Matisyahu is probably one of the most unique and intriguing artists of his generation. Drawing inspiration from ancient Jewish mysticism and Rastafarian tradition, his vocal virtuosos do more than get hip-hop fans on their feet - he creates music that inspires a social conscious.
yourGigs (yG): What was it like working with producer, David Kahne?
Matisyahu (M): David is pretty interesting guy. He is very focused, and very dedicated; he really got into the music. I never got the feeling that he was doing a job, I think he really felt that my music was important, that he had a responsibility to helping me create music that is meaningful. He is really a smart guy I think he appreciated working with music that had a conscious and meaning. We would work for several hours and I would leave the studio for the night and come back the next morning and David would still be there working on stuff. Also he is very focused on the vocals, which I liked. I had a very good time working with him.
yG: You recorded this album in a lot of different locations, what sort of effect do you think all that moving around had on the end sound?
M: Well most of the record was actually recorded in New York. About 80 percent of it was recorded in David's studio and that was an eight to 10-month process. But as far as moving around goes, we wanted to work with specific musicians on this album so we took the album to them, but the sound and energy of the record is very "New York" I think.
yG: Reggae is a massive influence on your music, what is it about that style that you love so much?
M: Well on this record in particular there is somewhat of a departure from reggae music I think; it's a much more blended album. I have always blended a lot of different genres together and that has been a sort of staple for my music, on this record much more than any other, but in terms of reggae music there are a few reasons why I was attracted to it. I think one of them is that the style lends itself well to my personality, and the second is the traditional lyrics of reggae music is very conscious oriented, biblical and very majestic. A lot of the words from traditional reggae are taken from the Old Testament in the Bible.
yG: Do you use your music to inspire political change or is it more an expression of your personal faith?
M: It's the latter I think, I'm not into politics at all ... I think my music is definitely a personal reflection of my life and my beliefs.
yG: What do you think non-religious people gain from your music?
M: It's conscious-minded music, it has meaning, it's about hope, it's about daily struggles and trying to overcome them and I think that's why people listen to music, you know, for inspiration. I guess people find my lyrics and my music to be inspiring despite what religion I am or they are.
yG: How would you describe your creative process?
M: I guess part of it is ideas that are developed over a long time and some of it is stream of consciousness. It depends on the song. A lot of the lyrics on this record were a process of me delving into comparative philosophy and relating those ideas into my life and into the tradition of Judaism.
yG: I read that the inspiration for this record came from you and a friend taking a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to study the Torah. Is that true?
M: Um not exactly, what I did was I went to Jerusalem, which is a place I go to regularly in the fall. I have gone there for the last two years for the Jewish month of Tishre, which usually falls around September/October. So I spent some time there and while studying I drew my inspiration from the rebbe, which is kind of like a head rabbi. What he did was write stories, almost like fairytale stories, so a lot of my inspiration for this album came from studying his philosophy and his stories which are lined with a lot of depth, meaning and Jewish mysticism.
yG: So, what can Australian audiences expect from a live Matisyahu show?
M: For this tour I am playing with a band called Dub Trio and as well as two members from my previous band. There is a massive reggae influence in the show, we do a lot of dub stuff and we have redone a lot of old songs for the live show too. We are constantly trying to keep the music inspirational we also do a lot of improvisation. I like to allow the music to just happen ... without too much control over it. That is something that has developed more over the last few years. The show now definitely has more dynamics than it has before, there are so many different influences that at one point you'll be at a hip-hop show at another point you'll be at a rock or reggae show, and that changes from night to night.
Alex Hahn
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