Matthew J has been ready for the mainstream since he found his passion. He started out as a DJ while he was in college, and began playing through bars and small clubs in New Jersey. In 2010, he earned a residency at the famed Le Souk Restaurant & Lounge in Greenwich Village, holding the Friday & Saturday night spot for 7 years until he left. Matthew J.’s records are clear representations of his DJ sets, bringing a unique blend of chill house tracks blended together that keeps the energy moving. His music is relaxing and positive, & his sets make you feel like you're in the middle of a musical story.
Matthew J reels his listener in with every contagious element that will have you infectiously impacted. His rhythmically moving music gets stuck in your head like glue by its trail-blazing and memorable aesthetics that you can absorb to its fullest capacity. Matthew J is undeniably a star on the rise and his songs complement the hype. He released 3 singles this year including, “Like Everybody Else”, “Symphony”, and “We’re All We Need” and all 3 records are bound to leave a lasting impression on its listener. Matthew J’s future is looking a little bit more bright in this industry & we’re excited to see what’s next from him.
Listen to Matthew J here.
Welcome to BuzzMusic Matthew J! What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome this year? How were you able to maneuver through this obstacle?
Hi! Thanks for having me again and for choosing me as one of your top artists for 2019, that's pretty sweet haha. I have to be honest, I think musically I had a pretty good year for myself as I attained a lot of personal growth goals with my music. One struggle this year though has been finishing tracks in a timely manner. I'm still working through that actually, but I have some new steps in place that I think will assist me in finally getting over that mountain.
Let’s talk about your music! Where did you find most of your influence behind the singles “Like Everybody Else” & “Symphony”?
Yes! So for both of those tracks, I drew a lot of inspiration from the singers themselves. For the "Symphony" remix, I heard a grittiness to Erika in both the lyrics and how she sang the original. The lyrics are about a girl being strong and going out on her own, and I felt my remix should convey that. As for "Like Everybody Else", it's a cover of a Lennon Stella song by the same name. Amanda came to me with the idea and I loved it. I wrote that one to keep the emotion of the original, but also something that would suit Amanda's voice. I've worked with her before so I knew the direction I wanted to take it before we started.
Were there any arrangements you wanted to experiment with “We’re All We Need”?
Not too much actually, I don't experiment with arrangements toooo much usually. With that one what I was really trying to do was just create a chill, house version of a classic progressive trance track. I think the original would be considered progressive trance? Or just trance, I'm not sure. Either way, I love A&B and wanted to just re-create their classic in a different vibe.
What was your personal favorite element to “Like Everybody Else”? Um, Amanda's voice for sure haha. I think she really pulls the whole thing together. If I had to choose a second, it would be the pianos. I really like the keys I played in that one.
How would you describe your approach to “Symphony” and the creative process behind it?
For that one, I really wanted to create something completely different than the original, but not lose any of the feelings that Erika put into it. I wanted to take the original and just add a layer of aggression to it really.
What’s next for you Matthew J?
Oh man, so much haha. Going into this new year I'm really focused on finishing more music and really shopping to labels, as opposed to releasing everything independently. I'd like to gain some artist and label support. I think 2020 is going to be a big learning and growing year for me musically, I'm excited about it.