Interview with the EDM musician, Matt Lange. Two of the finest progressive releases that are circulating at the moment and captured the attention of the friends of eclectic electronic beats, have the same person in their credits. Matt Lange is the musician who is responsible for the awesome ‘Avalon/Griffith Park’ on AnjunaDeep, and the mesmerising ‘In and Out of Phase’ with the angelic vocals by Kerry Leva, co-produced with the talented Andrew Bayer. What is more; Matt Lange at the moment is re-releasing the full-Length Album ‘The Answer To The Question You Forgot To Ask’ under his 'Altered Tensions' alias, on his own record label ‘isoRhythm’, including bonus unreleased tracks. Matt graduated from Boston's Berklee College of Music with a degree in Music Synthesis, partnered with a thesis that pushed the boundaries of both 5.1 surround sound, and modern sound design. This proved to be enough to cater to the ears of dance music legend BT; enough that he chose him to co-program and engineer the critically acclaimed and Grammy nominated 'These Hopeful Machines'.
He is definitely one of the most important artists at the moment, so I wanted very much to have an interview with him. I’m very glad he accepted my request, and here you can find his wonderful answers.
I have the joy to present you the musician, the DJ, the label owner - Matt Lange.
Dimitri: When and where you were born? Are you fortunate enough to come from a family that has any kind of connection with music and maybe particularly electronic music? Do you have the support of your parents to pursue your musical career as DJ and producer?
Matt Lange: I was born in New York City, August 3, 1986. I come from a very artistic family, as both my parents are visual artists, and I essentially grew up in a photography studio. Because of this, I’ve always had their support in my career as a musician, and it’s really encouraging. Having them both as mentors is such a luxury, which I’m of course very grateful for.
Dimitri: Is it possible to list for us the Top 5 DJ’s or EDM producers that have been the major influence in your style of your productions, and give us a short comment about each of them?
Matt Lange:
I don’t listen to much “EDM” per se, so here’s a list of any genre;
1) Telefon Tel Aviv - These guys changed the way I wrote music the first time I heard their first album, “Fahrenheit Fair Enough.” Still trying to catch up to them!
2) Richard Devine - The mad scientist of sound design. Every time I see Richard, I walk away so totally inspired and ready to create new things, (not to mention wanting to buy a ton of new gear...)
3) Tool - Literally every element of this band has influenced me in some way, be it Danny Carey’s drum pattern’s, to Adam Jones’ chord progressions, to Maynard’s melodies as well as style of lyricism.
4) Steve Reich - his piece “Music For 18 Musicians” captivated me when I was 16. All the motifs, isoRhythm, phasing... It’s the perfect blend of inspiring me intellectually as well as emotionally.
5) Meshuggah - The kings of super groovy polyrhythms!
I have the joy to present you the musician, the DJ, the label owner - Matt Lange.
Dimitri: When and where you were born? Are you fortunate enough to come from a family that has any kind of connection with music and maybe particularly electronic music? Do you have the support of your parents to pursue your musical career as DJ and producer?
Matt Lange: I was born in New York City, August 3, 1986. I come from a very artistic family, as both my parents are visual artists, and I essentially grew up in a photography studio. Because of this, I’ve always had their support in my career as a musician, and it’s really encouraging. Having them both as mentors is such a luxury, which I’m of course very grateful for.
Dimitri: Is it possible to list for us the Top 5 DJ’s or EDM producers that have been the major influence in your style of your productions, and give us a short comment about each of them?
Matt Lange:
I don’t listen to much “EDM” per se, so here’s a list of any genre;
1) Telefon Tel Aviv - These guys changed the way I wrote music the first time I heard their first album, “Fahrenheit Fair Enough.” Still trying to catch up to them!
2) Richard Devine - The mad scientist of sound design. Every time I see Richard, I walk away so totally inspired and ready to create new things, (not to mention wanting to buy a ton of new gear...)
3) Tool - Literally every element of this band has influenced me in some way, be it Danny Carey’s drum pattern’s, to Adam Jones’ chord progressions, to Maynard’s melodies as well as style of lyricism.
4) Steve Reich - his piece “Music For 18 Musicians” captivated me when I was 16. All the motifs, isoRhythm, phasing... It’s the perfect blend of inspiring me intellectually as well as emotionally.
5) Meshuggah - The kings of super groovy polyrhythms!
