Antimatter belongs to the bands, which create immersive experiences. For over two decades, Mick Moss has been the driving force behind this ethereal, melancholic project, crafting soundscapes that blend dark rock, trip-hop and ambient elements with poetic lyricism and true emotion. On March 1, 2025, Antimatter will grace the stage in Athens, offering Greek fans an intimate and haunting show. As the anticipation builds for this special performance, Myth of Rock had the privilege of speaking with Mick Moss himself!
by Dimitris Zacharopoulos
Antimatter is now on tour. How is the tour going until now? Which concert was your favourite until now?
The first leg of the tour was an unbelievable experience. I had made the decision very early on in the planning stages that I wouldn’t play any of the songs I had been playing for the last seven years, so as a result (and I’m stating the obvious here) this setlist is completely new to me. I am experiencing passages of music and emotional highs in the live setting that I have not experienced before. There are many songs being played for the first time here, and the rest have not been played for a very long time. It’s incredibly fresh and the live Antimatter feels like it’s had a shot in the arm. I’m really proud that my discography has enough tracks to be able to do this. I’m also proud that all these songs that were just sitting there are strong enough to create such a cool setlist. I’ll probably put one or two of the standards back into the set for Greece though, as the Greek audiences haven’t had that many opportunities to hear us recently.
Some days ago you released the triple-album “Parallel Matter”, which includes previously unreleased material, remixes etc. Why did you decide to release such an album now? Why should people listen to this release?
I’m an obsessive worker, writer, recorder, archivist, and all these little acoustic sessions, remixes, live versions, they build up over time, due to my workflow and my nature, but they dont have a home, all these little orphans, and that makes me sad. And because I love music so much, I desperately don’t want these recordings to get lost in time. I’m turning 50 soon, so that idea of the end of the road, it’s becoming more and more of a consideration now. Two people I know are terminally ill, and they’re roughly my age, so you never know when your time will come. My priority is to music, I have dedicated my life to it, so these 20 recordings, they need to be given a life and not get lost in time. There are so many satisfying instances here of loose ends being finally tied-up that there are too many to mention individually. The main double album of ‘Parallel Matter’ alone has so many quality recordings that were just languishing in my archives. It is a massive relief to get them finished and released. To give one example, the track ‘Carve It In’ was written in 2001 for the second album, but I decided to put it to one side instead. And here I am, 24 years later, releasing it having completed it (using 24 year old elements from the original demo). That alone is insane. But I think I feel the sense of a full circle the most with the third disc, Prototapes. Those recordings were made between 30 and 25 years ago, and in the back of my mind they were always kind of unfinished business for me. To actually finally release a project that I began three decades ago brings with it an unbelievable sense of completion
Almost three years have passed since the release of the “A Profusion of Thought” album. How do you see this album now? What would you change to it, if you had the opportunity?
I wouldn’t change a thing about that album; I think I pretty much went in there and nailed exactly what I wanted to do. In fact, if anything, it turned out better than I originally thought it would. It was actually the first album I had ever made that I went into with a very specific directive as to how I wanted it to sound. In the past I had always let the producer make the first mix, after which I would go in and make a series of alterations. And, considering it’s a collection of abandoned songs from various points in my career, it actually turned out to be one of my favourite Antimatter albums.
Antimatter’s sound has evolved significantly over the years. How do you see this evolution? What drives your musical transformation?
I have noticed that, from album to album, I keep striving for more intricacy in the various elements and arrangements in the music. I don’t know how far I can take that before I reset things a bit. Who knows? But yeah, the early albums were pretty basic. There’s nothing wrong with basic; I just do things differently nowadays. I mean, you’ve got to evolve, right? Either through a natural or a conscious process, you’ve got to evolve. Otherwise your music is just going to be lazy, cookie-cutter product.
Your albums carry a deeply melancholic and introspective atmosphere. Is this a natural reflection of your personality, or do you consciously channel those emotions into your music?
