Maddy O’Neal is quickly becoming one of the darlings of the bass music industry. Her bright, charismatic personality, paired with her increasingly refined musical talent and abilities, have her on the fast track to success — and we’re fairly sure it’s coming sooner rather than later.
2024 has been a banner year for O’Neal’s career. She not only launched her biggest tour yet after the release of her third LP, Vital Signs — she has also been announced as support for Of The Trees and Daily Bread on their tours. Maddy O’Neal opened up for Rezz at Red Rocks this summer as part of an iconic all-female lineup, and performances at Burning Man, Wakaan, Electric Forest, Hulaween, Shambhala, Secret Dreams, Sol Fest, and more rounded out her packed year of shows.
Fortunately, we were able to carve out some time in O’Neal’s busy schedule to check in on her newest album, her recent Suwannee Hulaween set, and her future goals to see what’s next for the DJ/producer.
Maddy O’Neal performing at Hulaween 2024
River Beats: For readers who may not be familiar with you yet, can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got into production and DJing?
Maddy O’Neal: I grew up in a very musical family. My dad and brother were both in bands growing up and I was constantly surrounded by music playing in my house. I dabbled in playing instruments growing up but never quite stuck with it until I found my niche producing and DJing while in school at CU Boulder. I was so inspired by the scene happening in Colorado that I had to figure out how the sounds I was hearing were made. So I dove into YouTube tutorials and taught myself everything I know. 14 years deep now, and it’s become my career.
RB: Which artists have been the biggest influence on your sound as you’ve grown your career?
MO: Coming up I was taken in by the Pretty Lights world – the artists on the original Pretty Lights Music label – Michal Menert, Paper Diamond, Eliot Lipp, etc. That whole community had a major impact on my sound and my career and still inspires and supports me to this day. Some other artists that really impacted me early on were Gramatik, The Glitch Mob, STS9, GRiZ, Big Gigantic, Emancipator, etc. As my sound has evolved over the years and become a bit more bass-heavy and focused on sound design, some major inspirations have been artists like CloZee, Of The Trees, LSDdream, etc. I love that I have become close with and able to tour with so many of the artists whose sound has impacted and lifted me up over the years.
RB: I want to touch on your newest album, Vital Signs. Can you talk about your inspiration and creative direction for this project?
MO: The theme [for the album] centers around finding signs of life and learning to navigate the nuances of personal evolution in the face of a mercurial world. Being alive means feeling a whole spectrum of emotions, the good and the bad, and evolving as you ride the waves. There’s a lot of anxious energy in the world right now with technological advances and so much change in forms of communication. This record was written about navigating evolution while remaining true to your roots and finding your pulse in moments of overstimulation.
MO: The concept of “evolve or remain” was a huge part of the theme. Sometimes you have to strip away the noise and just check for your vital signs. Learning to breathe through moments of turmoil and to realize everything is temporary. You can’t fight evolution you just gotta make it your own. When I set out to write this record I was coming off of my biggest tour year yet…I was decompressing and taking a moment to check in with myself on all levels. Sometimes you just know it is time to embark on writing that next bigger body of work. I had been starting ideas and subconsciously collecting vibes and when I sat down in January of this year to write and finally had a few consecutive weeks to hone a direction…the concept of Vital Signs was born. This record is extremely special to me as I was reflecting on the journey I’ve had over the last 12 years in the industry and really wanted to tie in my original influences and processes with the skills I’ve honed throughout my journey. I brought it back to the heavy hip hop / soulful sampling influences I leaned into at the start of my career while ramping it up with a big sound design and taking it up a notch in terms of production.
RB: You’ve got collaborations on the album with ProbCause, Cherub, and Xenotype among others – how did these come about? Is there an artist you’ve really enjoyed working with for this album or a past release?
MO: A lot of the collaborations on this record are super special to me as they are influences and friends of mine who go all the way back to the early years of my career. ProbCause and Cherub, being long-time friends of 12+ years, have been there through so many different phases of my musical evolution. Cherub put me on my first big tour back in 2018 — a 2.5-month-long bus tour as direct support — and it really kicked in the door for me. It was really special to tap the friends that have had my back from day 1 to be on such a meaningful record with me at such a crucial time in my career. It felt right to have those full-circle moments on this. The DJ Paul collab goes back even further as I have always been a massive fan of Three 6 Mafia and that connection spawned from my relationship with the Cherub guys as well.
RB: Who would you like to work with in the future?