Dimitri: You have professional training in music and you managed a degree in Music Synthesis. Do you think is very important for a young producer to attend music composition classes, or do you feel as many people, that formal training kills creativity and innovation, and nowadays it’s easier to learn to produce with amateur video tutorials from YouTube?
Matt Lange: Education of any kind is invaluable. Be it music, sciences, historical... The only people who claim training kill’s creativity and innovation are those who are too lazy to dedicate the time and effort to doing so. Education frees you to not have to think anymore about what you’re doing, as it eventually becomes second nature, and can allow you to be far more versatile than one whom eschewed education for fear of “killing their creativity.”
Dimitri: Please take us on a virtual tour in your home studio, and tell us the kind of hardware that you use. Do you have favourite music composition software that you love to use, and you can recommend to other artists, as being reliable and with vast creative possibilities?
Matt Lange: There’s quite a lot, so I’ll spare the details, but the entire studio is centred around a Pro Tools HD Rig. I work primarily with acoustic instruments, and record everything with a number of different microphones, depending on the material. In one corner is a bunch of different guitars, which are my main instrument. There are a few outboard synths, a rack of gear, preamps, compressors, FX boxes, etc... and any number of little percussive instruments and toys floating around.
Dimitri: Can you explain the way that you produce a track. Do you start always from the start, or do you work first with the breakdown, and then with the rest of the parts?
Matt Lange: All of the above really. I find if I start with a groove, I’ll end up going in a more techno-ish direction, and if I start melodically, the opposite. Often I’ll start with sound design, because programming or manipulating records, and that could start the entire process as well. They all have their place, and not being locked into any one way of working is quite liberating.
Dimitri: For which label was your first production, and which track was the one that you believe has helped you to get more recognition and support in the EDM scene?
Matt Lange: My first record on a dance label was “Anywhere With You Is Home,” which I wrote with Kerry Leva. I had previously released an album of down tempo Electronica a couple years before, but as far as house music goes, “Anywhere...” was the one, and it was released on Armada. My first record that really got attention, however, was my remix for Boom Jinx and Andrew Bayer’s “To The Six,” which of course came out of AnjunaDeep.
Matt Lange: Education of any kind is invaluable. Be it music, sciences, historical... The only people who claim training kill’s creativity and innovation are those who are too lazy to dedicate the time and effort to doing so. Education frees you to not have to think anymore about what you’re doing, as it eventually becomes second nature, and can allow you to be far more versatile than one whom eschewed education for fear of “killing their creativity.”
Dimitri: Please take us on a virtual tour in your home studio, and tell us the kind of hardware that you use. Do you have favourite music composition software that you love to use, and you can recommend to other artists, as being reliable and with vast creative possibilities?
Matt Lange: There’s quite a lot, so I’ll spare the details, but the entire studio is centred around a Pro Tools HD Rig. I work primarily with acoustic instruments, and record everything with a number of different microphones, depending on the material. In one corner is a bunch of different guitars, which are my main instrument. There are a few outboard synths, a rack of gear, preamps, compressors, FX boxes, etc... and any number of little percussive instruments and toys floating around.
Dimitri: Can you explain the way that you produce a track. Do you start always from the start, or do you work first with the breakdown, and then with the rest of the parts?
Matt Lange: All of the above really. I find if I start with a groove, I’ll end up going in a more techno-ish direction, and if I start melodically, the opposite. Often I’ll start with sound design, because programming or manipulating records, and that could start the entire process as well. They all have their place, and not being locked into any one way of working is quite liberating.
Dimitri: For which label was your first production, and which track was the one that you believe has helped you to get more recognition and support in the EDM scene?
Matt Lange: My first record on a dance label was “Anywhere With You Is Home,” which I wrote with Kerry Leva. I had previously released an album of down tempo Electronica a couple years before, but as far as house music goes, “Anywhere...” was the one, and it was released on Armada. My first record that really got attention, however, was my remix for Boom Jinx and Andrew Bayer’s “To The Six,” which of course came out of AnjunaDeep.
Dimitri: You had the honour to get a release on the finest labels around including Anjunabeats, Black Hole and Armada Music. Can you choose for us your top 3 personal productions that you released and you get great comments from your fans, and your favourite remix which you produced for other artist.
Matt Lange:
1) Avalon/Griffith Park [AnjunaDeep] - The most personal records I’ve written, and easily my favourite. They’re really the next step in where I’m going as an artist.
2) My Delay [Rising Music] - Just a really fun techno record that always sounds great in a club.
3) In and Out Of Phase - It’s a collab with 2 of my best friends, and has my favourite remix package attached that I’ve ever had.
