Order Meets Emotion: Inside the World of MXGUINNESS.
- Editorial Board
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
From systems and sound design to intentional techno and human connection with Mike McGuinness.
Today we have the pleasure to have mxguinnes here on Goathead.
GHR: Hi MXGuinness, great to have you here. What inspired you to start writing music?
MX: I have always been drawn to systems, technology, games, visual design, and how people and communities function. I am wired for structure and logic, and music became another way to explore that creatively. Music for me sits where order meets emotion. That balance is where I am most comfortable.
My background in video game development played a huge role. Building sound effects and background music taught me how audio shapes atmosphere and narrative without words. That way of thinking carried straight into my tracks, sound as environment, not just melody. Music became the place where technical thinking, visual ideas, and lived experience could coexist. It never started as wanting to be a musician. It started as a need for a creative outlet that let me think and feel at the same time. Once that clicked, it stuck.
GHR: Can you tell us more about your experience performing live and a moment that stayed with you?
MX: I have played clubs and gigs across the US East Coast and the UK, from New York City and Miami to Glasgow. Those rooms taught me how to read a crowd. One night that stands out was stepping in at Caesars Palace in Atlantic City after an A list DJ cancelled last minute. No buildup, a crowd expecting someone else, and I loved the challenge.
DC also left a mark on me. The energy was raw and honest. My track 1015 Half is an ode to Nations and that era, when the address itself became part of the identity. Those years were about experimentation too. Pushing MIDI control, moving between Ableton Live and CDJs, even bringing an iMac into the booth. I also learned discipline the hard way on Technics 1210s and vinyl, carefully selecting records and building a library.
I have never rushed into performing just to tick a box. The project always comes first. Live shows should mean something. Right now I value the studio phase, building with patience and precision so that when shows return, they feel intentional, not forced.
GHR: How is your songwriting process set up?
MX: It usually starts with a mood or an idea that refuses to let go. From there I build deliberately, sometimes obsessively. I will tear a track apart if it feels dishonest or too safe. I try to anchor everything in structure while leaving space for discomfort. If it does not make me uneasy at some point, it is probably not finished.
There is no AI involved in my music or in these answers. Every sound is intentional. I pull from older sample libraries and reshape them, experiment with arpeggios using Cthulhu and Serum, spend time on my Moog and other synths because they sound alive. I rebuild audio in MIDI, reverse my own clips, and constantly rework ideas. I listen widely, but the goal is simple. The finished track should make you feel something.
GHR: What motivates you to create and to bring awareness through your music?
MX: I am not trying to lecture anyone. I am interested in revealing things people feel but rarely say out loud. Music can hold those ideas without explaining them. If someone hears a track and recognizes a memory, a moment, or themselves on a dance floor, that is the goal.
Many of the most important human connections happen around music and dance floors. My approach is to let meaning surface naturally. Music becomes a peaceful response, a way of moving with feeling instead of against it.
My Futureshock EP was deeply personal. It was written before I stepped away from producing, and releasing it now felt like reconnecting with something I never lost. A lot of my techno is about reclaiming rave energy without phones or social media. Just shared presence and connection. Keeping art real matters to me. That is why I do not use AI and do not plan to. If there is awareness in my work, it is about energy, inclusiveness, being real, and kindness.
GHR: What can we expect next from you?
MX: There is a steady flow of releases coming. Two are already lined up, including None Given in January, placed close together by design. I am also building tools around visual identity alongside the music. Momentum matters to me, but it has to feel natural.
The sound will stay cohesive while evolving, moving between darker and lighter spaces with deliberate genre mixing. I have launched my own label, Northscape, built on ethical practice and a clear sonic identity. Artist treatment, music quality, and mastering all matter deeply to me. Distribution runs through Label Engine, which gives me flexibility and control.
All of this feeds into a longer form project. The groundwork is being laid now. This is a long term vision focused on refining identity, staying consistent, and letting the music evolve without chasing trends.
Follow mxguinnes on Instagram and listen to Chromatic Echoes
