20 year old Synthetic, from Winnipeg, Manitoba is nothing short of a one man band. Writing, producing, singing, engineering, and performing every one of his own instruments, Synthetic's music spans almost every genre, from electronic dance beats to hard hitting rock, and even piano pop ballads. Having performed alongside such successful canadian acts as Andrew Spice, and writing scores for film and TV placements, Synthetic is already planning a sophmore album, and more shows to boot.
He also created his own label (SynStudios) in 2003 to release his first album (Original Syn) under, and has written and produced for various other canadian projects as well.
Topics for his music hit all aspects of his own life, from love and relationships to religion, homophobia, and life in general.
A classically trained pianist, audio engineer (certified by Canada's renowned Studio 11), singer, and producer, Synthetic definitely has what it takes to make it to the top of the industry.
Biography
Growing up in Winnipeg MB, Matthew decided early on that his life goal would be music. Starting classical piano lessons at age 5, and performing the lead role in the
school musicals, he always knew that music was where his heart was. However, no one expected where it would lead him, and after 9 years of classical piano and theory from
the Royal Conservatory of Music in Winnipeg, Matthew decided that it was time for his
life to take a different turn.
He quit taking lessons, because he grew weary of learning how to play other
writer's songs. He began penning his own works, and over the years wrote literally hundreds of songs at his desk at school. His interests spanned from piano ballads to
hard rock and dance and finally, in 2002, he became "Synthetic". Inspired by many of
his favourite bands, such as Garbage and Curve, he fused a new hybrid of electronic
rock, and called it his own.
After graduating from St. Paul's High School in 2003, Matthew had planned to go
to college, and take Digital Multimedia Technology. However, at the last second, he changed his mind and decided to set his sights back at music. After a 4 year break from any schooling in the music industry (aside from teaching himself how to play the guitar),
Matthew started his hand at Audio Engineering. Graduating from the Audio Engineer Training Program at Canada's renowned Studio 11 in Winnipeg, Matthew began to love being behind the scenes of the music. Funded entirely by his job at a local restaurant, Matthew created a Pro Tools based digital recording studio at his current residence, in Headingley MB, now called "SynStudios". This is where he created his first album.
At the age of 18, Matthew is already a trained musician, audio engineer, producer, and independent record label owner. He even designed and built his own website, and released his 14 track debut album to record stores across Canada without the help of a label, or even a manager. "I wrote every song on the album, and performed every instrument. The fact that I produced and mixed it just makes the album that much more special to me.", Matthew says.
The music on the album is just as varied as the topics that drive it. From the hard hitting electronic thump of "Artist" and "Porcelain Nights", to the somber piano ballads of "Something I Said" and "Ache", the album doesn't stop at any one sound. Talking about love, hatred, religion, and just plain having to grow up, Matthew appears to already be ahead of his time in his lyrics.
Although being gay isn't the main focus of this album, it is an unavoidable subject that Matthew tends to deal with numerous times on this collection. Coming out at age 16
in an all-boys Catholic high school, Matthew knows what it's like to have to deal with homophobia. "I don't really care if anyone's offended by anything I say, because that's
not what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to reach out to people. I want to show people who
are homophobic how much it hurts, and I want to show people dealing with homophobia that they don't have to take it."
Even though he's so far unsigned, and pretty much underground, Synthetic's
small cult following of fans across the country will not be disappointed. Having
performed alongside such local talent as Andrew Spice, Synthetic is still planning more shows, and more new songs. "This won't be my last album. I've already got another
one in the making, actually. It doesn't really matter if I go broke from this, I can't stop.
It's what I do, and if I stop doing it, then what matters?".