Remix: Redanka & Quivver - Under The Sun (Matt Lange Remix) - Easily one of my favourite tracks I’ve done. Was such a blast to do a record like this, a throwback in a way to a lot of the type of tracks I used to do, but with a lot more experience and maturity behind it this time around.
Dimitri: Your latest EP on AnjunaDeep sounds very different and unique from your previous productions, as you added some rocky ingredients as well. Can you tell us about the production of Avalon / Griffith Park and the influences and emotions that were in play while you produce them? From the two, do you have a favourite one?
Matt Lange: Yeah, with these records I didn’t care about getting them signed when I was writing them. I was going through a lot in my personal life at the time, and it was really cathartic for me to write like this. They incorporate so many of my interests and influences, from acoustic guitars, to my own vocals, to not using a single synthesizer on these records. Avalon, I think, is the stronger of the two, but I’ve seen a number of people who call Griffith Park the favourite.
Dimitri: Your latest smash on Anjunabeats is the beautiful and really mesmerizing ‘In and Out of Phase’ co-produced with Andrew Bayer and featuring the vocal talents of Kerry Leva. Is it possible to tell us if you actually met each other all three, or if you just recorded long distance, and with the aid of the internet?
Matt Lange: We’re all very close friends, and have known each other for a number of years now. Andrew and I worked remotely, and when we decided we should invite Kerry to add vocals to the piece, she came over to my studio and we did it together. Was quite an easy collaboration to be honest!
Dimitri: The original mix is a 10 minutes long epic with a great breakdown. I wonder if you are fan of long tracks, and if it was hard to edit down to 7 minutes for the Club Edit? Are you happy with the Norin and Rad remix on it?
Matt Lange: Yeah, the club edit was an unfortunate a necessity in my mind, but that said, it was the highest charting of 4x4 mixes, so what do I know? We asked Bruce and Nick of N&R to do a mix because we definitely wanted a version that would appeal to the bigger trance DJ’s, and being that nearly every A-Lister played the N&R Remix, I’d say it was a success. On a personal level, getting Calyx and TeeBee to do a mix as well was a dream come true. I’ve been such a fan of theirs ever since I was back in Berklee, and I’m so humbled to have been able to work with them.
Matt Lange:
1) Avalon/Griffith Park [AnjunaDeep] - The most personal records I’ve written, and easily my favourite. They’re really the next step in where I’m going as an artist.
2) My Delay [Rising Music] - Just a really fun techno record that always sounds great in a club.
3) In and Out Of Phase - It’s a collab with 2 of my best friends, and has my favourite remix package attached that I’ve ever had.
Remix: Redanka & Quivver - Under The Sun (Matt Lange Remix) - Easily one of my favourite tracks I’ve done. Was such a blast to do a record like this, a throwback in a way to a lot of the type of tracks I used to do, but with a lot more experience and maturity behind it this time around.
Dimitri: Your latest EP on AnjunaDeep sounds very different and unique from your previous productions, as you added some rocky ingredients as well. Can you tell us about the production of Avalon / Griffith Park and the influences and emotions that were in play while you produce them? From the two, do you have a favourite one?
Matt Lange: Yeah, with these records I didn’t care about getting them signed when I was writing them. I was going through a lot in my personal life at the time, and it was really cathartic for me to write like this. They incorporate so many of my interests and influences, from acoustic guitars, to my own vocals, to not using a single synthesizer on these records. Avalon, I think, is the stronger of the two, but I’ve seen a number of people who call Griffith Park the favourite.
Dimitri: Your latest smash on Anjunabeats is the beautiful and really mesmerizing ‘In and Out of Phase’ co-produced with Andrew Bayer and featuring the vocal talents of Kerry Leva. Is it possible to tell us if you actually met each other all three, or if you just recorded long distance, and with the aid of the internet?
Matt Lange: We’re all very close friends, and have known each other for a number of years now. Andrew and I worked remotely, and when we decided we should invite Kerry to add vocals to the piece, she came over to my studio and we did it together. Was quite an easy collaboration to be honest!
Dimitri: The original mix is a 10 minutes long epic with a great breakdown. I wonder if you are fan of long tracks, and if it was hard to edit down to 7 minutes for the Club Edit? Are you happy with the Norin and Rad remix on it?
