Funkin Matt: A Journey Through Four Decades of Electronic Music (Part 1)

We’re diving deep into the world of Funkin Matt with a 4-part interview series, exploring his evolution as an artist across four decades of electronic music. From his earliest inspirations in the '90s to his vision for the future, this series will take the audience on a journey through the sounds, moments, and milestones that shaped his career.

This series is built around Funkin Matt’s garage house EP Nostalgia, which takes listeners on a sonic trip through time. The first track from the EP, Tamagotchi, was released at the start of February, kicking things off for the rest of the tracks to follow through to mid-April. Each part of this interview series will be released alongside a new track, reflecting a different era of electronic music.

In the '90s, a young Funkin Matt was first exposed to the sounds that would shape his musical DNA. So in this part we are going to discover his early influences, the first steps into music production, and the defining genres of the time.

What were some of your earliest musical influences/inspirations growing up in the ‘90s?

The earliest influences I remember that really got me into music were artists like Faithless, Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, Klubbheads, Ferry Corsten, Beastie Boys, Run DMC, Daft Punk, etc. It was a mix of House, Breakbeats, Trance, Techno, Hip Hop—everything that felt exciting and new to me at the time. I was also shaped a lot by what I could get a hold of at the local CD store. I used to go there, find a stack of CDs, and just listen for hours. If you could find the right compilation, you might be lucky enough to discover a few new artists, which you'd then write down on your hand and research on Yahoo when you got back home. Then it was really about saving up money, buying CD singles—maybe with a few remixes on them—and putting them on repeat.

Can you recall the moment that first made you want to create music yourself?

I can’t really say that there was a specific moment, but my dad tried to teach me the piano and always had a few synths around the house that I could play with. I think I preferred exploring different sounds over practicing the mechanical aspects of playing, and that’s probably why I’m not really a good keyboard player. I do remember my dad giving me a copy of Propellerhead Reason 1.5, which was a game-changer for me. It was the first program I used that let you do everything from sound design to sequencing, creating full tracks from scratch to finish.

What was your very first attempt at producing music like? What equipment were you using?

The first program I used was Rebirth, a 303/808/909 emulator made by Propellerhead. It was really cool but had limitations and was best for making loops. Sequencing was really tedious, so I also tried a fun program called Ejay, which was the opposite—just a lot of premade loops that you arranged together to make a track. I think at the time I also had a version of Cubase, but I found it really confusing and boring. We had a small MIDI keyboard hooked up to the PC, but it worked maybe 20% of the time, and you needed a USB-to-MIDI box, which was just terrible. The music I made in the beginning would best be described as abstract and frantic, and I think it took a couple of years before I made something that sounded okay.

How accessible was music production at the time (compared to today)?

It was accessible in the sense that if you had a computer, you could make music. The problem was that everything made on a computer sounded really digital. Now we think that sound is nostalgic and stylish, but back then it was a major limitation. Everyone was dreaming about getting a real hardware synth, like the Roland JP8000, Access Virus, or Nord Lead. There was a huge difference between having that and not having it. I never had one, so I was stuck using early software synths and had to squeeze all the juice possible out of them. In the end, I think this shaped my sound and how I make music today—being experimental but precise and really appreciating the craft of making things from scratch.

Were there any local artists or scenes in Norway that shaped your taste in music?

I wish I could say yes because there were definitely things happening in Norway, but I mostly listened to music from the UK, US, and Europe in general. Our group of friends was constantly digging for music and influencing each other a lot. But we were just kids who loved music and desperately tried to recreate what we heard on our computers. Music was just something we did for fun, and there wasn’t even the slightest idea that it could be a career path. In Norway, electronic music was underground. The radio only played Rock and Pop, and since I was too young to go to clubs, my arena for discovering new music was strictly on my computer.

What genres were dominating the electronic music space in the late '90s, and how did they influence you?

When I started making music around 1998/99, it was all about Dutch Trance—Ferry Corsten, Armin van Buuren, Tiësto—and French House—Daft Punk, Alan Braxe, Cassius. My friends and I would make French House one day and Trance the next without caring too much about genres. Later on, of course, we became genre snobs, like every teenager thinking they know it all. I think working a lot with melodies and sound design in Trance, combined with the grooves and basslines in House, shaped my music in a big way. Every track you make involves thousands of subconscious choices, all based on your perspective of what a great track should sound like.

Looking back, what do you wish you knew when you first started making music?

If I could go back in time, I’d say: Get a part-time job so you can buy a good set of monitors and a well-treated room from the start—it will save you a lot of time and headaches. Also, buy that synth you feel is holding you back. It might not be, but at least you’ll know and can free your mind. That said, in the end, I’m happy with not knowing. I was always in it for the journey.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we are going to explore Funkin Matt’s experiences in the 2000s, the rise of digital production, and his first major breakthroughs.