"art is never finished, only abandoned." - leonardo da vinci

sketch sessions is a series of live recordings, documenting my nascent journey through live music production and performance.

most of this music isn't great, but i believe in sharing artistic work at an early stage and often -- particularly when it makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable. in my mind, that emotional state is what true growth feels like. it's also fun to capture and share the adventure, and to look back on it later after further progression.

sketch sessions

studio mixes

live sets

This is the 12:00-13:00 hour of the 2016 00:00-24:00 mix project, where 24 selectors each program one hour of the day.

For many, the midday hour is a brief respite, after the early morning rush, ahead of the afternoon bustle. For some, it's a lazy start to the day. Others might take this hour to cut out of work early and get their weekend started.

This is a soundtrack for any of these scenarios. A warm, sexy, mostly downtempo vibe, crossing genres from garage to funk, house to hip-hop. It closes with a lush, bouncy beat to propel you through your day.

(00:00) Shura — Touch (Four Tet Remix)
(04:15) Ian Ewing — Who Dropped The Hummus Platter In The Pool
(07:45) Taz Arnold — The Telephone Call - (Kraftwerk Cover, Nosaj Thing remix)
(10:55) Jamie xx — Seesaw feat. Romy (Four Tet club remix)
(16:33) Black Coffee — Turn Me On (Feat. Bucie)
(22:45) TOKiMONSTA — Realla feat Anderson .Paak
(26:15) Little Dragon — Klapp Klapp (Nosaj Thing remix, feat Future)
(30:03) FKA Twigs — FKA x inc //(CJYN Refix)
(32:45) Ultraísta — Smalltalk (Four Tet Remix)
(38:45) Melo-Zed — About [her]
(41:39) George FitzGerald — Full Circle feat. Boxed In (Bonobo Remix)
(47:16) Talib Kweli — Butterfly - ft. Steffanie Christi'an (prod. Kaytranada)
(51:06) Blackstreet — No Diggity (Bondax Edit)
(54:39) Mocki — Weekend (Jai Wolf Remix)

matt pakes - midday vibes [1200-1300]

Agape's Halloween party is an annual tradition of familiar faces and all-night grooving. I was honored to warm up the dance floor this year, opening for my friends @jamesfish, @popstack, @asblackstock, and @lukasb. As my first live set, it's slightly rough around the edges, but the crowd was friendly and the dance floor was moving.

This set spans a few genres; It starts off mellow, builds up with some tribal beats, shifts into higher-energy house and future garage tracks (with a Bieber-flavored surprise in the middle), and closes out with some deep house. Hope you enjoy it.

Track List:

(00:00) Maceo Plex - Gravy Train (Nicolas Jaar Remix)
(03:34) Nu - Geno (Bedouin Remix)
(10:15) Max Graef - No 5 (Original Mix)
(15:30) Mary J. Blige - Right Now (Shadow Child Remix)
(19:45) John Talabot - So Will Be Now… feat. Pional (Original Mix)
(24:18) Disclosure - Boiling (Medlar Remix)
(29:02) RÜFÜS / RÜFÜS DU SOL - Desert Night (Motez Remix)
(33:17) Justin Bieber - Sorry (Wide Awake Tropical Remix)
(36:40) Flume - Never Be Like You feat. Kai (Disclosure Remix)
(41:38) Damian Lazarus - Sacred Dance of the Demon (Gorgon City Remix)
(47:55) Bob Moses - Like It Or Not (Joris Voorn Remix)
(53:50) Moderat - Rusty Nails (Booka Shade Remix)
(58:53) Florian Kruse, Hendrik Burkhard - The Ground (Original Mix)
(1:03:42) Roman Fluegel, Simian Mobile Disco - Hachinoko (Original Mix) (1:10:32) Moderat - Eating Hooks (Siriusmo Remix - Solomun Edit)
(1:15:08) Nicolas Jaar - Mi Mujer (Original Mix)

Matt Pakes - Live at Agape Halloween 2016 [Oct 2016]

Each New Year’s Eve, about 100 of our closest friends gather for a dusk-to-dawn celebration of life and the coming new year. This year the theme was "The Age of Wonder", and I had the pleasure of playing a 75 minute set, opening for @popstack, @jamesfish, @gleitz, and @marina-cher.

The set begins and ends in familiar dance-y Deep / Tech House territory, with a short Chicago House interlude in the middle to get the heart pumping and the dance floor really moving. 

Thanks to all who came out, danced, and shared in the revelry -- I can't imagine a better way to kick off 2017.