MO: I’ve always been a big fan of the future bass sound – some cool collaboration ideas I’ve had in the back of my mind would be Flume or Louis The Child. I’ve always been a big fan of merging genres in a way that really challenges both parties and could potentially create a sound more unique than the typical lanes we hear more often. Some collaborations in my immediate realm would be Daily Bread, CloZee (collab round 2), Tape B, Of The Trees, etc.
RB: I loved the house vibes on “Lost” with Cherub. I know much of your sound is bass-driven, but do you see yourself continuing to integrate more into house music or playing more MADHAUS sets as your career progresses?
MO: Oh yeah! Now that my bass album is out in the world I have already started writing my first MadHaus EP. This has been on the back burner with a year full of touring but I finally have a moment to hone the house inspiration I have been gathering through my MadHaus sets. It’s been such a majorly inspiring and fun side project with sets at Burning Man, late-night festivals, and one of my favorites being the Honeycomb set at Electric Forest this year. I plan to showcase my own house record and continue to pursue that side quest.
Photo by John Verwey
RB: Regarding your recent Hulaween set – how did it feel to be back? Did you attend this festival before you played here for the first time?
MO: This was my 3rd year playing Hulaween and this set sort of felt like the one where I had finally arrived. It ended up being one of my favorite festival sets of the year. The slot, the energy, and the crowd reaction were everything I could have asked for. It’s always been up there on my list of top festivals in terms of curation and vibe and I’m very grateful I got to showcase where I am at in my career in that capacity.
RB: Is there anything in particular you love about Hulaween or Suwannee Music Park that other festivals don’t offer?
MO: One of my favorite parts of Hulaween is how immersive and art-focused it is. On top of the playful aspect of it being Halloween/costume-focused, they put so much time into creating an environment with installations and interactive adventures throughout the grounds. That part makes for a super fun environment to get lost in and stumble upon things you wouldn’t expect. I also think they do one of the best jobs at curating a diverse lineup full of all types of genres – house, hip-hop, jam bands, bass, etc.
RB: Do you have any advice for up-and-coming DJs/producers that you’d like to share?
MO: First of all, stick with it. This industry and your own creative journey simultaneously take time. Stay true to your vision, never stop being curious and experimenting…. it’s a never-ending learning process. Once you are confident in your lane, do all you can to immerse yourself in the community and connect with other artists. The friends and inspiration you can get from creating your own little world within it are invaluable. Those people and those fans will be there for life.
Maddy O’Neal is quickly becoming one of the darlings of the bass music industry. Her bright, charismatic personality, paired with her increasingly refined musical talent and abilities, have her on the fast track to success — and we’re fairly sure it’s coming sooner rather than later.
2024 has been a banner year for O’Neal’s career. She not only launched her biggest tour yet after the release of her third LP, Vital Signs — she has also been announced as support for Of The Trees and Daily Bread on their tours. Maddy O’Neal opened up for Rezz at Red Rocks this summer as part of an iconic all-female lineup, and performances at Burning Man, Wakaan, Electric Forest, Hulaween, Shambhala, Secret Dreams, Sol Fest, and more rounded out her packed year of shows.
Fortunately, we were able to carve out some time in O’Neal’s busy schedule to check in on her newest album, her recent Suwannee Hulaween set, and her future goals to see what’s next for the DJ/producer.
River Beats: For readers who may not be familiar with you yet, can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got into production and DJing?
Maddy O’Neal: I grew up in a very musical family. My dad and brother were both in bands growing up and I was constantly surrounded by music playing in my house. I dabbled in playing instruments growing up but never quite stuck with it until I found my niche producing and DJing while in school at CU Boulder. I was so inspired by the scene happening in Colorado that I had to figure out how the sounds I was hearing were made. So I dove into YouTube tutorials and taught myself everything I know. 14 years deep now, and it’s become my career.
RB: Which artists have been the biggest influence on your sound as you’ve grown your career?
MO: Coming up I was taken in by the Pretty Lights world – the artists on the original Pretty Lights Music label – Michal Menert, Paper Diamond, Eliot Lipp, etc. That whole community had a major impact on my sound and my career and still inspires and supports me to this day. Some other artists that really impacted me early on were Gramatik, The Glitch Mob, STS9, GRiZ, Big Gigantic, Emancipator, etc. As my sound has evolved over the years and become a bit more bass-heavy and focused on sound design, some major inspirations have been artists like CloZee, Of The Trees, LSDdream, etc. I love that I have become close with and able to tour with so many of the artists whose sound has impacted and lifted me up over the years.
RB: I want to touch on your newest album, Vital Signs. Can you talk about your inspiration and creative direction for this project?
