An Interview with Matoma
The buildup leading into the publishing of this interview deserves its own biopic. From internal issues to global pandemics, having just a few minutes to speak with internationally touring Norwegian DJ and record producer Matoma was a miracle in and of itself.
In our short but sweet phone interview, Tom Stræte Lagergren, known as Matoma, guided us through his transition from classical music to a diverse catalog of EDM, breaking down how EDM operates differently in other cultures, as well as how hip-hop has influenced the artist from half a world away. Not only an artist, Matoma is also an academic with a degree in Music Technology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Having released two full length projects, Hakuna Matoma (2016) and One in a Million (2018), working with Magic!, DRAM, Popcaan, and Wale, and consistently releasing singles to this day with up and coming artists like Rema and Wilder Woods, Matoma has proven himself to be a uniting force in the worldwide sensation that is EDM. Still, despite all of his accomplishments and collaborations, Tom continues to stay true to his roots in citing how the support of his family helped guide him to be where he is today.
View his newest collaboration single Dumebi here!
- Alfred Bordallo, Promotions Director
Alfred Bordallo: Hey Tom, how are you doing?
Tom Stræte Lagergren: I’m good I’m good how are you?
AB: I’m good I’m so glad we could finally put this together. Thanks so much for taking the time out to hop on the phone with us and everything.
TSL: Of course, and thank you for being patient and waiting! I really appreciate you!
AB: Not a problem! A lot of our DJs, including myself, are big fans of your music and for you to be on the line means a lot. I understand that you’re a very busy guy so we’ll jump straight into the questions. Before all this I had to do my research and from your wiki page it says that you transitioned from classical piano as a child and eventually made your way into EDM, even getting a degree in music technology from a university in Norway. Could you talk a little bit about your transition from Piano into EDM?
TSL: Yeah sure! Basically I started the piano when I was 7 and I was quite determined to be a classical pianist and I was practicing a lot and it was my true passion and my hobby. I just loved it and I could take hours every day to just practice and play. But then when I entered my teenage years, around when I was about 16 or 16 and a half I started not - started feeling a little demotivated and I didn’t find like the inspiration that I needed to pursue. So I kinda stopped playing the piano for a while. So then my dad, he didn’t force me or push me or anything but he felt it was quite sad that I had been practicing for so long and then suddenly just wanted to quit. And that was it. I wanted to do like sports and he asked if there was anything else I wanted to do in music and I said “I don’t know…not right now, I think I just want to play soccer and I just want to play handball and ski and do all these other activities.” And then two weeks later he came to me and he said, “Tom, I watched a documentary about these two Norwegian producers named Stargate and they just moved to the U.S. to pursue their producer dream and maybe you should watch it.” So I did and I got really inspired and that summer I saved all my money and bought, that fall, a producer laptop and some equipment and I started just like sampling and basic producing and that was how I got introduced to the whole production and just being a producer.
AB: So it all started with classical piano and you did it your whole childhood and that sorta thing- and you kinda just got a little burnt out but found another passion with the guidance and support of your father and that’s great- I feel like in most stories parents can be a little harsher on their kid; I’m glad that wasn’t the case with you.
TSL: Yeah, they have never pushed me, they’ve always been very supportive but they have never, like, forced me to do anything, like it has to come from me.
AB: That’s amazing, your music definitely does come from a loving place and I’m very happy to hear that’s how it all came about. Now, looking at how you’re a Norwegian DJ, you know you’ve toured internationally, how would you say that EDM scenes vary across the countries you’ve been to?
TSL: I think like Europe had its own part of the EDM situation going on right now. They have all these like, huge EDM festivals with the lineup pretty much the same—very European based producers and DJs—but you don’t see those names in the U.S. for example. I think, like, for the U.S. it’s more…more bass heavy and trap heavy and Europe is more pop heavy. I think my music blends in a way, like I have so many different flavors. So, I adapt my sets towards the festivals I am playing and the region I’m playing. So in Asia, for example, I play more of like a typical European, like EDM sets, but in the U.S. I play maybe like more hip-hop-inspired, more trap heavy, more uplift and harder beats. And in Europe it’s like a mix between Asia and U.S., and Europe— they love the, of course big name stuff, but they also really really like melodic house and old melodic stuff that has vocals on it and the sounds are really anthemic and big.
AB: Yeah, I’ve always been curious about the relationships that different EDM communities have with each other and that sorta thing and I think you broke it down very very nicely and understandably, how it varies from region to region, and it’s super dope that you have to know your audience too—I think that’s one of the most important yet underrated parts about getting on stage and being a performer. A lot of your edits, you say that you play a lot of your more hip-hop oriented music.
TSL: I feel like I definitely have more hip-hop roots because my dad introduced me to hip hop when I was seven years old, so hip-hop has always been a part of my musical journey.
AB: A lot of your remixes are of hip-hop songs—what’s your process in choosing a song to remix?
TSL: Yeah, so when I wasn’t signed to Atlantic and not like a bigger major label, it was easy for me to hear hip-hop songs that I found on YouTube and remix them and release them on Soundcloud. But now when I’m signed to a major label it’s a bit more complicated because now I have to do official remixes… and I just actually today released [a remix of] a new, upcoming African artist that comes from Nigeria! His name is uhh Rema? And, he’s like buzzing right now in the industry and he’s doing collaborations with Drake and some really really big people.
AB: We’ll be sure to give that a spin at the station!
TSL: Yeah, yeah! If you could do that that would be amazing. It’s called “Dumebi” and it’s by Rema and it’s the Matoma Remix. It just released today so be sure to check it out if you have the time.
AB: Yeah absolutely! Now, that’s a very recent collaboration. With all the remixes you have, would you say you have a dream collaboration remix, alive or dead?
TSL: I feel like I have, the people from the past, like post-mortem. I’ve done them justice by making edits and remixes that have turned into singles and collaborations. For example, “Old Thing Back,” that was the Soundcloud remix I released and suddenly Atlantic signed me as an official single and got the blessing from Biggie’s estate and P. Diddy and we released it as a collaboration and as an honor to Biggie and it just blew up! I kinda feel like I’ve done that, the only person I feel like would be the perfect match, would be a collaboration with Will Smith. I just love him.
AB: Will Smith?
TSL: Yeah, Will Smith.
AB: I was not expecting that as your answer but, you know, come to think of it, I think it could work.
TSL: Yeah, that would have been like the best.
AB: Wow, that caught me off guard. I guess my last question is: If you could attend any concert or festival from the past, which would you go to as a performer and why?
TSL: I would have wanted to do Live Aid at [Wembley Stadium], just experiencing them. A lot of legends. That era of music, the whole Flower Power, it would have been fucking cool to do that.
AB: I’m sure you would have brought a new dimension of music over to Live Aid considering the audience of the time—you would have truly been a pioneer. Well Tom, that’s just about it for our questions. Do you have anything else you wanted to say to KXSC?
TSL: Oh! I have a new single coming out next Friday! If you want to give that a spin too I would love to send it to you!
AB: Amazing! KXSC loves supporting artists that give a bit of time to talk to us!