Tracklist (timestamps coming soon): 

Blond:ish - It Starts Now (Original Mix) [Kompakt, 2015]
Shigeto - Pulse (Original Mix) [Ghostly International, 2015]
A.A.L. (Against All Logic) - TROUBLE Rooney [Other People, 2014]
Kiasmos - Held (Dauwd Remix) [Erased Tapes, 2015]
HVOB - Azrael (Original Mix) [Still Vor Talent, 2014]
Guy Mantzur, Roy Rosenfeld - Epika (Original Mix) [Kompakt, 2015]
Rachel Row - Follow The Step (KiNK Beat Mix) [Defected, 2013]
Ebo Taylor & Pat Thomas - Ene Nyame 'A' Mensuro (Henrik Schwarz Blend) [Strut, 2015]
Jax Jones, Mike Dunn, MNEK - House Work (Extended Mix) [Polydor, 2016]
Green Velvet - Bigger Than Prince (Hot Since 82 Remix) [Circus Recordings, 2013]
Moonbootica, Ante Perry - Look Out (Original Mix) [Great Stuff Recordings, 2015]
Moby - Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad (Enrico Sangiuliano Remix) [Drumcode, 2016]
Brian Cid - Hidden (Nico Stojan Remix) [Manjumasi, 2016]
RÜFÜS DU SOL - Innerbloom (Andhim Remix) [Sweat It Out!, 2016]
Jamie Jones, Luca C - Tonight In Tokyo feat. Luca C (Original Mix) [Crosstown Rebels, 2012]
Stimming - Alpe Lusia (Acid Pauli & NU Remix) [Diynamic, 2016]

Live at The Age of Wonder: NYE 2017

Matt Pakes - Live at Age of Wonder: NYE 2017

Mission: Dance is a new event series for focused on sharing great dance music in an intimate space with people who want to get down on a weekday but still make it to work fresh the next morning.

I had the pleasure of playing a 2 hour live set at the inaugural event, opening for my good friend Tim Wood (@popstack). We had a great crowd with a lot of energy and good vibes. I'm already looking forward to the next one.

An opening slot at an early event gives a lot of opportunity for creative freedom in track selection. Most of this set hovers in the melodic deep house / tech house space, with a brief dip toward the techno end of the spectrum. As I build some experience with live sets, it's fun to explore how track selection and mixing moves the crowd and guides the energy on the dance floor.

Matt Pakes - Live at Mission: Dance [Feb 2017]

This is the 0900-1000 hour of the 2017 00:00-24:00 mix project, where 24 selectors each program one hour of the day.

Rainy Sunday mornings are for sleeping in late, cuddling under warm blankets, and sipping coffee by the window. They’re for indulgent brunches and curling up in your favorite old sweater with a great new book by a warm fire. This is the soundtrack for that kind of morning — An eclectic mix of slow chill-hop beats, jazzy interludes, trip-hop classics, and soulful grooves spanning 7 decades. Enjoy.

Tracklist:

(00:00) Distant Thunder (Field Recording)
(00:17) Bassti - Warm But Cold
(01:33) Nightmares on Wax - You Wish
(04:29) Sneaker Pimps - 6 Underground (Nellee Hooper Edit)
(08:05) Kid Loco - A Grand Love Theme
(11:59) Shigeto - When We Low
(16:16) Miles Davis - Blue In Green
(21:09) BluntOne - New Dawn
(23:17) Télépopmusik - Breathe (Kartell Slow Remix)
(26:23) Hubert Daviz - Pe Vale (a Doua Parte) (FloFilz RMX)
(28:52) Blockhead - Insomniac Olympics
(33:36) Sasha - Vapour Trails
(35:50) Hubert Daviz, Wun Two - transbordador
(37:31) Shlomo - Places (Original Mix)
(42:32) Catching Flies - Ghosts
(45:31) Childish Gambino - Redbone
(51:04) Morcheeba - Blood Like Lemonade
(54:32) Handsome Boy Modeling School - The Truth
(59:15) Rain on the Street(Field Recording)

(Photo by Takemaru Hirai on Unsplash)

0900h–1000h - Rainy Sunday Morning

New city, new live set. Enjoy the Sunset Beats mini-mix, live from the Splice boat party on the East River in New York City. Deep melodies and bouncy beats for the open water and gentle waves, from our vessel to yours.

August 14, 2018.

Matt Pakes - Sunset Beats (Live at Splice Boat Party)

ambient / minimal / dub electronic sketch session

Hardware:
• Elektron Analog Four MKII
• Elektron Analog Rtym MKII
• Strymon El Capistan dTape Echo
• Akai MPK225
• Allen & Heath ZED-10FX

sketch sessions [001] - ethereal dub

minimal / dub techno sketch session. see if you can identify the shameless inspiration.

personal recording notes:
• i really wish i hadn't gotten so needlessly wacky with that off-beat rimshot
• slow down, let those phrases breathe

hardware:
• Elektron Analog Four MKII
• Elektron Analog Rtym MKII
• Strymon El Capistan dTape Echo
• Akai MPK225
• Allen & Heath ZED-10FX

sketch sessions [002] - bsc chnl af

This is the 1600-1700 hour of the 2019 24 hours of music project, where 24 musical selectors each program one hour of the day.

