Matt Bachmann

By Sean Maldjian, Contributor

Photo provided by, Matt Bachmann

Meet Matt Bachmann

A self-portrait by, Matt Bachmann

Would you rather…

everyone believe that you are Santa Claus or everyone thinks every day is your birthday?

Birthday

Some questions with Matt Bachmann

Hey there, thank you so much for putting this together with us. Can you tell us a little more about yourself?

I'm a bass player and social worker living in Flatbush. Even though I don't play as much bass as I used to, I think I'll always identify as a bass player-- it's this lens of listening and trying to connect folks around you. The social work lens is a new one for me and one that fits seamlessly with being a bass player. My own music encompasses a few angles that are all connected-- a direct and observant song-writing angle and the more obtuse jazzy-repetitive instrumental music that lies somewhere between drones and music for films. I also play bass with Jeff Tobias's Recurring Dream Band, Ed Askew, and Brady Only. I'm a longtime contributor to Erin Birgy's Mega Bog project and will still play with them from time to time in addition to having played with Happy You, iji, and Hand Habits for a tour. Lately, I've been honing my skills as a mastering engineer, working mostly with the Reading Group and Orindal record labels, putting some finishing touches on some stunning records by Fred Moten/Brandon Lopez/Gerald Cleaver, Ishmael Reed, and Advance Base to name a few.

Which would you prefer to have a garden or a fish tank? What would you have in each?

I actually currently have a garden-- the New York dream! We grew a bunch of arugula, some sunflowers, basil, dill, parsley, cilantro, and tomatoes. Our bed devolved into overgrown arugula chaos this year, but hoping to do better next year and grow some kale, cherry toms, and lavender in addition to our "staples."

You have music on your bandcamp going back to 2016 have you noticed a change in your workflow over time?

I was actually recording my own records from back in 2013 under the moniker Big Eater. When I started recording my own music, I pretty much did everything myself (outside of playing drums) as a sort of challenge to see if I could do it. I held this belief at the time that "no one will care about this music as much as I do so I might as well do it all." I think another part of me wasn't totally confident in what I was doing and by doing it myself, I was able to keep the music closer to the vest. I'm happy I forced myself to do everything for a while because it helped me to grow a lot of musical muscles and help me identify my strengths and weaknesses. As I've grown wiser and more confident, I've brought more people into my musical fold. Some records, like Dream Logic, are more collaborative and feature lots of performers in addition to friends co-producing with me. Others like Walking Preference are more solitary. I still feel like I need to make more solitary records so that I can get lost in my own world and develop new ways of coming at the music.

Another thing that has changed for me is how painstaking I make the process. I used to create these sorts of masochistic ways of working where I'd bounce things out to funky cassette players with irregular motors and then bring them back into the box. I'd have to make 100s of edits to get them to line back up with the track and at the end of the processes, I'd A/B the newly edited tape version to the original and not really notice a difference. But I steadfastly believed that it was these processes that made the records special. I don't do that anymore (lol) mostly because I don't have that kind of time. But I still do some pretty ridiculous stuff-- it's the hunt for the sound that makes it fun.

What was the best encounter you had with a fan?

I was once doing this collaborative show with my friend Sophia Treanor who's a dancer where we did this long piece of listening together with the audience, doing a style of dancing with everyone called flocking where one mimics the person in front of them, and then we all sang together. I had someone come up to me after the show and tell me that they were fully expecting to hate our performance but ended up really enjoying it. I guess that person wasn't a fan but I really enjoyed that feeling-- like what we were setting out to do was not that person's vibe but hopefully, because we did it in an honest way, we were able to connect.

What is the nicest compliment you have ever received about your music?

I have a hard time with compliments-- I'm trying to get better at receiving them. The compliments that stick out most come from my closest friends who have known my music for a long time and are able to help me see how my ideas and interests have fermented over time and become more potent.

How do you view your relationship with writing lyrics? Is it a cathartic experience?

I was a really active member in Mega Bog for a long time and I think Erin's frenetic poetics used to cast a long shadow in my brain. I'm a very literal person-- I don't really get irony or symbolism (though I'm trying... with the symbolism at least). It took me a while before I learned to trust my own lyrical voice. One strength of mine is I'm pretty honest with myself and I think my lyrics have always had this sort of directness and earnestness that I've learned to embrace. These days, I try to trust my intuition more and have fun with it.

Have you ever had a nickname? Why?

In my high school music theory class we all gave ourselves composer names. I was Bachmanioff.

What gear did you find yourself leaning on the most while working on your 2021 album ‘Dream Logic’

I was really enjoying the flanger setting on my SPX90 on pretty much everything.

How did you feel about the reception you received after releasing ‘Dream Logic’ so far?

I'm happy to hear that people have enjoyed the record. I heard a lot of nice feedback. I'm hoping that it continues to reach more folks and have a longer life.

Can you cross your eyes?

Yes

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Rock n roll.