I’m generally an upbeat guy who likes to use humour in situations and keep smiling. That’s my outward personality. So my lyrics don’t reflect my personality at all. What they more likely reflect is what Carl Jung referred to as ‘the shadow’, and in my case that would be my repressed anger and frustration. As for the musical side of things, I have always been drawn to writing and performing music with a dark or ethereal vibe, so it is only natural that I would channel my preferences.
How do you typically approach songwriting? Do lyrics come first, or do you build around melodies and moods?
For me, they’re two completely different worlds that get married at some point. The first thing to arrive is the concept—the subjects I wish to write about in the future and the various points I would like to get across. That concept then gets elaborated upon during the process of musical composition and processed into poetry to suit the needs of the music. The music is, of course, the second world and the second element to arrive. That begins as an instinctive and meditative process where I let melodies and rhythms emanate from somewhere inside myself. Then everything gets blended together: music, concept, lyrics, melody, and arrangement.
Your music incorporates many different elements (for example electronic, trip-hop, folk music elements etc.) alongside acoustic and rock instrumentation. How do you strike a balance between organic and synthetic sounds?
Since the very beginning there has been a spectrum I operate in. At one end of that spectrum my music is very synth based and on the other end my music is very guitar-based. Over the years I seem to slide along that spectrum in one direction or the other. It’s all very cyclical. In 1995, when I first began my solo project, everything was very, very synth based. Too synth based in fact. So I countered that by integrating more and more guitars. I always find that if I go too far with the guitars, if I swing too far in that direction, then I will always eventually swing back. To generalise, the centre ground of that spectrum is where I operate. But that is not surprising, after all, if you were to take a look at my favourite bands over the years they would be Pink Floyd, The Doors, Yes, Ultravox … and all of these have a very strong dual keyboard and guitar presence.
The line-up of Antimatter has changed over the years, but the project’s vision remains strong. How do collaborations with different musicians influence your creative process?
I don’t really collaborate with musicians within Antimatter as, for the most part, I play everything except the drums. And even with drummers I give them their parts to play, although it is fair to say that I do encourage a little section here and there where they can perhaps improvise a bit. But on the whole, I pretty much write everything. My demo process is extremely detailed, and I record every album twice—once in demo form and then once in professional form. The demos see me composing every element. I leave nothing to chance apart from where I have a guest soloist on a few songs, which may be saxophone, flute, or whatever. I will give the soloist pointers and then record multiple takes in order for myself to composite their improvisations into a new flow.
Your lyrics are deeply personal, often exploring themes of loss, despair and introspection. Are there any particular life experiences or philosophies that shape your writing?
My lyrics come almost entirely from my life’s experiences, one way or another. In the early days I wrote mainly about what was happening on the inside. Then from ‘Fear Of A Unique Identity’ onwards I decided to focus on the things going on around me, social and political ideas. I’m very interested in human behaviour now.
Many artists use music as a form of catharsis. Do you feel a sense of healing when writing or performing your songs?
Both in writing and performing, yeah. It’s safe to say that music has saved me. Not just through the lyrical catharsis but also from being in the amazing and privileged position to be able to dedicate my life to my passion. So I am healed in two very distinct ways. I do realise how lucky I am. Music has been my best friend for as long as I can remember.
Are there any books, films, or other forms of art that inspire your songwriting?
Not really, no. I don’t need to. I draw everything from my own inner melting-pot, which is populated with my love for every piece of music I have ever heard and enjoyed. That’s a fairly large pot.
Do you ever revisit older songs and reinterpret their meaning based on where you are in life now?
Well, every song I write is autobiographical, so my discography is basically a diary that covers the last 30 years of my life. Of course, there will be songs written in the past that no longer apply to me, as, like most other people, I am in a constant state of change. And this is a good thing, you know. I would hate to look back upon some of the more self-deprecating lyrics like ‘Leaving Eden’ or ‘Dream’ and still be in that same depressing position decades later. This doesn’t mean I don’t understand or relate to them anymore, as I can remember very well the person I was when I wrote them. It means I’m just not that particular person anymore. Thank God.
How do you choose which songs make it onto an album? Have you ever had a track that you felt strongly about but ultimately left out?
