Barcelona-based Mack Loenz is the newly evolved alias of electro producer Larry McCormick, also known as Exzakt.
Photo credit: Mack Loenz – Official
Established through releases on labels including Tresor, Fabric, and Skint, McCormick created the project to explore a more melodic, vocal-led, and emotionally direct extension of his electronic work.
Mack Loenz’s debut album, ‘From The Heart’, is scheduled for release on September 4th, 2026 through Maceo Plex’s Lone Romantic. Across 10 tracks, the record combines analogue synthesis, electro rhythms, retro-futurist design, and pop-influenced vocals.
In this conversation, Mack Loenz discusses the album’s development, the relationship between his two identities, and his aim to create electronic music rooted in optimism, vulnerability, and human connection.
EG: Hi Mack, welcome to Electronic Groove. It’s great to have you with us. How have you been lately, and what emotions are you experiencing as ‘From The Heart’ prepares to enter the world?
Mack Loenz: It’s an incredibly exciting time because ‘From The Heart’ has been nearly two years in the making, so seeing it finally reach the finish line feels very rewarding. A few weeks ago, I had the chance to sit down with Maceo Plex in his studio here in Barcelona and listen to the vinyl test pressing together. Hearing these songs come to life on a double LP for the first time was surreal, and we were both genuinely excited by how it sounded.
At the same time, this album has become intertwined with one of the biggest chapters of my life. I’m in the process of making Barcelona my permanent home, so ‘From The Heart’ almost feels like the soundtrack to that transition. It’s the culmination of two years of work, but it’s also the beginning of a completely new creative journey. More than anything, I’m excited to finally share it with the world and let people experience what I’ve been living with for so long.
EG: Although many listeners know you through your long-standing work as Exzakt, Mack Loenz feels like a very different artistic proposition. What inspired the creation of this new identity, and what creative possibilities did it unlock?
Mack Loenz: Mack Loenz is really an extension of Exzakt, not a departure from it. If I had to describe the relationship between the two, I’d say Exzakt is digital, and Mack Loenz is analog. Exzakt has always been rooted in the deeper, more futuristic side of electro, with a focus on rhythm, atmosphere, and machine-driven energy. Mack Loenz gave me the freedom to explore a different side of my creativity, one that’s more melodic, more emotional, and much more song-oriented.
It opened the door to working with vocalists, writing lyrics, and building records around human connection without leaving behind the electronic foundation that has defined my career. I wasn’t interested in creating a completely different artist. I wanted to reveal another side of the same artist. Both projects come from the same creative place, but they speak different emotional languages.
EG: The album title, ‘From The Heart’, immediately suggests something deeply personal. Was there a particular moment or realization that shaped the emotional foundation of this record?
Mack Loenz: The emotional foundation of ‘From The Heart’ really revealed itself through the creative process rather than a single life event. The first Mack Loenz release, ‘Dance With Me’, was originally conceived as an Exzakt track. As it evolved, I realized there was something different about it. It felt more melodic, more human, and hinted at a new creative direction that I hadn’t fully explored before.
After that release, I spent several months experimenting, searching for what Mack Loenz was really supposed to become. Then one studio session changed everything. I wrote ‘It’s Complicated’, and from that moment the entire project came into focus. That song became the emotional blueprint for the album. It defined not only the sound, but also the intention behind the project.
From there, every song was written with that same mindset. I wanted to create electronic music that could still move people on a dance floor while connecting with them on a much more personal level. That’s really where ‘From The Heart’ came from. It wasn’t just an album title anymore; it became the philosophy behind the entire record.
EG: You’ve described the project as an attempt to bring more light and positivity into a world that often feels dominated by uncertainty. How do you translate ideas like hope, optimism, and human connection into electronic music without becoming overly literal?
Mack Loenz: Throughout my career, I’ve explored a wide range of emotions, but at its core, my music has always been about the human experience. There’s a lot of incredible electronic music that embraces darker moods, and I’ve certainly appreciated that over the years. With Mack Loenz, though, I wanted to explore the opposite side of the emotional spectrum.
The melodies, vocals, and rhythms are all designed to uplift. Rather than telling people how to feel, I try to create an emotional atmosphere where those feelings happen naturally. If the music genuinely inspires me while I’m creating it, I believe there’s a much better chance the listener will feel that too.