MO: The theme [for the album] centers around finding signs of life and learning to navigate the nuances of personal evolution in the face of a mercurial world. Being alive means feeling a whole spectrum of emotions, the good and the bad, and evolving as you ride the waves. There’s a lot of anxious energy in the world right now with technological advances and so much change in forms of communication. This record was written about navigating evolution while remaining true to your roots and finding your pulse in moments of overstimulation.
MO: The concept of “evolve or remain” was a huge part of the theme. Sometimes you have to strip away the noise and just check for your vital signs. Learning to breathe through moments of turmoil and to realize everything is temporary. You can’t fight evolution you just gotta make it your own. When I set out to write this record I was coming off of my biggest tour year yet…I was decompressing and taking a moment to check in with myself on all levels. Sometimes you just know it is time to embark on writing that next bigger body of work. I had been starting ideas and subconsciously collecting vibes and when I sat down in January of this year to write and finally had a few consecutive weeks to hone a direction…the concept of Vital Signs was born. This record is extremely special to me as I was reflecting on the journey I’ve had over the last 12 years in the industry and really wanted to tie in my original influences and processes with the skills I’ve honed throughout my journey. I brought it back to the heavy hip hop / soulful sampling influences I leaned into at the start of my career while ramping it up with a big sound design and taking it up a notch in terms of production.
RB: You’ve got collaborations on the album with ProbCause, Cherub, and Xenotype among others – how did these come about? Is there an artist you’ve really enjoyed working with for this album or a past release?
MO: A lot of the collaborations on this record are super special to me as they are influences and friends of mine who go all the way back to the early years of my career. ProbCause and Cherub, being long-time friends of 12+ years, have been there through so many different phases of my musical evolution. Cherub put me on my first big tour back in 2018 — a 2.5-month-long bus tour as direct support — and it really kicked in the door for me. It was really special to tap the friends that have had my back from day 1 to be on such a meaningful record with me at such a crucial time in my career. It felt right to have those full-circle moments on this. The DJ Paul collab goes back even further as I have always been a massive fan of Three 6 Mafia and that connection spawned from my relationship with the Cherub guys as well.
RB: Who would you like to work with in the future?
MO: I’ve always been a big fan of the future bass sound – some cool collaboration ideas I’ve had in the back of my mind would be Flume or Louis The Child. I’ve always been a big fan of merging genres in a way that really challenges both parties and could potentially create a sound more unique than the typical lanes we hear more often. Some collaborations in my immediate realm would be Daily Bread, CloZee (collab round 2), Tape B, Of The Trees, etc.
RB: I loved the house vibes on “Lost” with Cherub. I know much of your sound is bass-driven, but do you see yourself continuing to integrate more into house music or playing more MADHAUS sets as your career progresses?
MO: Oh yeah! Now that my bass album is out in the world I have already started writing my first MadHaus EP. This has been on the back burner with a year full of touring but I finally have a moment to hone the house inspiration I have been gathering through my MadHaus sets. It’s been such a majorly inspiring and fun side project with sets at Burning Man, late-night festivals, and one of my favorites being the Honeycomb set at Electric Forest this year. I plan to showcase my own house record and continue to pursue that side quest.
RB: Regarding your recent Hulaween set – how did it feel to be back? Did you attend this festival before you played here for the first time?
MO: This was my 3rd year playing Hulaween and this set sort of felt like the one where I had finally arrived. It ended up being one of my favorite festival sets of the year. The slot, the energy, and the crowd reaction were everything I could have asked for. It’s always been up there on my list of top festivals in terms of curation and vibe and I’m very grateful I got to showcase where I am at in my career in that capacity.
RB: Is there anything in particular you love about Hulaween or Suwannee Music Park that other festivals don’t offer?
MO: One of my favorite parts of Hulaween is how immersive and art-focused it is. On top of the playful aspect of it being Halloween/costume-focused, they put so much time into creating an environment with installations and interactive adventures throughout the grounds. That part makes for a super fun environment to get lost in and stumble upon things you wouldn’t expect. I also think they do one of the best jobs at curating a diverse lineup full of all types of genres – house, hip-hop, jam bands, bass, etc.
RB: Do you have any advice for up-and-coming DJs/producers that you’d like to share?
MO: First of all, stick with it. This industry and your own creative journey simultaneously take time. Stay true to your vision, never stop being curious and experimenting…. it’s a never-ending learning process. Once you are confident in your lane, do all you can to immerse yourself in the community and connect with other artists. The friends and inspiration you can get from creating your own little world within it are invaluable. Those people and those fans will be there for life.
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Featured photo: John Verwey
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