On the 8th August 2017, experimental pop artist and producer Mattu released his debut album Lightwaves. Rated excellent by Contact Music, they described the album as “an assault of vivid, colourful beats that hit hard”. A plethora of glittery synths and textures, the sophistication present within this piece demonstrates how far Mattu has developed from that of the sonically eclectic, Söulfull EP released back in 2016, which Square Waves Collective named “a fresh take on IDM… and we love it.”
“I first heard Rustie, Iglooghost and Hudson Mohawke and was like, this is what I want to do. I wanted to create a new sonic world that I wasn’t able to create using just acoustic instruments. The whole aspect of digital production and sound design was so alien to me, yet so exciting”. Since then, Mattu’s sound has developed from left field, wonky and slightly naïve electronic music, to his own take on modern pop music. “By this point, I knew I wanted to make catchier and more accessible music, which is where songs like LOIC and Coral came in. Other times I was still wrestling with my desire to make complex and dense electronic music.”
Although born in the North West of England, Mattu draws on his multicultural background – incorporating French and South African roots within his sound. Drawing influences from the modern glitzy pop landscape, Mattu’s music is blended with a fusion of rap tinted production and hard-hitting 808s, along with various acoustic elements. These may sound conflicting, but in the modern industry where music is more genre-defying than ever, his eclectic listening only gives Mattu an edge to blur lines and create a sound that stands confidently among his peers.
In 2017, Mattu was identified as a talented music creator and was invited to work alongside Everything Everything and 12 other young musicians, as part of the Levis Music Project. European Brand Manager at Levi’s and creator of the Levi’s Music Project, Rhodri Evans described Mattu as possessing a “high level of dedication, focus and enthusiasm” and thus many of his productions were used for the backing tracks of Levis social videos for the project. This was also the point where Mattu began collaborating with Manchester and other UK based artists, like Nxdia, Neda, and also producing rap duo, MDP’s debut EP, ‘Ondas’.
The latest release features the track, ‘Honey Combs’ with Birmingham vocalist and songwriter, chyoma, showing a slightly more fun and energetic side of Mattu’s production, with the single shining a light on his rap centred roots, mixing modern UK rap with bright and bubbly instrumentals.
‘Honey Combs’ is about taking control and owning your feminine side, in any form you see fit, whether that be sweet or fierce, or in this case a mixture of the two. “I met chyoma online after finding out she was on the Birmingham Levi’s Music Project and became instantly attracted to her voice and the way she wrote melodies and raps – seriously one to look out for”.
https://soundcloud.com/mattumusic/mattu-honey-combs-feat-chyoma/
