Artist on the Rise: Matt Shi
As he explored the world of music production and experimented with different digital audio workstations (DAW’s) he settled on Ableton Live as his main production software. Ableton is known in the industry as a high rated DAW, and as pointed out by the young producer, it has an efficient workflow and allows its users to manipulate samples in unique ways.
While many artists use music as an outlet for personal expression, Matt Shi is unique in the sense that he uses his passion for music to drive his work. As he told EAR, “when making a beat, I’m more interested in what I’m contributing to the culture than in expressing some internal feeling.” However, he also explains that while his main goal is not to convey any personal message, he still draws inspiration from his personal tastes and preferences. Shi named a variety of hip-hop producers such as 9th Wonder, Alchemist, Kanye West, and J Dilla as artists who influenced his personal tastes in music, which translated into his own content. If you take a listen to his compositions, a lot can be learned about who Matt Shi is as a producer and an artist. Matt Shi’s creations are an auditory example of who he is as a person, thus making his music very engaging and enjoyable to hear.
Shi confessed to EAR that while he had created and released several projects, he had taken some down due to his dissatisfaction with his work. As he continues to grow and improve his craft, he shows his dedication to his work by self-analysis of his previous projects, and using his past shortcomings to learn and create better content today. These sentiments are obviously reflected in many of his tracks such as “Too Late 4 the Nineties,” “Petals” and “The Feeling”.
Matt Shi was also very kind to share with EAR the inspiration and the process behind his favorite tracks. If you are interested in a nostalgic track, “Too Late 4 the Nineties” accomplishes this feeling with the passionate rap verses of collaborator Rath the Angel that talk about memories of their childhood in Brooklyn. He articulated how he utilized drum samples to emulate a nostalgic feeling as he played around with rhythm and timing. He explained, “the sample itself is in 6/8, but when chopped and rearranged over a 4/4 pattern it takes on a fluid, stirring quality”. As for his track “Petals”, this song is one of his most popular releases with over 4,000 streams on Spotify. Shi explains it as “a jazzy hip hop instrumental with a B-section in the middle that seems to take the listener to a higher place before coming back to earth”. We highly recommend you take a listen to this track to experience its uplifting qualities. Lastly, his most recent release “The Feeling” strays from his traditional hip-hop roots and explores more electronic, lo-fi sounds. Despite this shift in genre, Shi feels that this track still fits in very well with the rest of his music repertoire. The song gives off a range of emotions, which is exactly what he had hoped to accomplish. As he had expressed to EAR “every beat might feature an array of different feelings, but it’s important for me to create art that evokes different layers of responses—calm yet energizing, sad yet hopeful, cheerful yet soothing, etc.” Thus, Matt Shi’s music reflects his advanced skills at production through his ability to create music that evokes multiple layers of emotional responses in his listeners. All of these songs are currently available to listen on multiple streaming platforms and have been pointed out by the producer as works that he is proud to have created. Definitely be sure to check them out on his Artist page on your favorite streaming platform!
Regarding the future, the aspiring artist explained that he hopes to continue the trajectory which he is on now. He hopes to make positive contributions to the hip hop genre, however he is currently focused on building a community with his music. That being said, Matt Shi has many new releases on the way! Definitely be sure to check out his instrumental trap EP called “It’s a Trap” that dropped today! Shi also told EAR that he is currently working on a “calm and catchy house single” and a longer project that combines his signature jazz and hip hop samples. If you would like to stay in the loop for when he releases new music, follow him on Instagram @prodbymattshi. We also asked Shi about his Instagram aesthetic, as it is very structured and organized. Shi said that it will always be a work in progress as it is his way of presenting himself to the public. When asked how his online presence speaks to who he is as an artist, he responded “my online image is of a somewhat mysterious artist with a “shoot to kill” mentality—I don’t like to act unless that action is going to have its intended impact”. He explained that this represents his personal commitment to hold himself to a high standard and serves as a visual representation for his personal brand.
He also pointed out that art works in various ways and while it is vital for society’s survival, the idea of music’s cultural impact is too complex to make general claims and summarize into a few sentences. However, as many have suggested in the past, Shi pointed out that technology today has yielded a golden age for independent musicians, as it is now easier to connect with others, create art, and distribute it efficiently.
Given Matt Shi’s sophistication in his skills and ideas, we highly recommend you check out his music! As suggested previously, “Too Late 4 the Nineties”, “Petals” and “The Feeling”, are some of his proudest tracks, however Shi has a large repertoire of music available on all streaming platforms. Although most of his projects do not have lyrics, you are sure to be taken on an emotional journey as you listen to his content. We would also like to give a special thank you to Matt Shi for talking to EAR and providing us with a lot of insight into his artistry!
If you are interested in hearing more from Matt Shi, we have his Artist Profiles linked down below:
Spotify
Also follow him on social media to stay in the loop on his new releases!: