lower east soundz

i met eddie “e-z” matos through victor “overdose” sanchez. both were ambitious young producers with sharp ears, making noise on the thriving new york underground dance music scene in the early 90s. but while vic flamed out after a few years in a tangle of personal problems, eddie is still making music.

eddie is ½ of the mateo and matos production team. his partner john "roc" is even more chilled - practically horizontal at times – and smooth like a mickey rourke grin. eddie juggles the beats and loops and john works the keys and pads.

they are your classic new york underground house music production team: neither had any formal training other than a shared love for dance music, especially those historically tied to the the new york club scene, and a way with gears. as self-starters, they feel their way through a groove like the way they schooled themselves on music production as well as the pressing and selling indie 12"s. they’ve been around for a while because they do what they do well. as one of the scene’s pioneers who launched their own cult label, final cut, they also schooled countless new jacks, including me, on the ways of the business. their sound is deep, sinewy and sensual, like the way dancers dance at the shelter and other clubs that rock their tracks, not necessarily peak-hour anthems, but uplifting grooves that prime the crowd and help build that next “hands-in-the-air” moment. their love of music is self-evident.

i remember hanging out at eddie’s crib when he and john were producing. deep in one of those anonymous housing projects down in the lower east side, the basement apartment was small and cramped. the modest living room was also the studio, jammed with records, samplers, a pro dj sound system and matching oversized club speakers doubling as mix monitors. i have happy memories of nodding my head for hours to the beats and pieces pouring out of those speakers, feeling lucky to be at the birth of a groove.

i’ve always been impressed by eddie’s focus on music. it’s more than something he does, it’s something he lives. there’s something spiritual about it, and clearly, it is the most important thing in his life.

one day, vic blurted out in a blunted haze that eddie was nearly executed a long time ago in a raid by a neighborhood crew. i don't know if it's true but it stuck with me.

it’s been years since i worked with eddie and john. but i still regularly hear buzz about them whenever one of their ass-shaking grooves breaks through. they were on one of omw’s first releases, as lower east soundz with their 1993 "an urban concept" ep, and one of it’s lasts, a soulful remix of annette taylor’s garage track “faith,” a personal favorite that was eventually licensed to defected records in the uk. eddie and john have seen the likes of me come and go; they’ve probably seen it all. and through it all, they just kept on groovin’.

Posted by cellpharmer at December 17, 2004 12:04 PM