchatter. “But I just kind of fell in love with it—I had a knack for it.”

For those who may not know, the ethereal voice on Mindchatter’s tracks is his own. As talented as he is, we were surprised to learn that singing was an entirely new feat when he started at Icon. 

“When I started, I would use my voice with really heavy effects,” he says. “Over the course of a couple of years, I just got comfortable using my voice naturally.”

In addition to learning to write music and sing, Mindchatter faced challenges getting his project off the ground. “You have no idea if somebody’s going to like your music. Especially for me, it’s kind of its own lane a little bit—like it’s a little bit different. So, I just had no idea how people would react. I had been sending it out to labels for a year and just got a bunch of no’s.”

He goes on, “I was like fuck it, I’m just going to put it on SoundCloud and Spotify myself.”

Eventually, Mindchatter began releasing on Mind of Genius, also home to legendary tastemaker ZHU. He had been submitting his music to the owner and founder of the label, David Dann, who he knew personally through his older brother. “He wasn’t that into it,” he laughs.

He continues, “And then eventually, I put out my own music, and I got a bunch of buzz from the internet and stuff. Then, his [David’s] A&R person found me and brought me in. I saw David, who was like, ‘wait, you’re the kid who’s been sending me music this whole time.’ It came full circle.”

As a big ZHU fan himself, Mindchatter had always had his sights set on Mind of a Genius. “He [ZHU] is a big inspiration for me.” He notes several other musicians like A Tribe Called Quest, Stimming, and Jamie XX as sources of inspiration. 

Mindchatter has gained recognition in the dance music scene for his versatile production approach. He regularly blends elements of indie and electronic genres to build euphoric soundscapes. “I like the idea of not sticking to one style,” he says. “When I listen to music, I just throw on shuffle. There’s no reason to be super consistent; a lot of people are scared to venture off.”

Having fallen in love with dance music at a young age, he always felt like there could be so much more to the music he heard at raves. “I was always like, why doesn’t it have lyrics? Why isn’t there a Bob Dylan of deep house?” So, he decided to grow up and do it himself. 

Mindchatter is currently gearing up for his first tour stop in Washington D.C. on March 30th. He recently shared a brand new single, “Nothing On Me,” to stir anticipation for the forthcoming tour and album. Indulge in “Nothing On Me” by Mindchatter below.

Cover Photo Courtesy of Juliana Bernstein for Insomniac Events