Name: Matisa
Nationality: Italian
Occupation: Producer, DJ
Current Release: Matisa's Cuddle EP is out via SOS.
Recommendations: The visual works of Gerardo Dottori; Richard Wahnfried: Time Actor

If you enjoyed this Matisa interview and would like to stay up to date on her music, visit her on Instagram, and Soundcloud.  
 


Do you think that some of your earliest musical experiences planted a seed for your interest in production and technology?

Yes, I remember the feeling when I was playing with my teacher on the piano. I remember feeling the same emotions I feel today when I am mixing two vinyl LPs together.

When I was around 10 years old I played the oboe in a huge orchestra and I was the only girl playing oboe, that experience blew me away. Those emotions never went away, from when I listened to music as a child on my Sony walkman until today. I had the feeling that I always wanted to translate those experiences I had as a child into my own music, experiences that were swimming around in my head.

This is still very much my reality as I think every day about how to create something real and timeless.

What were your very first active steps with music technology and how would you rate the gains made through experience - can one train/learn being an artist/producer?

I was thinking about buying equipment so I asked acquaintances and they advised me to buy several machines. But I didn't have money at this time. So I was wondering how to do this and find a way without it. I was determined. I just bought the Ableton license and upgraded my laptop, I started youtube tutorials and took an online course on Production. Everyday I learnt something new.

After about a year, I made my first track, it wasn't the most beautiful but I improved very quickly. I started receiving alot of requests for remixes and I never stopped making tracks since. This was the beginning of my love for production.

I think every person has the opportunity to be creative, but not everyone can translate this into a physical reality. It's possible to learn or train to produce but the real creativity and artistry must come from within, and this needs to be channeled into the real world.

Were/are you interested in the history of production and recording? If so, which events, albums, artists, or insights stand out for you?

One of my first heroes in music is Franco Battiato, he is for me the greatest philosopher of music. He in his own words is having a spiritual approach to music and life. He was traveling, he met people, recorded sounds, buying cassette tapes and his music was a formation of his movements around the world.

He inspired me with his way of recording his life and translating it into music. If you listen to his albums they are magical and timeless, I still listen to them to this day.

Making music, in the beginning, is often playful and about discovery. How do you retain a sense of playfulness as things become more professionalised and how do you still draw surprises from equipment you may be very familiar with?

I still am in the process of play and discovery. I believe making music is about finding out who you really are and how you can show this to your audience.

I am a child at heart and I have a huge imagination. I don't think this will ever go away. It's part of who I am and how I create.

For your own creativity, what is the balance and relative importance between what you learned from teachers, tutorials and other producers on the one hand – and what you discovered, understood, and achieved yourself? What are examples for both of these?

I learned to produce electronic music myself by watching many tutorials on YouTube, this helped me a lot to develop the technique. Playing the piano for 13 years left me with the desire to create melodies and now I am slowly introducing my vocal talent. These are my examples.

They all have the same balance. Certainly more than a producer I feel like a musician at heart.

How and for what reasons has your music set-up evolved over the years and what are currently some of the most important pieces of gear and software for you?

I like working with both sampling and VSTs that emulate real synths. Then I take the final project to the studio to finish the project. I first create the grooves, and then start adding melodies to give emotions.

Yann Tiersen, in a surprising statement, told me: "I feel more sincere with electronic instruments [than acoustic ones]." Is that something you can relate to?

I know the importance of acoustic instruments, having played two of them for many years. That music certainly has a completely different sound.

I personally identify more with electronic music because I can express myself better.

Late producer SOPHIE said: “You have the possibility with electronic music to generate any texture, and any sound. So why would any musician want to limit themselves?” What's your take on that and the relevance of limitations in your set-up and process?

I don't like to limit myself and I feel very open to exploration of new sounds.

From the earliest sketches to the finished piece, what does your current production workflow/process look like?

Sound research, study phase, listening phase and technical finishing

What, to you, are the respective benefits of solo work and collaborations and do you often feel lonely in the studio? Can machines act as collaborators to you?

The benefit of being alone is to try to convey your idea in music with people around and your concentration is often not at its maximum.

I love collaborating with musicians who can bring a more technical and professional touch to my project. This is not a bad thing - I love it. :)

If you could make a wish for the future directly to a product developer at a Hard- or Software company – what are developments in tools/instruments you would like to see and hear?  

We are in a moment in which creativity seems to be lacking.

Rather than inventing something that doesn't exist I would invite people to be more creative, to stimulate their creativity.