Mássoul inherited his love of music from his parents, a recurring theme with people we’ve featured (read our interviews with Amalia & Opolopo). But it wasn’t love on first sight between Mássoul and house.

“I was nine maybe when I heard this song where they were singing something about ‘house’. I thought it was really bad and hated it and said I would never listen to house! As a teenager I only listened to techno and drum & bass. Aphex Twin, Photek, Goldie, Metalheadz. And after that a lot of Radiohead.”

Initially Mássoul had amassed a modest record collection of about 300 cds in various genres, but the collection was stolen soon after he had moved into his first apartment.

“I’d temporarily placed all of my records in the attic and around Christmas somebody broke in and took everything, all the records and a suitcase. I guess they filled the suitcase with the records. The only record they left was Fugees’ The Score.”

Mássoul didn’t see any point in starting over with his cd collection and has collected strictly vinyl after that, digging deeper and deeper in the crates, focusing on the various styles of house and always finding something new to get excited about.

“If you’re looking for a particular sound as I am right now, you can only find it on vinyl. I’m looking for early 90s house from New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Detroit. There are so many labels, like Prescription and Emotive, a lot of good stuff on Guidance. Pure garage from the beginning of the 90s.”
 

Listen to (or download) The Pure Garage Mix by Mássoul and let us know what you think.