Matisse & Sadko is the hottest Dance Music duo from Russia, consisting of the two brothers Aleksandr & Yury. Throughout their whole career, they have been massively shaping the genre of dance music and created various anthems that left a huge and remarkable impact on dance music lovers worldwide. They teamed up with artists such as Steve Angello (“SLVR“), Arty (“Trio“, „Riot“) and Martin Garrix (“Break Through The Silence“, “Dragon“, “Together“), have released numerous charting singles and worked on remixes for industry leading artists.
The duo is also regularly performing at all major festivals worldwide, such as Tomorrowland and Ultra and venues such as Omnia Las Vegas, Ushuaia Ibiza, Octagon Seoul and. Zouk Singapore.
Tell us a litte bit about yourselves. How did Matisse & Sadko come about?
We’re two brothers from a small town near St. Petersburg. Since childhood we’ve been into music though we don’t have any music education. We’re both self-taught which is typical for many producers nowadays. 🙂 First we worked as DJs and producers separately, but then we decided to join forces and transformed into Matisse & Sadko. Our mom is happy about it most of all. 😉
You’ve recently designed a brand new set. Would you mind telling us about the set’s design?
We always try to start our set with a special intro necessarily followed by our own track which characterizes our brand style. We try to form the set the way it would be like an emotional adventure filled with our favorite tracks. Indeed, we prepare for each set in advance sorting an approximate playlist, but we always correct it while playing. Every venue has its own peculiarities and, of course, improvisation is the thing you can’t do without.
Where did you draw your inspiration from crafting the set? On the flip side, where do you draw inspiration from when producing music?
The main inspiration for us is our favorite artists’ performances. It’s such an exalted feeling to see the crowd’s mind-blowing reaction; those moments when you have goosebumps and people feel happiness listening to music. This is magic which makes you feel in a different way and motivates you to create new tracks.
What was your favorite part about designing your new set and what is the least favorite one?
We love making mashups and special edits of original tracks which we can’t play for some reasons. We like to combine the uncombinable. Sometimes it’s the same as making a completely new track because it can take much time. But in this case you’ve got your own version of your favorite song.
The least favorite moment is when we transfer WAV files to a pen drive. From time to time it takes way too long, you know.
What can your fans expect to see from this all new set?
They can be sure we’ll be playing our new IDs for the first time. We like to test our new demos on the dance floor so that we can fix some things afterwards and make the track better.
Towards the end of the previous year, you had two awesome releases. “Witchcraft and “Into You” feat. Hanne Mjøen. For the last one, you also released an official lyric video about a month ago. How did both tracks happen? What emotions did you want to create with these tracks?
Yes, everything’s right but let’s start with “Witchcraft” first. We had been playing this track for three years before it was finally released on our own Monomark label. First everybody thought it was a collab with Alesso then some fans alluded to a collab with Martin Garrix. Even a couple of fan vids were made for the track. Thanks to our fans we didn’t have to find a title for the track because everybody called it “Witchcraft” for an unknown reason. At the end of the day the track turned out to be lyric and festive at the same time, just the way we like it most. Sometimes it’s pretty difficult to express certain emotions through an instrumental track but if you manage to do it, your work will certainly draw public attention. We’re glad that our following release with wonderful Norwegian singer Hanne Mjøen saw the light right after “Witchcraft”. It’s a very melodic track with melancholy flavour. Sometimes it resembles a ballad. While listening to it you can be imbued with romantic, blissful mood. We love making a bit melancholic but at the same time good and rapturous atmosphere in our tracks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUJO3hKTblk
What do you have planned regarding releases and songs for the coming months? Anything you would like (and can) reveal to us at this moment?
In the near future we’re planning to release two collabs with very serious artists but we can’t say their names for the time being. We’re happy we have such a splendid opportunity to work together with them. Probably one of the most important aims for us this year is developing our own label. We’re eager to release music we feel regardless of tendencies and other label’s opinions. Independence is vital for creative work. So, soon you can expect new releases on our label with new design and new lease of life! Besides that we produce tracks for pop artists.
You are working pretty closely with Martin Garrix and of course STMPD RCRDS. Is there anything special about this label?
Yes, Martin is our close friend and it’s great he launched such a successful label. He releases the music which is congenial to him. STMPD is a very friendly label, most of the artists from this label are Martin’s friends but indeed it does not mean that you can release your dilettante work for friendship’s sake.
What is the most memorable moment in your career and why?
The opportunity to work on your music in the best studios in the world. When we started making music in the flat where all our family lived, we couldn’t even imagine we would be that lucky to sit in the legendary studios – those ones where famous musicians and singers like Dr. Dre and Sting recorded their hits. We’re just lost for words to describe the atmosphere in such places. Trust us. It makes you work really hard and fruitfully.
For the two of you, in this industry, who is absolutely killing it right now?
There are many new amazing artists who are all the rage and we like them. But Eric Prydz still stands out, in our opinion. Despite all modern music tendencies, he’s still faithful to his unique style and his concerts are always sold out. Surely, we are his dedicated fans! =)
What was it like to work big such a big name’s like TIËSTO? What is the biggest lesson that you can learn from this legend?
It was great honor to work with the person who has been one of the main EDM icons for us. [Tiësto] is a very positive guy both life and work-wise, so the working process was pleasant. We’re grateful to him for adding his signature energy into our track and also for giving us some secret production tips. =)
Who is your biggest inspirations?
Since our childhood we’ve always been inspired by big festivals. At first we watched how dance music superstars like Carl Cox and Tiësto presented new music at overcrowded festivals. We watched the reaction of people, analyzed the tracks which appealed to us, and sat down at the computer to make something similar. After a while we had the chance to share our music with people, and it’s amazing!
With a heavy and loaded schedule like yours, do you have enough time to focus on other things aside from music related things? Any hobbies or side activities?
This is a very good question because one day you realize you have to be obsessed with what you do to be successful. Music will gradually steal your time, change your daily routine. You will learn how to stay awake for a few days in a row spending all the time in the studio and how to love long flights. Being a DJ and a producer is a vocation and a lifestyle which is an uneasy task for some people (especially for artists’ wives and girlfriends). All our interests are anyhow connected with our work, for instance, there’s nothing better than the opportunity to travel around the world. We always try to combine our tours with travelling to see the beauty of new places.