Contirbutor
Today marks the day of Matt Egbert’s quality three track EP ‘Wizard Pepper’ and we were lucky enough to catch up with the main, offering a deep dive into this infectious collection.
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Can you tell us about your musical journey and how you first got started as a producer/DJ? What inspired you to pursue electronic music, and who were some of your early influences?
Growing up I played a few instruments, mainly the guitar though. I did classical recitals, played Jazz & Blues, and was in a few rock bands too. I got into electronic music when I was around 16 years old and started producing beats of my own when I was 18. One of my biggest earliest influences was Dusky, I saw a set of theirs at EDC Las Vegas when I was 20 years or so old and it blew my mind and turned me into a house head right then and there.
Your upcoming EP, ‘Wizard Pepper’, is generating quite a buzz. Can you share with us the inspiration behind the title and the overall concept of the EP?
The concept of this EP is just based around making fun, funky, house music with a spacey, shimmery flair. I’m very inspired by the sounds of labels like Airfunk, Butter Side Up, Bizarre Trax & Limousine Dream right now and I didn’t intentionally try to make something like those labels but it’s just the sound I’m digging right now. The inspiration for the title actually came from a Key & Peele skit, the one about the inner city wizarding school haha. I like track/EP titles that don’t really make a ton of sense but they’re funny and kind of grab your attention a little bit. Thought the name Wizard Pepper was funny and sounded cool and was an apt description of the type of sounds you’ll hear in the EP.
Front Left Recordings, your own label, is releasing ‘Wizard Pepper’. Can you give us some insights into the history and vision of the label?
So I started Front Left back in 2018 in San Diego as an event company but I always intended to turn it into a record label eventually. Made the move with our first release in June 2023. After that first release I took some time to retool a few things within the company and now we are back at it with monthly releases scheduled throughout the rest of 2024 from some seriously talented producers. I want to help push the underground minimal leaning sound out here in the United States, which I feel is somewhat lacking. It’s definitely growing though and I want to help. The US is dominated by tech house and I hope to help shift that a bit by being a US based label releasing music that you might hear at a European festival such as Dimensions or Houghton.
What sets ‘Wizard Pepper’ apart from your previous work, and what can listeners expect from this EP in terms of sound and style?
This EP is more reflective of the sound I have been into as of late. My last few releases have had a more “techy” sound to them but with this one and some more coming up I feel I have taken a groovier, funkier approach to my production. I haven’t had a release in a while because I’ve been taking time to hone in on this new direction. Listeners can expect lots of funky synths and a spacey atmosphere throughout the EP.
As the founder of Front Left Recordings, what challenges have you faced in running your own label, and what achievements are you most proud of?
It can be challenging at times running the label as a one man operation but it is immensely gratifying when people are loving the releases. What I’m most proud of recently is hitting #7 on the overall top 100 releases chart on Beatport with our 3rd release. Hoping to see continued growth in the future!
Could you walk us through your creative process when producing music? Are there any rituals or routines you follow?
I don’t really have any set routines or rituals, I tend to just vibe out and jam for a little and see if there’s a cool idea that comes out of that. I like to spend some time mixing records or listening to music before I start a production session so that if I’m going for a certain vibe that sound is fresh in my mind or I can find myself getting inspired by a certain track that I’m really digging.
What studio equipment and software do you rely on the most when crafting your tracks? Are there any pieces of gear that have become indispensable to your workflow?
I’m not using too much hardware these days except for a piece I just picked up that’s pretty nice – the Arturia MiniFreak. Super easy to use synth that Ive been able to get great sounds out of. As far as software goes, Ableton is king of course. Really been loving this VST called ElectraX lately, I use multiple instances of it on every track. Such a good synth. Huge fan of the Soundtoys stuff as well, specifically Phasemistress & Microshift. LFOtool by Xfer gets a ton of use for me too. The Arturia VST collection is another one of my favorites, specifically Pigments & the DX7 VST.
Are there any upcoming shows or tours where fans can catch you performing live? Any exciting collaborations or special performances lined up?
I actually don’t have many shows in the pipeline right now, I’ve been offered a few lately but have turned them down to focus on time in the studio on the weekends. Really trying to hone in and perfect my sound right now and will probably start taking more gigs in the spring/summer! The one on the calendar right now that I’m really looking forward to is Yoon Fest in October. Best festival in California!
Lastly, what’s next for Matt Egbert and Front Left Recordings after the release of ‘Wizard Pepper’? Do you have any future projects or goals you can share with us?
What’s next is to keep on releasing the music! I have an EP coming out with a label called TENTO sometime this year. Cool label based out of the UK. And then after that just trying to get on some of my favorite labels I mentioned earlier, like Limousine Dream, Bizarre Trax, Butter Side Up etc. I’ll probably release on Front Left one more time this year too, just gotta see how the tracks I’m cooking end up!
Pick up a copy of Wizard Pepper here.