Matt Lange: Yeah, the club edit was an unfortunate a necessity in my mind, but that said, it was the highest charting of 4x4 mixes, so what do I know? We asked Bruce and Nick of N&R to do a mix because we definitely wanted a version that would appeal to the bigger trance DJ’s, and being that nearly every A-Lister played the N&R Remix, I’d say it was a success. On a personal level, getting Calyx and TeeBee to do a mix as well was a dream come true. I’ve been such a fan of theirs ever since I was back in Berklee, and I’m so humbled to have been able to work with them.
Dimitri: In 2011 you launched your own record label isoRhythm. Is possible to tell us why you decided to start your own label, and if it’s going to be a platform to release only your tracks, or if you will include works from other artists. If yes, can you please let us know which and why you signed them?
Matt Lange: IsoRhythm’s really just my own creative outlet at this point, in the sense of whenever I have something I’d rather just release on my own, be it music or sound design libraries, it’s there. Currently I’m not releasing any other artists as frankly I don’t have the time or the interest to be an A&R
Dimitri: From the countries and clubs you performed in so far, can you choose your all time favourite club or stadium event, and your favourite country with the finest club crowd?
Matt Lange: My favourite gigs are easily in my home town of New York City. It’s just the best city in the world, no comparison...
Dimitri: Are you active and passionate user of the internet and the social networks? Everyone nowadays talks about the Facebook or Twitter generation after the MTV generation. Do you believe in the importance of Facebook or do you feel is a bit exaggerated and over hyped by the media?
Matt Lange: I try to be relatively active. I try to post at least one thing per day, and I enjoy starting discussions as well. It’s a nice way to stay in touch with fans on a more personal level, and at the same time it’s quite great from a marketing standpoint, as I can quickly see what kind of stuff my followers are interested in, and what they’re more apathetic to.
Dimitri: What is your opinion about the explosion of radio shows hosted by well known DJ’s and online radio stations? Do you have your own radio show.
Matt Lange: Well, I certainly don’t mind more radio play! I unfortunately don’t have the time to do it myself, and I don’t really care to do one either. I’m a musician, not a DJ, and the majority of the time I dedicate towards music, I’m writing my own, not playing others’.
Dimitri: One of my favourite questions to all the DJ’s is that one about self-reflection and self-criticism. Out of 10 with what score do you rate the various elements of your DJ performances and why?
Matt Lange:
a) Your mixing skills:
I’m a big proponent of mixing harmonically, and 99% of my sets keep transitioning between relative keys.
b) Your ability to choose the right track for the right occasion:
I don’t look at sets as a collection of tracks. It’s more about the journey for me, and how each track can tell a small bit of the story to ultimately get to the conclusion. I just play what I like, and I choose the story I want to tell. Again, I’m not a career DJ by any means, so I don’t really care about playing the “right track.”
c) Your friendly attitude towards the fans that come to shake your hand when you perform and after?
I’m still blushing on the inside when people come up to say hello. It’s really quite nice, and I’m happy to meet and take a picture.
Matt Lange: IsoRhythm’s really just my own creative outlet at this point, in the sense of whenever I have something I’d rather just release on my own, be it music or sound design libraries, it’s there. Currently I’m not releasing any other artists as frankly I don’t have the time or the interest to be an A&R
Dimitri: From the countries and clubs you performed in so far, can you choose your all time favourite club or stadium event, and your favourite country with the finest club crowd?
Matt Lange: My favourite gigs are easily in my home town of New York City. It’s just the best city in the world, no comparison...
Dimitri: Are you active and passionate user of the internet and the social networks? Everyone nowadays talks about the Facebook or Twitter generation after the MTV generation. Do you believe in the importance of Facebook or do you feel is a bit exaggerated and over hyped by the media?
Matt Lange: I try to be relatively active. I try to post at least one thing per day, and I enjoy starting discussions as well. It’s a nice way to stay in touch with fans on a more personal level, and at the same time it’s quite great from a marketing standpoint, as I can quickly see what kind of stuff my followers are interested in, and what they’re more apathetic to.
Dimitri: What is your opinion about the explosion of radio shows hosted by well known DJ’s and online radio stations? Do you have your own radio show.
Matt Lange: Well, I certainly don’t mind more radio play! I unfortunately don’t have the time to do it myself, and I don’t really care to do one either. I’m a musician, not a DJ, and the majority of the time I dedicate towards music, I’m writing my own, not playing others’.
Dimitri: One of my favourite questions to all the DJ’s is that one about self-reflection and self-criticism. Out of 10 with what score do you rate the various elements of your DJ performances and why?
