Working closely with Drain Gang trailblazers Ecco2k and Bladee, German producer Mechatok has redefined pop music for an entire generation. Running through the veins of today’s digital natives, Mechatok’s unique blend of pop songwriting and hyperpop and cloud rap is as eccentric as it is globally diffuse; but all of this converged on the dancefloor of his Natural Mind club night at London’s Colour Factory late last month (May 23).
“I think it’s more than just a party,” says Mechatok, who founded the event back in 2022. “Natural Mind has lowkey become an umbrella for a certain group of artists and friends. We all do our own projects, we tour separately from each other, so [it’s] always an opportunity to regroup. I think our audience can sense that.”
Having featured performances from Evian Christ, Mica Levi, Babyxsosa and Vegyn at events between London and Berlin, it’s this personal camaraderie between some of underground music’s biggest names that has seen Natural Mind take on an almost mythical reputation in recent years. During its latest iteration, this lineage was survived by guest appearances from rising stars Rat Section and Isabella Lovestory, as well as the first full live rendition of Mechatok, Ecco2k and Fakemink’s recent hit “MAKKA”.
“Initially, I wrote the song as an instrumental track and had it laying around for a while,” Mechatok explains of the process behind “MAKKA”. “I was in the studio with Ecco, Mink was working in another room and we bumped into each other in the hallway. When I played him the idea he just went straight to the booth and recorded his whole verse, it was pretty much a one-take kind of thing. We also shot the video that night right outside the studio.”
It’s a serendipitous encounter with rising 20-year-old London-based rap star Fakemink, and one that powerfully highlights how influential Mechatok’s music has since become. The German artist reminisces that he, Bladee and Ecco2k have been friends for over ten years, joined by what Mechatok describes as a “similarly obsessive angle on pop culture and music”, and, together, their music has since gone on to inspire a whole new generation of artists.
Suffice to say, Mechatok’s Natural Mind parties are more than just a club night – it’s a celebration of a group of friends who have changed pop music forever.
Grab a closer look at Natural Mind’s latest event at London’s Colour Factory in the gallery above.