Front Left's Matt Egbert drops Future Stars mix

Hey Matt, great to have you on here! Can you share your journey into electronic music? What was the moment or experience that made you transition from playing instruments like the guitar to producing electronic beats?

Stoked to be doing this! I initially got into electronic music when I was 18 years old. I grew up playing guitar and other instruments so music was something I was always into and when I discovered electronic music and started messing around making beats what really got me hooked was the fact that I had full control over the entire project. Playing in bands growing up is a collaborative effort and you are really just in control over your part in the group – which in my case were the guitar parts. But making house music you are in charge of every element of the track and that is something that I really loved.

What was it about electronic music that so resonated with you? Did you instantly love it or was it a more gradual thing for you? Was there one moment in particular where you felt, ‘this is what I want to be doing with my life’?

Like I said in the previous question, having full control over every element of the track was what really grabbed me in regards to producing house music. As far as being a listener and a lover of house music and raving, what resonated with me the most was the community involved in these types of shows. There is nothing like a room full of people absolutely having it to some sick beats late at night! I’d say it was pretty much instant for me, I fell in love with electronic music, specifically house music right away.

A career in electronic music is often fraught with difficult and involves a lot of sacrifice. Have you had to suffer for your art in this way? How has it strengthened your resolve and determination?

I would definitely agree with this statement. Pursuing a career in house music comes with a ton of rejection and behind the scenes struggle that most people don’t see. Dealing with rejection and these low moments make the success that much sweeter, and when you spend hours upon hours on a project for it to finally come out and see the light of day and get a positive reaction, it makes it all worth it.

Do you set goals for yourself? Do you have mentors and people you really lean on and look up to in this way? 

Yeah, I try to set goals for myself like finishing “x” amount of tracks per week for example. Doing this helps keep me motivated and on track and I try the best I can to stick to this although life can get in the way sometimes. There are some people who have helped me out in my journey as a music producer and I think everyone needs someone to help guide them out and help them navigate this industry.

I read elsewhere that you mentioned Dusky’s set at EDC Las Vegas as a pivotal moment in your career. What about that performance inspired you to dive into house music?

Haha, yeah I love to tell this story. I was at EDC Las Vegas in 2014 I believe and as a young 19 year old kid I had just started really diving into the electronic music scene and seeing what it was all about. At this point I was into the big room main stage stuff but Dusky was really my first time fully experiencing a house music set. It absolutely blew my mind! The groove, the music, the crowd, everything about it was just next level for me and I was hooked for life after that. I went home after that weekend and bootlegged a copy of Ableton and started producing beats and never looked back.

Overall, do you think the whole EDM thing has been good for the US? Do you think it’s helped act as a gateway to more ‘underground’ sounds and introduced a whole new audience to 4/4 sounds? 

I think overall it has been a positive thing. EDM was my gateway into electronic music and if it wasn’t for that I probably wouldn’t have found my way into the underground house music scene and I think the same can be said for a lot of others. I think for most people there is a journey you go on discovering different genres and finding out what really resonates with you, whether that be House, DNB, Techno, UKG, etc. Having said that, I do think the commercialization of EDM and “main stage” culture permeating social media is a little harmful nowadays with it bringing people who may be at these parties for the wrong reasons, but I feel like that is the case with anything that blows up in popularity.

‍ell us a bit about being based in LA. Is it an exciting place to be right now musically? Is hip-hop still the predominant genre among club goers? 

In my opinion, LA is one of the best scenes in the country for underground house music, specifically the warehouse scene. World class artists are constantly coming through to LA and there is never a shortage of great parties to go to every weekend. I can’t really speak to what is the predominant genre at clubs around the city because I mainly only go out to these warehouse parties that bring the underground house artists. But for the warehouse scene, it is absolutely elite.

How has growing up in LA influenced your musical journey? What role has the LA scene played in shaping your sound?

I’d say the LA scene shaped my sound mainly from the types of parties that I attend. Seeing incredible music being played out at these parties inspires me a ton to go home and work on some beats with sounds fresh in my head. 

Have you played or been to Europe yet? If so, how was the experience? 

I have been to Europe many times, I love traveling over there. I haven’t played any parties but did do a live stream at a studio called Bloop London which was really cool to do. My favorite experience musically I have had in Europe has been at Dimensions in Croatia, which in my opinion is the best festival in the world. The lineup there is unmatched, along with the beautiful location. Highly recommend that festival for anyone into house music!

Front Left Recordings started as an event company before transitioning into a label. What motivated this shift, and how has the journey been since the first release? 

