Matt Johnson on SoundBetter

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!

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

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

Endorse Matt Johnson334 Reviews - 73 Repeat Clients

by Daniel Veroy
Verified
Matt really put care into his drumming and served the song purposefully. We loved everything he did. It's an honor to work with him!!!
by Seth Charleston
Verified
Matt is as professional as they come. He showed my song such love & care and added so much to its creation. If you need drums on your track, Matt is your guy.
by Brook C.
Verified
Matt nailed it! He played my programmed part and enhanced it to perfection.
by Wes Bowers
Verified
Matt recorded in my last sing Future. He was extremely professional, creative, and his setup is great. If you write creative stuff I highly recommend him. He's fairly reasonably priced and does some great drumming to the music. He plays to your sound. Great shit!
by Matthew B.
Verified
Matt delivers precise, locked in, tasteful tracks every time. He is awesome to work with and always serves the song.
by Eve
Verified
It was a great experience working with Matt—very professional and easy to work with
by Derek B.
Verified
Matt’s choices are the height of taste, as far as I’m concerned! Never mind his professionalism, communication, ear, playing, versatility, and delivery times! Many thanks again, Matt!
by Joe D.
Verified
Very good job with rock/pop. Highly recommend.
by Miguel V.
Verified
Matt was great to work with and exceeded my delivery expectations !
by Ben Lorentzen
Verified
Matt is a very musical drummer, he plays to serve the song. Got great track from him in a very timely manner, will come back for more:)
by Matthew B.
Verified
Nailed it again. Perfect drum sounds and the grooves/fills serve and enhance the song. Matt will elevate your tracks every time. Also, he's great to work with. Highly recommend!
by Brook C.
Verified
Matt's drum sensibilities are on another level. He plays for the song
and you can tell he puts his all into every project. Matt is very generous with suggestions and attention to detail. Highly recommended!
by Shaun C.
Verified
Once again, another fantastic sounding and beautifully executed drum track from Matt!
Matt is my go to for all live drum tracks and continues to deliver each and every time!
Cheers mate!
by Jasper W.
Verified
Matt works fast, plays great, and delivers a strong final product every time.
by Adam Dumas
Verified
I had an awesome experience working with Matt. The drum tracks are exactly what I was looking for. I love how detailed he was in explaining his process and approach to the song. I hope to work with Matt on more records!
by Richard E.
Verified
Matt was just amazing to work with. Was so great to get him on the tune. He really took time to understand what I was after and delivered on brief and then some!!!
by Umut
Verified
Another great session with Matt, tastefully and cleverly played drums as always! Thank you!
by Jasper W.
Verified
Worked fast and delivered a great sound, as usual.
by Brook C.
Verified
Matt is the consummate professional. He plays for the song and is a very thoughtful player choosing the right sounds for the song. I will definitely be back for more tracks from Matt.
by Ben T.
Verified
Matt was very professional, communicated well and delivered great drums well tracked and nailed the performance. Will def be keen to work with him again!

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.