Mophonics’ Michael Haziza on the Virtues of the Creative Box

Michael Haziza has never been one to stand still. It was at the age of 15 that he landed his first industry gig - an intern at the iconic Bennett Studios in NYC - but he was hardly lazy before that point either. An energetic and musically-engaged kid, there never seemed any doubt that the world of audio was the right place for Michael. 

Having first joined up with Mophonics New York in 2012, the composer and producer switched coasts in 2017 to become part of the music and sound company’s LA contingent. When he’s not spanning the disciplines of composition and production, Michael is often found seeking inspiration from the most surprising of places - including a moonlighting stint as a line chef at the Italian California-inspired restaurant Osteria La Buca. In doing so, he’s managed to deepen his appreciation for the crafts of both cooking and composition. 

To find out more about what makes Michael tick - and how he finds inspiration within what he describes as ‘the creative box’, LBB sat down with Michael… 

LBB> Michael, what kind of a kid were you growing up - and at what point did you first know that a career in music was going to be right for you? 

Michael> My love for music production naturally started with a deep love and magnetism towards music. My dad played guitar and would sing The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel with friends and family; my mom played flute, and my older brother was really good at guitar and singing. He would always have girls at the house staring at him while playing so naturally… I followed. 

Growing up in the late 90s MTV heyday was a special time where my friends and I were listening to everything from Radiohead, Weezer, Wu-Tang, The Wallflowers, Biggie, Nirvana, N.O.R.E, Oasis, TLC, A Tribe Called Quest mixed with all my dad’s old Beatles & Prince records thrown in for good measure. I remember sitting on the floor in my bedroom listening to all these records and being obsessed with every little detail… the melodies, bass, vocals, the harmonies, strings, all of it. I needed to know who produced it, who engineered it, and what label released it. 

At around 14 years old I had a band, and had started writing and recording original songs in my basement on this little four track cassette tape recorder. That tiny machine blew my mind because it was the first time I realised that you could record and layer instruments and vocals on top of each other. Eventually my parents noticed I wasn’t leaving the basement, and bought me a slightly more sophisticated multitrack machine (one that was purely digital with FX and even burned CDs!).  

Growing up in Bergen County NJ (10 minutes from Manhattan) was actually quite advantageous. Although you’re living in the constant shadow of the behemoth that is NYC, it historically has produced some great music and is home to some legendary studios. One of which was named Bennett Studios - and was run by Tony Bennett’s son - and they hired me as a 15 year-old intern. It was this magical old train station converted into a beautiful commercial studio with huge consoles, amps, vintage microphones, old guitars, synths, organs and refrigerators stocked with diet cokes. 

In between happily emptying ashtrays, taking out trash and running to get some famous artist lunch, I got to be a fly on the wall, witnessing some remarkable recording sessions and making clear to me that I wanted to create music and be in a studio environment. I haven’t looked back. 

LBB> I understand that you’ve been part of a number of bands in the years since. How did those experiences encourage you to evolve or adapt as a musician?

Michael> When I left Berklee College of Music in 2008, I moved to Brooklyn with a bunch of really amazing musicians and songwriters. I was playing and touring around the country in a band called Turkuaz (a 14-piece funk band) and I had my own band which was more alt/pop rock called The Tales. It was a beautiful time where all of us were living together, writing, playing shows, recording and really built a beautiful community. 

Pretty much everyone that I played with during that time has gone on to do some pretty extraordinary things in the music industry - some of them have written massive pop songs, have successful touring bands, compose for tv or film, and have built a life and career around music. When you have a music community like that it’s not only inspiring but it naturally forces you to grow and get better.

LBB> You mentioned that working as a composer at Mophonics has helped you to “execute ideas within a creative box”. Are there any ways in which that ‘box’ is actually helpful to you in a creative sense?

Michael> Yeah, definitely!  I think a lot of what we do at Mophonics is help our clients first understand their creative vision, and then execute that idea in a unique way. So much of writing and producing music is unspoken… it’s more of a feeling or throwing things against the wall countless times until something sticks, but conversely advertising is very calculated, thought out and easy to talk about.  

So it is interesting to me to bring those two juxtaposed worlds together. When it comes time to make music, the “creative box” is super helpful because it’s our job then to live in that box, stretch out musically and make something super cool and unique so that when the client hears it their minds are blown and expectations are exceeded. 

There was this YETI campaign we worked on recently and the only thing the client really asked for was a cool song about vacation. So that’s the creative box, right? But there are so many ways to create a vibe or song about a vacation. Is it a run-of-the-mill ukulele beach thing? Does it sound like stepping off a plane into a tropical place while Buena Vista Social Club is playing? Maybe it’s the sound of laurel canyon 70s folk or a summertime throwback hip hop jam?!  

At that time, I was in Chile randomly listening to a lot of Elvis’s Blue Hawaii album and so that felt like vacation to me. I wrote a song inspired in that vein and it ended up in the ad which was cool to see. So in a way working in the creative box while trusting your gut to make something that hopefully inspires yourself simultaneously is a great place to be in.  

Other projects Mophonics has done that I’m proud of are the spots that stand for a good cause and give back.  We’ve done some really beautiful work for Veterans of America, Manifest Works and Family Equality to name a few.

LBB> You also moonlight as a line chef! First of all, is that not slightly stressful? And secondly, do you find any similarities between cooking and music?

Michael> Yes!  So during COVID my wife and I were home a lot, cooking and playing music.  I was watching tons of chef and cooking shows and wanted to take a cooking course, but that wasn’t really happening. My friend who’s in the restaurant industry hinted to me that there was a massive labour shortage and chefs were needed, so I applied to this excellent Italian restaurant and it was the greatest job interview ever.  

I just told them I had no experience cooking besides making inspired meals at home and that I’ll show up on time, learn quickly and do what I’m told, but I can only work two evenings a week as I am a full time composer. To my surprise he said “you’re hired” and my dream of sweating in a kitchen came true.  

They needed a grill chef so I was in the absolute hottest place in the kitchen making chicken parm, branzino, meatballs, tomahawk pork chops, arancini balls, brussel sprouts. It was truly an unbelievable (and yes, stressful) experience and I have a profound respect and admiration for restaurants and chefs.  

There are so many similarities to cooking and music but I think passion and simplicity is at the forefront. Take a beautiful fresh branzino for instance; there’s really not much you have to do to make that branzino taste good. Some good olive oil, lemon, salt and maybe some fresh thyme if you have it. I carry that mentality of cooking that fresh branzino to the studio most days… less is more.

LBB> Finally, last year you added production and project management to your responsibilities at Mophonics. What have you learned about the business since diving more into those disciplines?

Michael> Adding production to my role at Mophonics really has given me more of a bird’s eye view of the business. It’s been really great listening and learning how clients put an idea into words for what they want musically, and helping them realise their vision from top to bottom.  

When I was just composing I was insulated in a sense, because I’d just make a song and that was it. Pulling the hood back and learning how much goes in on all sides is eye-opening. At the end of the day, the people and talent I get to work with at Mophonics are truly amazing so when it’s time for me to compose, produce, or cook a Branzino…it’s delicious and inspiring.