A lot of that comes from my love of the ’80s. There was an incredible sense of optimism in both the music and the visual culture of that era. It embraced technology, imagination, and the future with a feeling that anything was possible. I wanted to capture that same sense of wonder while expressing it through a modern sound that’s uniquely my own.
Ultimately, I hope people walk away from a Mack Loenz record feeling just a little better than they did before they pressed play.
“Success means having the freedom to continue evolving, staying inspired, and creating music that genuinely connects with people”
EG: One of the most striking aspects of the album is the balance between nostalgia and futurism. What is it about that tension between past and future that continues to inspire you?
Mack Loenz: I’ve always believed that the best way to honor the past isn’t to recreate it, but to build upon it. The artists who inspired me weren’t looking backward; they were looking forward. They were experimenting with new technology, imagining new worlds, and creating sounds that felt like the future.
With ‘From The Heart’, I wanted to capture that same spirit of discovery without falling into nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. Creativity lives in the space between respecting your influences and having the courage to move beyond them.
EG: Vocals play a much more prominent role in the Mack Loenz project. What attracted you to exploring a more song-oriented approach, and how has that changed the way you think about production?
Mack Loenz: One of the biggest differences between Exzakt and Mack Loenz is that the songs begin with the emotion rather than the groove. Every production decision supports the story the song is trying to tell. The vocals aren’t just another instrument; they’re the emotional center of the record. I still love making electronic music people can dance to, but now I’m equally interested in writing songs people remember long after the music stops.
EG: Across tracks like ‘It’s Complicated’, ‘Trust Issues’, and ‘Waiting Game’, there’s a recurring sense of vulnerability beneath the club-ready structures. Do you see emotional honesty as an essential part of your music?
Mack Loenz: I never consciously sit down to write something vulnerable. It happens naturally because the strongest songs come from honesty. Even on a dance floor, people still carry love, hope, uncertainty, and heartbreak with them. If a song creates a genuine emotional connection while making people move, then I’ve accomplished exactly what I set out to do.
EG: You’ve built a respected career through electro releases on labels such as Tresor, Fabric, and Skint, while now finding a home on Maceo Plex’s Lone Romantic. How has your relationship with underground electronic music evolved over the years, and where do you see its future heading?
Mack Loenz: I’ve been fortunate to experience several different eras of electronic music, and one thing has always remained true: great music outlasts trends. Technology changes and formats evolve, but originality and authenticity never go out of style.
Joining Lone Romantic feels like the perfect next chapter because it’s a label that genuinely values artistic freedom. I hope underground electronic music continues to become even more fearless, embracing stronger songwriting, new technology, and pushing beyond genre boundaries.
EG: The album often feels cinematic. Are there films, books, visual art, or other influences that helped shape the world of ‘From The Heart’?
Mack Loenz: I’ve always loved world-building. Science fiction, architecture, design, and visual art have all influenced the way I think about music. I spend as much time thinking about artwork, typography, color, and presentation as I do the songs themselves because I want everything to feel like it belongs to the same universe. I don’t just want people to hear an album; I want them to step inside a world.
EG: Having spent decades refining your craft, do you still approach the studio with the same mindset you had when you first started making music, or has your definition of success changed over time?
Mack Loenz: My curiosity hasn’t changed at all. What has changed is my definition of success. Today, success means having the freedom to continue evolving, staying inspired, and creating music that genuinely connects with people. I never want to feel like I’ve figured everything out; that curiosity is what keeps me moving forward.
“If a song creates a genuine emotional connection while making people move, then I’ve accomplished exactly what I set out to do”
EG: Finally, if ‘From The Heart’ serves as the definitive introduction to Mack Loenz, what do you hope listeners understand about this project, and about you as an artist?
Mack Loenz: I hope people understand that Mack Loenz isn’t simply another alias. It’s another creative dimension of who I am.
One of the central ideas behind the project is balance, the relationship between masculine and feminine energy, where strength meets vulnerability, rhythm meets melody, and logic meets emotion. I don’t see those qualities as opposites, but as complementary forces.
Mack Loenz’s ‘Follow Me’ is out now via Lone Romantic. Stream and download your copy here.
