A Dirty Dozen with MATTHEW OP’T EIJNDE from IDEK – May 2021

We get Matthew from the band to collectively discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Well, this is a live recording. We wanted to give the listener the same experience as the crowd and that’s simply not possible with a normal studio recording. What’s fun to know is that we wrote this song specifically for a church. The Nicolaï Church in Utrecht to be precise. Not as gospel or anything, but because this church has a reverb of 7 seconds. A very interesting concept to write a metal song around. So we decided to use this spacious vibe to write a droning, heavy song that makes good use of this long reverb. Be on the lookout for that, you can really hear the church walls bouncing off our noise. And since this is live,  there aren’t any secret studio Easter eggs hidden in this one. But fans can hear the organ, which is especially interesting. It’s the one they use in the church and has steel pipes that are almost 3 foot wide. Crazy.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Growing up, music was always on around the house. My dad used to sing in a band and he worked for a record label. So music is kind of in my blood haha. I started making music when I first heard “One” by Metallica (cheesy, I know). It blew my mind, back in the day. So much so that I decided I wanted to play guitar. I was always creative and was actually more into art and animation, but learning more about music and the artistry behind it made me choose this path. It was a slow process, but here we are.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Although I play in a metal band, I mostly listen to electronic or IDM music, lately. But aspects I love in almost every genre is this spacious, reverby sound. That all started with Tesseract. When I first heard them back in 2011 I fell in love with the ambient elements combined with the groovy metal. I had listened to Aphex Twin before (who does the ambient stuff too), but Tesseract really cemented that with me, because they combined it with metal. And that was what I was mainly into back in the day.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

This is a very difficult question for me haha I love so many artists for so many different reasons. Let’s go with: Massive Attack, Periphery, Tesseract (aforementioned), Nine Inch Nails and Muse.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Trent Reznor, by far. His vision on what it means to be an artist, his way of communicating what he feels and thinks and his supreme skill and experience with writing are legendary. I look up to him a lot. I would love to pick his mind and see what kind of music would be birthed from us collaborating. Even if we wouldn’t be compatible, I feel I’d learn a lot from him just by exchanging ideas.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

That’s difficult, since we take inspiration from so many things. Probably that gurgling sound you hear when you’re draining a sink. But in all honesty, I’d say a combination of Sikth, Twelve Foot Ninja and Mr. Bungle. We haven’t had any cringy comparisons from reviewers, but one that I found interesting was System Of A Down. Although a great influence on all of use, we wouldn’t say we sound like them at all. A great honor, nonetheless.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

I’d say I’m the one who cooks, Harprit gets the drinks and Musfik would be the one grab a guitar and sing like there’s no tomorrow. One thing we all do is bring weed, though. No shortage of that.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

I think it was being around Tiësto. Very weird choice, but it’s true. I used to work for an artist management for dance music and we got to hang out with him. Like his music or not, he’s a legend and he has a certain gravitas to his appearance. Very weird experience, because I wouldn’t call myself a fan of his music at all.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

I don’t even see myself as a musician per se. I play a couple of instruments, yes. But I love creating more than anything. Just writing things, concepts, ideas or musical worlds. I’m currently working on a solo album of ambient music under the name Maenda and that really made me see how much I love the writing part of it all. I don’t play music, I create music. Let’s say that even if I tried, I wouldn’t be a good musician by any means. If I couldn’t be a musician, I’d love to be a movie director. To create something from your own vision with the help of all these amazing creative people around you. I’m actually starting directing this year, got one production coming up that I’m very excited about.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

I like to get surprised, so there’s not really a favourite question I have in mind. The most annoying question however, is what my top albums/artists are. I can’t decide! There’s so much good music out there that picking out favourites would be a disservice to the rest of the artists I listen.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I wouldn’t be the person I am without all the missteps I made. One thing I’d like to do over is not work with this very sketchy management agency. We got ripped off by them. Hard. So to all artists and musicians out there: don’t just work with anyone. Do your research, be critical and respect yourself enough to follow your gut when it comes to these blood sucking parasites.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails. That record changed the landscape of music. They used production techniques that were completely new for that time (and that are still used to this day). I would love to be a fly on the wall and watch them work, write and pour out their heart and soul into this record. A very strong second place would be the very first Slipknot record. Man, you almost taste the pain they felt during recording that.

BONUS QUESTION – Due to the current world situation with COVID-19 / quarantine / shelter in place, what have you discovered you miss the most from your life before the pandemic struck?

I miss getting a random beer at the bar with my buds. Just those spontaneous nights of dumb fun. But all the bars are closed and we have a night curfew in The Netherlands right now, so that’s not happening anytime soon.

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Category: Interviews