Meet Matthew Crabb of WDÛKH (Who Do Û Know Here) in Gilbert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Crabb.

Matthew, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After graduating High School I was emotionally in a bad place. I met a friend that made electronic music and he took me to my first show. After seeing the lights and feeling the music I knew I wanted to dip my toes in the water. I started on a $200 mixer and enjoyed learning the intricacies of song structure and what sound design major producers were using and creating. After about six months of messing around on a mixer, I decided to purchase FL Studio and see what I could create. Starting, I would spend sleepless nights just trying to get sounds and small loops that sounded good and after about four months I was able to get my first full song finished. I mainly started by creating house tracks because it was the easiest to practice with. From there, I branched out and began to work on learning as many genres and styles as I could, finding that music production was the escape I needed from myself, my social anxiety and the college courses that were stressing me out.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road of production was bumpy at first, as it is for most. Learning the program has a steep learning curve and it takes commitment and drives to want to push through all that. Putting in the hours is the most important part of becoming good at anything you do and if I hadn’t done that I would not be at the level of production and sound design I am today. When I started the musical journey I was early in school with a vague path towards a career. I used my music to inspire me in other parts of my life and to create something I could talk about. I’ve always been a little anxious in social situations but this was something that, if asked about, I could happily and confidentially talk about.

The inspiration that music has given me has helped my creativity in my career as well. At the beginning of this journey, I started school as a graphic designer and have been able to work with many other artists on turning their music into their vision. I started doing graphic design because I wanted art pieces to represent my vision in my head and it has turned into a career that I am very happy to be working out of college. I have been recognized as a RAW artist for graphic design and digital art in 2017 and 2018 and am very fortunate that I picked up a creative job in an agency setting. Although I do not create music professionally I do look at music as the stepping stone in my career towards the path I am taking with my life.

Tell us more about your work.
In music, I have become known for my hip hop beats, that I sell to artists that need it, and my dubstep. After working a little on house I found my love in music to be dubstep because of how different and weird you can make a song sound. In design, my style is in the abstract. I enjoy doing pieces that don’t always show the same true form to people and I think it is a testament to the music I produce. I am most proud of the time I’ve spent to get where I am and the extra learning I have pushed myself to do. No one needs to go out and learn something for themselves but I felt that taking the time to learn as much about the music and design programs I have has been one of the most rewarding adventures in my life. I found my passion for doing so and I think all the frustration and hard work are extremely fulfilling. I think the most important thing that I try to focus on in my art is not to care too much about what other people think. When you care too much you begin to morph into an image of what other people want and not what you want to be. I’ve had to step back and stop myself from being engulfed in the idea that it doesn’t look or it doesn’t sound like other people out there and accept that I am not competing with others, I am making my art for me. When you look at it that way, it is so much more satisfying when someone enjoys what you’ve made.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I feel like you put yourself in a position to be successful by doing the work and trying your hardest to perfect your craft. I think I have been fortunate to have people around me that support me and my ambitions and I think that my luck has come in meeting people. One of my favorite random events is when I was first introduced to a good friend of mine. I met him while working at Best Buy and since then have been able to use that friendship to improve my skills. When I met him, he talked to me about his interest in electronic music and we became friends and started to work together. He was at an earlier stage in production than I was and therefore in helping him learn and being a mentor to him I improved my skills and developed a strong relationship with him. We made a few collaborative pieces together, one of which got me my first label release, and he was well connected so after developing the friendship he helped put me onto my first shows and introduced me to more people to help me along my journey.

Pricing:

• For design info: (mjcrabb674@gmail.com) $75 an hour with special rates for certain projects
• For beat Info: (wdukhmusic@gmail.com) ask me about pricing

Contact Info:

• Website: https://matthewcrabb.myportfolio.com/

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