Matt Lange:
a) Your mixing skills:
I’m a big proponent of mixing harmonically, and 99% of my sets keep transitioning between relative keys.
b) Your ability to choose the right track for the right occasion:
I don’t look at sets as a collection of tracks. It’s more about the journey for me, and how each track can tell a small bit of the story to ultimately get to the conclusion. I just play what I like, and I choose the story I want to tell. Again, I’m not a career DJ by any means, so I don’t really care about playing the “right track.”
c) Your friendly attitude towards the fans that come to shake your hand when you perform and after?
I’m still blushing on the inside when people come up to say hello. It’s really quite nice, and I’m happy to meet and take a picture.
Dimitri: What other things do you enjoy doing apart from producing music or listening other producers music?
Matt Lange: These days I pretty much live and breath music 24/7. I keep my hands on so many different projects at any given time, that it doesn’t leave room for much else. At the end of the day I usually just kick back with a glass of wine, watch of couple episodes of something on television, pass out and start all over again...
Dimitri: Is it possible to let us know about future tracks or remixes that you are going to release in 2012, and if there are plans for an album as well??
Matt Lange: The biggest news is that I just re-released my first album from 2007 on IsoRhythm. It’s called “Altered Tensions - The Answer To The Question You Forgot To Ask” and it’s largely a down tempo IDM record. It’s currently available at www.iso-rhythm.com, as well as iTunes, Beatport, and the other usual suspects. I have a number of different very exciting collaborations coming up, which I can’t talk too much about just yet, but they’re with some of my favourite artists and vocalists, and keep your ears open for when they start to drop! As far as an album goes, it’s in the back of my mind, I just need to unbury myself from the work I have at the moment, to be able to dedicate the time to properly writing one again.
Dimitri: Many thanks for the interview, please give us your message to the people who will read this interview.
Matt Lange: Thanks to everyone who listened to my music, shared it with their friends and family, and have supported what I’ve been doing. It really means the world to me. For those who want to drop me a line, best place to do that is www.facebook.com/mattlangeaudio. You can also follow me on twitter atwww.twitter.com/mattlange if you’re curious to read the uncensored stream of consciousness.
Altered Tensions - The Answer To The Question You Forgot To Ask
Tracklisting
1. Kyi Leo
2. Testarossa
3. This Could Move
4. The Distance Between (Feat. Lisa Sinapi)
5. Glchfcker
6. Feeding The Aversion
7. Days Left
8. Less Is More
9. Last Hurrah
10. Putting The Present In The Past
11. Slow, In Ashes
12. It Gets Better
13. Things Change Swiftly
Matt Lange: These days I pretty much live and breath music 24/7. I keep my hands on so many different projects at any given time, that it doesn’t leave room for much else. At the end of the day I usually just kick back with a glass of wine, watch of couple episodes of something on television, pass out and start all over again...
Dimitri: Is it possible to let us know about future tracks or remixes that you are going to release in 2012, and if there are plans for an album as well??
Matt Lange: The biggest news is that I just re-released my first album from 2007 on IsoRhythm. It’s called “Altered Tensions - The Answer To The Question You Forgot To Ask” and it’s largely a down tempo IDM record. It’s currently available at www.iso-rhythm.com, as well as iTunes, Beatport, and the other usual suspects. I have a number of different very exciting collaborations coming up, which I can’t talk too much about just yet, but they’re with some of my favourite artists and vocalists, and keep your ears open for when they start to drop! As far as an album goes, it’s in the back of my mind, I just need to unbury myself from the work I have at the moment, to be able to dedicate the time to properly writing one again.
Dimitri: Many thanks for the interview, please give us your message to the people who will read this interview.
Matt Lange: Thanks to everyone who listened to my music, shared it with their friends and family, and have supported what I’ve been doing. It really means the world to me. For those who want to drop me a line, best place to do that is www.facebook.com/mattlangeaudio. You can also follow me on twitter atwww.twitter.com/mattlange if you’re curious to read the uncensored stream of consciousness.
Altered Tensions - The Answer To The Question You Forgot To Ask
Tracklisting
1. Kyi Leo
2. Testarossa
3. This Could Move
4. The Distance Between (Feat. Lisa Sinapi)
5. Glchfcker
6. Feeding The Aversion
7. Days Left
8. Less Is More
9. Last Hurrah
10. Putting The Present In The Past
11. Slow, In Ashes
12. It Gets Better
13. Things Change Swiftly
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