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Interview with
MAT CIPHER

(6th March, 2021)

Interviewer – Dave Bruce

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Have you always wanted to be a musician? When did you get the song writing bug?
Music has been around me since I was born so I’ve always played on instruments and it helped shape me into the person I am today. When I was 10, I had this thought that I wanted to be a DJ, but I did not fully understand what it meant; I was just fascinated by the turntables and how futuristic they looked, especially after playing live instruments. A few years passed and I formed a tribute band with some friends, and I realized how addictive it was to play songs live. At that point I was thinking about doing this professionally, but eventually everything clicked when I was introduced to the electronic music scene and music production. I remember my piano teacher in Hungary commented on a beat I made “this song is actually very good, have you thought about pursuing production?”. His support made me start to think about it, as well as later, when I got a scholarship to a high school in LA where I continued my studies in music production and engineering.

How would you describe your sound? Why do you think people resonate with your music?
Melody has always been the most important thing for me. I remember hearing songs for the first time and thinking “damn this is amazing, where do all these feelings come from?” Therefore, I would say that my music is emotional, groovy, nostalgic and futuristic at the same time.

Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today?
I used to watch Muse’s live performances non-stop, such as the Wembley one, and the one at Rome Olympic Stadium. I found it amazing that their performances were better than on CD because they added so much to it and there was so much energy. Later on, as I got into the EDM scene, I attended a Martin Garrix concert at a festival and I felt relatively the same, so I started to feel my taste evolve and go in a different direction. Later that year I saw Sia, Kygo, Travis Scott and Muse as well.

Your new single ‘Sand Toy’ has just been released! Describe its origin and evolution.
I think “Sand Toy” went relatively smoothly, the vision was very clear and the collaboration between Manu Beker (co-writer) and Freida Mari (vocalist) was lovely and fast. Manu was in Mexico City and I was in LA when we wrote it, then Freida recorded her vocals in Toronto, and I finalized the project in Budapest. Maybe the only challenge that I encountered was when I was comping Freida’s vocals and I was just not sure with some specific placements, arrangement wise. At that point I heard ‘Sand Toy’ so many times that I lost my unbiased point of view. However, one day I was like “okay let’s wrap it up” and then it happened. Finishing a project is the hardest part!

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Is there an EP or Album on the drawing board?
I released an EP in 2019 so currently I’m focusing on singles, rather than albums or another EP. However, if I feel like there are enough songs to put together album that represents a journey, I will definitely do it.

Any tours or events coming up soon? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
Due to the current situation, I’m unsure when we will be able to have actual performances, but I do have a live set in my head to record this year.

If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why?
Tough question because there are a lot. As a producer, I had it on my bucket list to collaborate with Avicii. Therefore, I would exchange the word ‘perform’ to ‘collaborate’.

Do you have any long-term aspirations as a music artist?
I grew up listening to rock bands and solo guitarists, such as Chris Rea, Steve Vai, Cinema Bizarre, 30 Seconds To Mars, Green Day and Muse. I think instrumental music definitely had a big impact on what I like making today.

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What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
My two favorite performances I’ve had so far were our band performance at Sziget Festival and an afterparty rave in LA where I DJ-d. The Sziget gig was dope because it was a very laid-back live performance, whereas the other one was a high adrenaline rave party. Somewhere I enjoyed the DJ set more because since I started to produce, electronic music has been the closest genre to me.

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – Muse – The 2nd Law
Artist – Post Malone
Movie – Inception, X-Men: Days of Future Past
Place to visit – Kailua, Hawaii
Venue to play – Outdoor festivals
Food – Indian
Drink – Cold brew cocktail
Person in History – no one really, it’s hard to tell without knowing them
Tattoo – Minimalist sleeves

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Check out MAT CIPHER below
Facebook – Instagram – Twitter 

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AMNPLIFY – DB