From recording the seminal cult-creating album Grace with Jeff Buckley to years of touring with the beloved St. Vincent, I've worked with a wide spectrum of artists over the past two decades including Rufus Wainwright, Angus and Julia Stone, and recently Miike Snow.
I'm originally from Texas but living in New York City opened up the most opportunities for developing a drumming career. I've recorded and played with Rhodes, Jade Bird, Teddy Thompson, Jeff Taylor, John Mayer, Dan Mangan, Dean Wareham of Galaxy 500, Tal Wilkenfeld, Will Stratton, Elysian Fields, Cones, Dope Lemon, Martha Wainwright, The Walking Who, Gabriel Kahane, Chris Stills, Anna Calvi, Duncan Sheik, Vivian Bond, Harper Simon, Keren Ann, Gerry Leonard, Reeves Gabrels, Tom Freund, Beth Orton, Suzanne Vega, Rickie Lee Jones and Miirrors.
I have also have worked with great producers such as Marius Devries, Rick Rubin, Simone Felice, Andy Wallace, Eric J, Andrew Wyatt, John Agnello, John Alagia, Thomas Bartlett, Tony Buchen, Tony Visconti, Tony Berg, Ben Harper, Hod David, and Kieran Kelly.
Moving successively from NYC to Los Angeles, and then to Austin has allowed for an expanded studio setup that is ideal for remote recording. Signature drum parts, rhythmic hooks, hypnotic patterns, contrasting textures, and heavy grooves have always been my passion.
I'm looking forward to creative interfacing with great musical minds, either in person or across the world!
Contact me through the green button above and let's get to work.
Credits
AllMusic verified credits for Matt Johnson- Hey, King!
- Angus & Julia Stone
- Angus & Julia Stone
- Will Stratton
- Jade Bird
- Jade Bird
- Jeff Buckley
- 54-40
- Dan Mangan
- Dan Mangan
- Jane Lynch
- Jane Lynch
- Buenos Diaz
- Buenos Diaz
- Angus & Julia Stone
- Angus & Julia Stone
- Hamish Anderson
- Hamish Anderson
- Angus Stone
- Angus Stone
- Angus Stone
- Pat Boone
- Lia Ices
- The Damnwells
- The Damnwells
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Tony Guerrero
- Debi Nova
- Will James
- Mary Flower
- Mary Flower
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Rufus Wainwright
- Rufus Wainwright
- Rufus Wainwright
- Soname
- The Blues Gangsters
- The Blues Gangsters
- Teddy Thompson
- Leon Jean-Marie
- Apache
- Apache
- Apache
- Amazon Dart
- Martha Wainwright
- The Out_Circuit
- The Out_Circuit
- The Heavy Circles
- The Mighty Orq
- Dean & Britta
- Duncan Sheik
- Duncan Sheik
- Jon Regen
- People Noise
- David August
- David August
- Anne Loo
- Anne Loo
- Rufus Wainwright
- Rufus Wainwright
- Rufus Wainwright
- Rufus Wainwright
- Rocky Roberts
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeremy Enigk
- Jeremy Enigk
- Dana Parish
- Dana Parish
- Dana Parish
- Mandy Moore
- Mandy Moore
- Mandy Moore
- Duncan Sheik
- Duncan Sheik
- Chris Stills
- Chris Stills
- Jeremy Enigk
- Shane Gamble
- Shyne Factory
- Shyne Factory
- Shyne Factory
- Tristan Prettyman
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Kate & Anna McGarrigle
- Tristan Prettyman
- Tristan Prettyman
- Tristan Prettyman
- Suffering and the Hideous Thieves
- The Profits
- The Profits
- Rufus Wainwright
- Josh Kelley
- Dean & Britta
- Dean & Britta
- Beth Orton
- Lori Andrews
- Speedloader
- Die Symphony
- Rufus Wainwright
- Beth Orton
- Tess Wiley
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Duncan Sheik
- Duncan Sheik
- Suzanne Vega
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Tim Finn
- Susan McKeown
- Robin Spielberg
- Cathie Ryan
- Duncan Sheik
- Tom Freund
- Morley
- Seedy Arkhestra
- Shyne Factory
- Shyne Factory
- Shyne Factory
- Shyne Factory
- Shyne Factory
- Tom Kubis Big Band
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Jeff Buckley
- Tom Kubis
- Tom Kubis Big Band
- Trudy Lynn
- Matt and Kim
- Max Johnston
- Negative Press Project
- 54-40
- Diana Demuth
- Sarah de Bono
- Dope Lemon
- Old Blood
240 Reviews - 53 Repeat Clients
Endorse Matt Johnson- check_circleVerified
Working with Matt was a joy. Communication and turnaround time was superb. His subtle accents and percussive prowess really took our song to another level. This was the first live drummer I've worked with in years and Matt was worth it!