Yeah we used to throw a ton of events for years and it was a blast to do. I really enjoyed it but as time went on I started to lose the passion for event production. I knew I always wanted to turn the brand into a label to help promote sounds from very talented artists and to also have an outlet for my own music as well. This isn’t to say we are done with events for good, we are just doing them sparingly now, instead of bi-weekly for example. 

Your 10th release is out soon and you’re pushing it on vinyl too. Can you tell us a bit more about that one? 

Over the last year I’ve fell in love with mixing vinyl and collecting records. I feel like there is something special about holding the music physically in your hands and I feel a stronger connection to it this way. So to commemorate the milestone of our 10th release I thought it would be cool to press some records for this one!

You’ve mentioned your desire to push the underground minimal sound in the U.S., where tech house dominates. What strategies or plans do you have to shift the scene and bring more attention to the sounds you’re passionate about? 

Yeah Tech House definitely dominates the US scene right now. I’m a much bigger fan of the more minimal sound so I want to try to bring that sound and vibe to as many people as possible. I’m hoping that by releasing this music on my label and pushing it to a wider audience I can help kickstart some people’s journey into digging deeper into other forms of house music.

You’ve had the chance to play with some of your heroes over the years. Can you share any memorable experiences or lessons learned from performing alongside artists you admire?

Yeah I’ve been lucky enough to play with a lot of artists I’ve looked up to and even play with them as well. One experience that comes to mind is at a party myself and another DJ Michael Fam threw we booked Kepler and ended up playing an impromptu B3B until 7am to close out the party and that was an awesome time. I think some lessons I’ve learned from playing with some bigger artists is I’ve taken away techniques to really keep the crowd engaged and on how to read a room better by watching these DJ’s with years of experience playing massive crowds.

Could you take us through your creative process in the studio? How do you typically begin a production session, and what inspires you during these sessions?

So i like to listen to music I’m really into at the moment before a production session, and this doesn't have to necessarily be house music. It could be Rap, Jazz, RnB or whatever really. Just whatever is inspiring me at the moment and then I try to work on elements that are inspiring me and turn it into my own thing. I like to start with a jam with a drum loop and then play around with basslines or chords or manipulating samples I’ve found. I don’t really have a set way of doing things, it’s whatever works for me at the moment honestly.

Running your own label, Front Left Recordings, as a one-man operation must come with challenges. What has been the most difficult part, and how do you manage to stay motivated?

I’d say the most difficult part is keeping everything balanced. From reaching out to artists, to going through demos, to keeping track of all the backend distribution stuff, to promotion, to tracking royalties and stream/sales data etc. Just finding a good balance to stay on top of all of these tasks. I manage to stay motivated because I love this shit! Nothing brings me more joy than releasing records I am proud of, either from me or any of the amazing artists who have released on my label. Shout out to Fletch, Ray Mono, Marco Roberto, Patrick Loda, Kawaii San, Lucho, Omari, Kev Christopher, Overworked, & Nate Katz!

How do you balance the demands of producing, running a label, and performing live?

I balance all of this by sticking to a routine. I like to set aside time for each specific tasks, like the label stuff and studio time. It helps me to set aside blocks of time to tackle each objective I have to do. When I have gigs coming up I like to set aside time to dig for tracks as well.

You’ve got a performance lined up at Yoon Fest in October. What can fans expect from your set, and how are you preparing for this event?

Yeah Yoon is one of my favorite gigs to play ever. I’ve played a few of them now and it gets better every year. The team behind it is incredible and full of passionate people who really know what they are doing. You can expect a lot of unreleased tracks from myself and a special crate of records I’ve been saving just for this. 

Looking beyond 2024, what are your long-term goals for both your personal career and Front Left Recordings? Are there any dream collaborations or festivals on your bucket list? 

Some long term goals I have are to release on certain dream labels and play some gigs I’ve been dreaming of. An absolute dream of mine would be to play at a festival like Dimensions or Houghton, that is the type of vibe that I strive for.

…and away from music, what else is really exciting you about life right now?

Just taking it day-by-day and enjoying life! I’m excited for the winter season to come back around as I love going to the mountains and being in the snow. My perfect day is waking up early, snowboarding for a few hours coming back to the cabin and making some tunes cozied up by the fire.

By the way, why do you love hanging around Front Left so much? What makes it such a special place to hang out on the dance floor?! 

Haha, yeah front left is the spot to be! It was a running joke with my group of friends that if we got split up, just meet front left! The vibes always just seemed to be on point there. I’ve noticed on social media that I’m not alone in this as I’ve seen some other accounts using the Front Left name in their brand as well. All love though!

Keep up with Matt Egbert on Instagram, Twitter, Soundcloud, TikTok, Beatport and Spotify 

Keep up with Front Left on Instagram,  Soundcloud, Beatport,  Bandcamp

Listen to Matt Egbert’s Nightclubber mix below