Seldom do we receive a project that we're this excited to premiere. Let me introduce you to Matchbox Orchestra. This body of work transcends us as listeners into a completely new dimension. Amist the heavy bass and tantalizing sound design are Ben Cardilli's vocals, which perfectly compliment the production. We at EDM Sauce are ecstatic about this release. See our brief conversation with Matchbox Orchestra below.
How did the Matchbox Orchestra project come to fruition?
A couple years back after a few years of pretty much only making dubstep/DJ friendly stuff with the Dubba Jonny project, I decided it was about time I started experimenting a bit more. When I was younger I’d always liked writing more eclectic stuff, I’d actually always had the name ‘Matchbox Orchestra’ in mind for an alias. Once I got into writing some more melodic/interesting stuff again it really started to feel like it did when I was a kid writing whatever I felt like again, so it kinda felt right to bring the name back and start something completely new with it!
Who are you biggest inspirations?
It’s hard to say to be honest, it’s changing all the time! These days I’m definitely influenced by guys like Cashmere Cat, Flume, Glass Animals, Shlomo etc. I also take a lot of influence from more old school bands, guys like Pink Floyd, the Beatles, Hendrix etc. etc. Although I’m really not sure if those influences are readily apparent in most of my stuff.
“Morning Grace,” is such a great listen- I’m a little obsessed with it. Any interesting story behind it? Thanks!
Funnily enough, I’ve sat on that tune for almost 2 years now. I have a terrible habit of hoarding my favourite tracks, for some reason the more confident I am in a track the less inclined I am to actually release it. Seems really backwards when I say it like that but it makes sense to me, I think it’s kind of a protective thing. Anyway for that reason I can’t remember in too much detail what was going through my head writing it. I remember I found Ben Cardilli online and thought he was perfect for the track. I’m pretty sure the first version of vocals he sent me are actually the vocals on the track right now. After that it kind of collected dust in a pile of WIP’s until I polished up the final mix and decided to get it out there.
What do you have planned for 2016?
I’ll be honest I really don’t know what 2016 will bring for MBO! I do however have a pile of around 40 tracks that are in various stages of completion right now and I’m writing all the time, so I plan to release plenty of new music next year for sure. I’ve got a lot of stuff I’m equal parts excited and scared to put out there covering a wide range of flavors and I’m really keen to try and put some original and interesting stuff out there.
What advice would you give to younger producers?
Most young producers I see right now are absolutely hell bent on trying to replicate what they’re hearing from other established artists. I would say this really is the wrong way of going about it, all these guys they’re looking up to got out there by doing something fresh and developing their own unique style, which takes a really long time and a lot of trial and error. Give yourself a head start and get started early on that. I would also say stop focussing so much on trying to get Facebook likes / SoundCloud plays / signing to labels etc right away, the music is the most important thing and the longer you spend trying to get it right before putting yourself out there, the better, you only get one chance to make first impressions after all! I guess finally just have fun with it, no one’s telling you what to do and you’ve got all the time in the world!
Any last words?
Big up to yourselves, thanks for anyone supporting the music, and stay tuned for more!
