Name: Adult Art Club
Members: Matthew Kopp aka Running Touch, Zac Waters
Occupation: Producer, songwriter, guitarist
Nationality: Australian
Current release: Adult Art Club's new single "A Thousand Golden People" is out via Rose Avenue. The band have also announced their homonymous debut album for release in February 2023.

If you enjoyed this interview with Matthew Kopp of Adult Art Club and would like to know more about the duo, visit the project's Instagram.

We also recommend our earlier interview with Zac Waters of Adult Art Club about the relationship between Music and Fashion.



Tell me a bit, about your current instruments and tools, please. In which way do they support creative exchange and collaborations with others? Are there obstacles and what are potential solutions towards making collaborations easier?

My current setup is pretty streamlined / mobile. Instead of purchasing synths I decided to buy into the most powerful Mac I could and pair it with my favorite and only true fully weighted 88 keyboard I could find - the Native instruments mk2.

I do wish I had more hardware that can create serendipitous moments, all I have are guitars - I think having more hardware to reach for would be more intuitive for collaboration. That being said, I can bring my Mac everywhere.

What were some of your earliest collaborations? How do you look back on them with hindsight?

I’ve been in Ocean Grove since I was in year 8, I’d consider that my first collaboration - it was surprisingly really seamless and fun. I wrote all the melodic and rhythm stuff, James wrote the lead.

I look back on our first album very fondly, every time I think about it I realize how unintentionally dialed in we were to our specialties, how we just really didn’t mind blatantly tributing our idols.



My first collaboration as a solo act would have been when I wrote “My Hands” with Alexander Freund - a German musician.

I loved this session, I think similarly to Ocean Grove we both had different specialities and we settled into them straight away which made us both really comfortable.



Besides the aforementioned early collaborations, can you talk about one particular collaboration that was important for you? Why did it feel special to you? When, why and how did you start working on it, what were some of the motivations and ideas behind it?

The Hayden James collaboration for sure. It felt special because Hayden is and was very much an inspiration of mine and a giant in the industry - it’s one of those opportunities that comes along with a lot of gravity and awe.

We started working on two demos I’d send him through instagram … it fizzled out, but I told him to revisit the other one ... that turned into "Better Together", and I knew straight away he was going to be able to take it to new heights.



The only motivations were to put the best of both of our skill sets together, I really didn’t gun or push for anything and neither did Hayden … it just happened. It sounded like his song “Something About You”, so we just committed to that thinking.



That process is also immensely easier when you have someone like Cassian guiding us.

What are some of the things you learned from your collaborations over the years?

Let go, it’s not about you. If you can see someone has a honed ability or specialty, encourage and let them lean into it … don’t feel the need to make anything happen or prove yourself … it’s not about that.

How do you feel your sense of identity influences your collaborations? Do you feel as though you are able to express yourself more fully in solo mode or, conversely, through the interaction with other musicians? Are you “gaining” or “sacrificing” something in a collaboration?

I am most definitely able to express myself more with others. Collaboration is much like therapy in that it asks or forces questions out of you that you may not lead yourself to alone.

You feel new and uninhibited by any expectations or how “you” sound … that's just me anyway.

There are many potential models for collaboration, from live performances and jamming via producing in the same room together up to file sharing. Which of these do you prefer – and why?

Producing in the same room is my favourite. When you’re in a place that facilities ideas with hardware and various instruments … you’re on a highway of possibilities and it gives a better chance to give everyone a place in their speciality because there is access to so much.

If there are mics, couches, synths, guitars, bass, laptops … you’re covering everything … we can all immerse ourselves in what we feel we’re best suited to.

Is there typically a planning phase for your collaborations? If so, what happens in this phase and how does it contribute to the results?

For me there is. I always go in with ideas and templates, with no intention to use them … just to be ready and almost warm up.

Recently I’ve been more focused on learning their songs and songs in the same keys just to walk myself around their space and it feels less forced than bringing in demos.

What tend to be the best collaborations in your opinion – those with artists you have a lot in common with or those where you have more differences? What happens when another musician take you outside of your comfort zone?

Differences is always more interesting in my opinion. Ideally someone with a skillset you don’t posses so it introduces a new perspective on your creation and gives them a lane to fully project themselves.

Do you need to have a good relationship with your collaborator? Or can there be a benefit to working with someone you may not get along with on a personal level?

I’ve been in this situation and it’s doable. Honestly, it’s kind of interesting.

Some artists feel as though the creative process should not be a democratic one. What are your thoughts on the interaction with other musicians, the need for compromise and the decision making process?

It’s such a contextual concept. It’s so hard to say. I think if you have good principles, and if you're sure of yourself in that you don’t feel pushed to prove yourself, those things will work themselves out without a fights … if not, then I think you're going to waste your bandwidth on arguing for sure.

What's your take on cross-over collaborations between different genres?

Amazing! In this age I think we are seeing it happen more and more and I love it, it has so much potential to push music forward and create moments.

There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you as part of a collaboration? In which way is it different between your solo work and collaborations?

Much the same. You want your attention, respect and flow all to be at ease and welcome the best of yourself. It’s hard to get there on your own.

Sometimes it’s a little more task driven but I’m definitely edging toward working that mentality personally as that's what I reach for collaboratively.

Collaborating with one's heroes can be a thrill or a cause for panic. Do you have any practical experience with this and what was it like?

I do but it was fine. I think that is one difference in being mid twenties than being 21 … you just respond to things with a lot more space and consideration. It’s not chaos.