This is the golden hour. Spring is here and summer is on the way. It’s time to step back and slow down. Pop open the window — or step outside. Round up your closest friends and pop some champagne. Bask together in sun-soaked waves of rich nostalgia, backed by this eclectic blend of of blissed out chillwave, psychedelic rock, experimental RnB, and indie dance.

This is one of my favorite annual traditions and I’m so honored to participate. Many thanks to Beau Gaerlan (@beau-gaerlan) for stewarding this year’s project, and to Kelsey Aroian for originally bringing it to life.

Photo credit: Becca Camp 😘

Tracklist:

[00:00] Bicep - Glue (Original Mix)
[04:11] Sudan Archives - Nont For Sale 
[07:52] Tame Impala - Let It Happen (Soulwax Remix)
[15:56] Toro Y Moi - Say That (Original Mix)
[20:14] Kink - Leko (Session Victim Remix)
[24:39] Daphni - Tin (Original Mix)
[28:35] Gorillaz, D.R.A.M. - Andromeda (Bonobo Remix)
[33:40] Session Victim, Iron Curtis - Hear The Sun (Original Mix)
[40:37] Four Tet - Locked (Original Mix)
[47:45] Tycho - See (Beacon Remix)
[51:34] Jamie xx - SeeSaw (feat. Romy)
[55:52] Apparat - DAWAN (Original Mix)

24 hours of music 2019

1600-1700 - golden hour

slow / minimal / atmospheric techno sketch session. mostly playing with dark / warm pads on the analog four.

personal recording notes:
• the pads are a little too dominant
• I'd like to add a subtle arpeggiated baseline and make the melodic synth quieter, more spaced out and stab-y, with higher reverb
• I'd like to add more texture and diversity to the drums
• need to stretch this out to 7+ minutes and end less abruptly

hardware:
• Elektron Analog Four MKII
• Elektron Analog Rtym MKII
• Strymon Big Sky Reverb
• Allen & Heath ZED-10FX

sketch sessions [003] - slow minimal techno

Quaranbeats/002 — Matt Pakes live from the Broome Broome Room, Sunday 4/12 at 2:00PM ET.

Matt Pakes - Quaranbeats/002 Live [April 2020]

another slow atmospheric techno sketch session. tinkering with fm synthesis to give a little hint of acid.

personal recording notes:
• the drums are a mess -- too crunchy and too forward in the mix.
• need more patterns.

hardware:
• Elektron Digitone
• Elektron Digitakt
• Arturia KeyStep Pro

sketch sessions [004] - slowrez

Carefully curated melodic house and minimal techno beats. NYC / SF.

Upcoming Dates:
- TBA

Past:
- 2023.08 Dingleman's Renaissance / Olivebridge, NY
- 2022.10.31 57 Sins / NYC
- 2022.08 - Burning Man / Black Rock City, NV
- 2022.07.04 Treetops Independence Day / NYC
- 2021.05 Treetops Escape / Olivebridge, NY
- 2020.xx Livestreams / Metaverse
- 2019.08 Burning Man / Black Rock City, NV
- 2019.04 24 Hours of Music [16:00–17:00] / NYC
- 2018.08 Downtempo Mimosa Situation - Burning Man / Black Rock City, NV
- 2018.08.14 Splice Boat Party / NYC
- 2018.07.24 Camp Navarro / Mendocino, CA
- 2018.04 Agapolis - Welcome to Earth / SF
- 2017.11.04 24 Hours of Music [09:00–10:00] / SF
- 2017.10.28 Agape Halloween: Six Underground / SF
- 2017.09.01 Downtempo Set at the Tree of Ténéré / Burning Man, Black Rock City, NV
- 2017.08.29 The Downtempo Mimosa Situation with House of Maslow / Burning Man, Black Rock City, NV
- 2017.08.28 The Phage Presents: Catharsis / Burning Man, Black Rock City, NV
- 2017.06 Tupperware / Upper Lake, CA
- 2017.04 Mamasaurus Camp Out / Mendocino, CA
- 2017.03.04 Solid Gold / SF
- 2017.02.22 Mission: Dance / SF 
- 2017.01.04 Retrograde / SF
- 2016.12.31 Age of Wonder: NYE 2017 / Wonder Valley, CA
- 2016.10.27 Agape Halloween 2016 / SF
- 2016.04.07 24 Hours of Music [12:00–13:00] / SF

Matt Pakes

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