Belgian talent Mattisix is a versatile musician as he plays the guitar, the drums, bass and piano. Playing in rock bands in his early life as a teenager, and for years in a jazz-funk band as a guitar player ( Bronco project. His interest in in electronic music came at the age of 20, where he first began as a DJ in clubs in Brussels. Between 2015-2020 the musical project Mattisix was born.
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Where are you from and what do you find inspirational about where you’re living?
I am originally from beautiful Sardinia in Italy but I was born and raised in Brussels, which is a very international and multi-cultural place. It’s a very special place where so many cultures meet and blend together, a bit like my music…I find a lot of inspiration from this aspect of my home town and I want to compose music to that image with multiple instruments coupled with jazz, blues or fund sounds with a techno or deep house beat in the background
For fans who don’t know much about you, could you tell us a bit about your music background?
I think everything started for me with my father who played many instruments. He didn’t play professionally but certainly gave me this passion for music. I started playing the guitar at the age of 6 and very early on, I could play the basic chords to accompany songs that were being played on the radio. Later on, pushed by my father, I studied the violin for 7 years, played the clarinet and tried myself on the saxophone. In school, together with some of my friends, we started a band in which instead of playing the violin or clarinet (as I am sure my father would’ve liked) I decided to play the guitar. All through my teenage years (and even now), I have continued to study and work on what a guitar can do: the theory, the technique, Jazz, Blues, Rock and scales. In the band, we played everything from Nirvana, Red Hot Chili peppers, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Guns`n Roses, everything we loved but we also composed lots of songs.
In my early twenties, I joined a jazz-funk band and this was a very important step for me because for almost 15 years we composed, played together every week, and it was magical. The main band was actually just a bass player, a percussionist and then me on the guitar, but we invited many musicians to play with us as guests during live concerts. It was crazy because we had an amazing complicity that allowed us to compose in such a spontaneous and natural way that sometimes after two hours of practice we could have 6 or 7 songs just by improvising together. There was truly incredible chemistry between us.
The other main musical influence for me was my mother, who sadly passed away. She would listen to Jean Michel Jarre and growing up, I used to be fascinated by the electronic sounds and synthesizers. This was a true revelation for me and in my early compositions, I used to mix these types of sounds with acoustic guitars and percussions. And now, I try to stay true to this combination of these very electronic sounds with jazz, blues and funk riffs on my guitar or any other instrument I like to use.
How did you fall down the music rabbit hole?
As per the above, my Father and my Mother were essential in passing down the passion for music. I also believe that music is so essential in everyday life, whether while working or relaxing at home. For example, I work as an educator with autistic and children with psychological problems and I have always used music because both for them and for me music can really be therapeutic.
When did you start DJing/producing – and what or who were your early passions and influences?
I started DJing at weddings and then I did a few gigs after that but I don’t really consider myself as a DJ, in the strict sense of the term, but rather more as a producer and a musician. My music is really a blend between electronic and instrumentals that I actually play myself so instead of simply “mixing” tracks together, I would much rather combine the DJ deck with my keyboard and my guitar. This I think would give the people present a different type of performance where they would see a musician soloing on the guitar or the keyboards with a beat in the background. This is why my favorite artists are those who make an original, committed and sometimes improvised live performances, like Monolink, Ben Böhmer, Monoplay and HVOB. I absolutely adore how they combine the DJ decks and sounds with live instrumental performances.
How would you describe your sound and style?
I think the main description of my style is a journey between Deep House, Progressive House and Melodic Techno. But to be honest, I don’t really like to define myself in a genre because it doesn’t reflect my way of composing music. I have pieces that combine many styles so it’s difficult to put a name to what I do. I think what is certain is that in all of my compositions, there is Electronic pieces and there are also instruments like the guitar or the piano that I play myself.
Congratulations on your upcoming release. Please tell us something about it and the inspiration behind it! Is there a meaning behind the title “Don’t be scared”?
Thank you very much. “Don’t be scared” is a very special song for me which I composed back in October along with a few other tracks. As you know, we are living in challenging times wherein people are scared, people are dying, people losing hope. And I found my inspiration in this general feeling of uncertainty and general fear. I wanted to give a strong message to people to not be afraid and when I found the voice sample, it immediately touched and inspired me to compose a song where people could really say these words Don’t be scared to help them through whatever difficulty they are facing.
What else is in the pipeline for the coming months?
Well there are so many things happening and things have gone very quickly for me. I am currently working on my first album that will soon be ready but for now all my attention is on promoting these 3 tracks with Sojka Records to whom I am very grateful because they were the first to give me a real chance in this music industry, to promote my style of music and also my message.
Thank you!