Matt Mazer, the owner of Liquid Fungi, is a mushroom scientist with with an ear for music. Known as "Disdain" in the music world, Matt is breaking stereotypes and blending his love for mycology with his passion for music. But who is this mushroom maestro, and what makes his content so captivating? Although none of his mushroom music has been officially released, several clips of different upcoming songs have. Check one out below:
@liquidfungi The full #mushroompeople track by Disdain @lifeofdisdain - owner of Liquid Fungi - #mycology#sound #sounds ♬ original sound - liquidfungi
From Lab to Stage: Matt's Journey
As a mycologist, Matt spends his days studying fungi in the Liquid Fungi lab. But when he's not in his white coat, he transforms into Disdain, creating music that is as unique and diverse as the mushrooms he studies. From ambient tracks inspired by the peaceful nature of the forest to upbeat tunes that reflect deep emotional struggles, Matt's music is a true reflection of his many life passions.
Breaking Stereotypes: Mushroom Music
While some may see mycology as a nerdy pursuit, Matt is here to show that it can be cool, too. By infusing his music with his knowledge of mushrooms, Matt is breaking stereotypes and showing the world that science and art can coexist in perfect harmony. His social media content is a mix of educational posts about fungi and behind-the-scenes glimpses into his life, creating a unique blend of entertainment and education.
The Truth Behind the Brilliance
Matt is a long time stage musician, writer, and poet. He performed at underground venues and released over 50 tracks in a 6 year period during the early 2000's. He inspired many of today's popular rappers with emotionally driven tracks that were unique at the time. In 2020 he became involved in musical AI development. In January 2024 he produced 10 songs for the NASA Deep Space Project Team NOLUX using AI, and the songs were well received.
In March 2024 he used AI to create the "League One" promotion song for the FX show "Welcome to Wrexham", focused on a celebrity owned football club in Wales. The same month he produced a dramatic version of the football clubs' anthem "Wrexham Is The Name", which was originally written in 1864.
AI Music Production
Producing captivating and convincing music with AI makes it sound like the task is done for you, however, that is far from the truth. AI does not natively write captivating or moving music. It can write something representing the patterns of music that sounds like facts being read off a wiki page. Good production is about innovative writing, and AI has not got that figured out yet. Even AI requires creative direction and the orchestration of a good writer. It can play the guitar for you, stay in tune, and generate tracks. But, it cannot write a heartfelt song from the perspective of a human. If you asked it to do so, it would write a song using lyrics compiled from the top search results of "heartfelt human song", you can imagine how that turns out.
Writing Good AI Music
All the AI music Matt has produced, he has written. Every single word. I think that is the confusion for most listeners. AI cannot write a good song, it can only perform what you tell it to. Matt says he writes the lyrics and music then employs AI to perform the roles required to bring the songs together. Like assembling early boy bands, but he replaces the boys with computers. This is efficient, since it forgoes travel and time restrictions, and minimizes the number of pre-madonna attitudes in the studio. Matt says he can often write and produce songs in one day using AI, allowing him to get to his end goal quickly, and realize his artistic vision almost instantly. However, he firmly believes we are a long way from having AI replace creative writing, because the most celebrated pieces of creative writing require innovation outside standard thinking, which AI is very poor at. AI is good at evaluating known patterns in data for consensus, but poor at innovating new ideas from a limited individual perspective with little data.
Connecting with the Right Audience
With his innovative approach to blending art, science, and music, Matt is attracting the attention of the people. Corporations are lining up to have plugs and jingles written using AI. Matt's content is resonating with a diverse audience. By staying true to himself and his passions, he is making waves on social media and in his community.
Back To Tradition
Matt is back in the studio making music. However, this time around he has taken a step back into tradition. His upcoming self-titled album will have zero AI, completely performed by him, and some tracks are collaboratively produced with his 15 year old son, Brantley.