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Matt was awesome. Amazing quality, very professional. There was no need for additional takes--He provided several options at the start that all could have worked. Thanks Matt!
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5 stars to Matt! Very happy with the cooperation and the result.
I only gave some limited input on the sentiment of the song and based on that Matt created a unique drum track that goes perfect with the song. Quick reply, delivery and no need for revisions. - check_circleVerified
Great job, A pleasure as always
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The professionalism, quality, care, and sophistication that Matt delivers is off the charts, plus he's a lovely fella to boot!
Kind Regards Ade
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An extremely good performance for the production and great turn-around time.
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Second time working with Matt. Matt is a great drummer. Very precise and accommodating.
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Like any great musician, Matt’s greatest skill-set is his commitment to listening. He does so deeply and thoroughly. The sounds, feel and dynamics are all there. Tracks sit in the mix wonderfully with minimal effort. You’d never know he was playing remotely. Such a treat to have access to a drummer of this caliber. Thanks Matt!
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Matt was a pure professional when it came to communication, tracking, musicality, performance, recording quality and workflow. He smashed it out of the park straight away and only needed one revision even though the parts were very specific. His taste and playing was impeccable and really helped to elevate the overall feel of the track. And he did all this with such a reasonable budget I would not hesitate for a second to work with him again!
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Incredible opportunity to have a legend like Matt Johnson on their recordings. Matt is such a pleasure to deal with, not to mention what he brings to the recording. His drumming is awesome. I cannot recommend him enough. A+++
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Easiest remote session I've ever done. Matt is a consummate professional. He was easy to communicate with and payed attention to the instructions; got a great sound; played the song with the right groove and emotion; and delivered multiple takes that provided different creative options that could easily be comped together. There was no need for any corrective editing on any take. Highly, highly recommend him and will be using his services again in the future.
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Matt always produces intentional quality work that really serves the song. Very happy with the direction of my new track.
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I've worked with Matt a few times now and couldn't be happier with the experience!
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Matt is very good at producing drums that sit in the track just right. He’s very intuitive and thoughtful about how his drum part fits with the other instruments / vocals. His drum parts sound like they were always supposed to be there.
Matt is a great communicator and takes musical direction well. A pleasure to work with.
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Matt was an undiluted joy to work with, he's super talented and comes across as a groovy guy. I'm beyond please. Another five star review with thanks!
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I'm a repeat client, and for good reason.
Matt provided his usual high quality tracks and quick turnaround. He followed my notes and more than met my expectations.
It is a pleasure to work with Matt! - check_circleVerified
Matt was great as always. This project was a little different from previous. The things I had in mind on the demo, didnt really work too well in real life. Matt was on board to do a revision based on his own ears - which turned out great. Thanks Matt!
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Matt always does an amazing job- he really brings out the best of every song.
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Matt is a phenomenally talented drummer and very easy to work with. He individually tracks each section of his kit (which my studio guy absolutely loves) and provides multiple takes to give you different approaches to experiment with. On top of that, he has great communication skills and exceptional turnaround time. I'm convinced there's no better drummer on this platform to work with.
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Tight performances, interesting fills. Great communication as well.
Interview with Matt Johnson
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Jade Bird touring before Covid. Lots of recording on lockdown
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: all. why not?
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: professionalism
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: music
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: It's easy
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Do you have reference music that could point to relevant sounds and approach?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Have your tracks ready. know what you want.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Kick snare hat floor cymbal
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: Drumming, recording, touring, songwriting, production. 40 years
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Dynamic and hypnotic
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Listen and commit
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Beautiful
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Intuition
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Inspired insight
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Concise and colorful charting of compositions on iPad using visual art app. I move over to practicing and doing preliminary recordings wherein I mock up what I intend to do, listening back for perspective. Sleep. Then I go in for the master takes, usually shedding charts and the prep mentality, using intuition and inspiration to summon the forces.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Rupert Neve Designs, Great River, API mic pres. Some tape emulators for crunch. Soyuz tube condensers, AEA big ribbon, sE, various dynamic mics like SM7, RE20, 201
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Debussy Metallica Tame Impala L Subramaniam PJ Harvey
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Commonly I work with artists and producers, providing drum tracks according to a wide spectrum of sounds and musical approaches. From atmospheric coloration and textures to driving grooves of all sorts, generally I come up with rhythmic signatures or hooks that contribute to the impact of a composition.
I was the Drummer in this production
- Jade Bird - Side Effects
- Cones - Later
- Jeff Buckley - Grace
- Dope Lemon - Uptown Folks
- Live drum trackAverage price - $250 per song
The session fee includes one revision.
- St. Vincent
- Rufus Wainwright
- Miike Snow
- Rupert Neve Designs
- API
- Great River
- Soyuz Tube Condensers
- Universal Audio Apollo
- Shure
- Electro Voice
- Istanbul