For the longest time, my process of composing an album has involved writing too many songs and then making the painful choice as to which ones will be left behind. It’s not an easy decision to make. The ones that get left off are generally the ones that are either unfinished, too similar or too dissimilar to other tracks on the same album. Over the years I have cut some very strong tracks, and this is why I made the decision in 2022 to gather 10 of them together for the ‘A Profusion Of Thought’ album. I still have maybe 10 or 15 more cut songs from my various albums. In fact ‘A Profusion Of Thought’ was originally a double album. Sadly I had to make the decision to record a single album instead as a double would have killed me. But yeah, its hard to cut off a track that you know is strong. ‘Heathen’ was a difficult one to remove from ‘Black Market Enlightenment’ back in 2018, but I just didn’t have the time to finish it. That insane middle section was proving too tricky to nail down. Luckily, I knew already that the next album would be ‘Profusion…’.
Playing live and recording in the studio are two very different experiences. Which one do you prefer, and why?
They’re both incomparable. One is the process of carefully stamping something down in private, having multiple takes in order to achieve what you want, knowing that the end result will stay there forever. The other is a one-off chance to get something right in a public setting, a series of fleeting, transient moments that when they are gone, they are gone. Both have positive and negative moments. I prefer the positive moments of playing live. It’s at those high points I am in a meditative state. Some of the experiences I’ve had over the years playing live are like a very clean, very pure version of a positive drug experience.
Given the introspective nature of your music, how do you prepare emotionally and mentally for live performances?
Aside from warming my voice up for maybe 30 minutes before a gig, I don’t do anything else. There are certainly no psychological preparations. I’ve been doing this for a quarter of a century, so, I don’t think there will be any surprises for me up there on the stage. I’ve gone through all the bad shit already- I’ve lost my voice, forgot lyrics, sang out of tune, told jokes that nobody laughed at, haha. I’m relatively equipped to cope with whatever may happen. I guess the way I prepare emotionally is to not prepare at all, and to just get into a musical mood before I go on (which isn’t difficult).
You are playing live in Athens in a few days. How are you expecting this concert? What should fans expect from this live show?
Well, the last time we played Greece was on the Black Market Tour, 6 years ago, so I’m really looking forward to getting back. As I mentioned earlier, fans should expect a lot of songs that haven’t been played for a long time. And hopefully I can expect a souvlaki or two !
Looking ahead, what’s next for Antimatter? Have you been writing new songs for your next album? When do you plan to release it?
New material is on its way, not from Antimatter, but from my other project Sleeping Pulse. We have begun officially recording our 2nd album ‘Dreams & Limitations’ and I couldn’t be happier. The drum recording was finished only yesterday so now it’s down to Luis to get his parts recorded before passing the baton to me to record my vocals in my home studio here. The demos for this album were insanely good, I can’t wait to get it recorded and out into the world as its one of the best albums I’ve ever been involved in. I have a great working relationship with Luis in Sleeping Pulse, and we are both in this with our heart and soul. I feel so lucky to be working and writing with him, and he feels the same about me, so, honestly, I couldn’t be happier with this project. We work very slowly, though. The first album took maybe 6 years to get together and this one has taken even longer. It’s a killer second album, much more mature than the debut in every way imaginable. The title ‘Dreams & Limitations’, that’s basically what we all are… temporary, mortal beings with heads full of hopes and wishes. Some of the lyrics hit me hard in the gut. Immediately after that I will move onto my next project The End Of Empathy, my new musical vehicle with Andrea Chiodetti (formerly of The Foreshadowing) who I worked with in MMXX. We will launch it as soon as possible, kind of a melodic, heavy, gothic thing, I love it. It will of course sound similar to three MMXX tracks I did with him earlier in the decade. ‘The Tower’ from that project is a career highlight for me. In fact, it was once ‘The Tower’ was finished that I just knew me and him had real chemistry and I had to start chasing that chemistry. We have a lot of material written already. It’s a very fruitful tree we have here! I’m turning 50 this year and I have never been so busy in my life. There is also the question of my solo acoustic covers album that I’ve had demo’d for about ten years now, plus some live releases from Antimatter …
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