Please tell our readers who you are and what you do?
Hey! My name's Joshua Nussbaum, and my primary music project is called Mussar; I've been DJing and producing music for about four and a half years now. I write dubstep, trap, moombahton, drum and bass, and any other genre that catches my interest. Currently, I'm finishing up my bachelor's in music composition at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California, so I can learn how to score for films, TV, and animations.
How would you describe your influences and how have they changed over the years? Do you feel that changing tastes over years as artistic growth? ?
The four biggest musical influences in my life are (in no particular order): Linkin Park, Nine Inch Nails, Deadmau5, and Skrillex. These are all artists who I discovered on my own, and they've stood apart from their peers every step of the way. I've also been heavily influenced by my family's musical tastes. From my father's classic rock to my mother's psychadelic, from my grandfather's classical, and even from my sisters' interest in R&B and Pop. As I've grown older, my interests have never narrowed – only multiplied. Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, and YouTube have become invaluable resources for new inspiration; It's been more difficult to find brand new names, but if you dig enough you find the gems.
What´s new right now?
At the moment, I'm focusing on my education and trying to get a tutoring service started – I currently work for both Upsound and Pyramind as a mentor, and also do private lessons. I have a weekly music production livestream on the streaming platform Twitch (every Saturday at noon Pacific time!), and I'm beginning a weekly DJ mix that will be livestreamed on my various socials. I've been working on a lot of new music – a few originals and a lot of bootlegs and remixes, as well as a bunch of collaborations. Really hoping to release some of the tunes this year, either through a label or on my own. However, I graduate next spring, and plan to dive headfirst into putting out a TON of new content. So keep a look out for me in 2018!
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What was the biggest mistake you made when you started making music and what would be the number one tip you could give to a newcomer musician?
When I first started out, I expected to have other people explain what I was supposed to do. I was expecting a mentor to hold my hand and guide me, and that mentor never materialized. The best mentor you have is the instruction manual – so if you're just starting out, RTFM – Read The F'ing Manual! Even if you don't understand everything, you will learn a lot through osmosis and experimentation. If I had spent a month with the Ableton manual and an empty session when I first started out, I would have grown two or three times as fast as I did.
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How do you get gigs? Can you share any tips?
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What has been your biggest challenge right now? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
My biggest struggle as a musician at the moment is confidence. I experience the imposter syndrome almost daily, where I feel as though I am not as good as everyone says I am. It has made finishing songs difficult, but I can always remember how far I've come and realize that I don't need to worry about proving my bona fides – I just need to write good music.
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How do you promote yourself? Do you have any specific promotion tips for other musicians?
Just be genuine. Don't focus on promotion, because that comes after the music. On social media, it comes after absolutely everything else. Don't make it all about yourself – for every "I" post, there should be 3-4 "You" posts. Provide an experience for your audience, and let them feel like they are along for the ride.
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We meet again in one year. What has changed?
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http://www.facebook.com/mussarmusic
http://www.soundcloud.com/mussarmusc
http://www.facebook.com/mussarmusic
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Enter your questions to the artist in the facebook comment section below.
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