Shadetek, Matt

***MATT SHADETEK is a member of a rare and vanishing tribe: the native New Yorkers. When he was five years old, his best friend Basil got a copy of the Beastie Boys License to Ill. Basilʼs mom was a painter and free thinker who recognized intuitively that this was the perfect music for two rowdy five year olds. Fast forward to 2013 and Shadetek is a respected figure in the underground music scene with a varied catalog of music behind him. With releases and collaborations ranging from experimental hip hop on Warp Records, Grime with Jammer and Skepta, acid dancehall with Modeselektor, Banjee rap with Le1f to the tropical sounds of his label Dutty Artz with DJ /rupture, Shadetek has long been a restless and innovative producer with a global ear. The Empire Never Ended brings together Shadetek's love for new sounds with the street knock of American rap and R&B in a refined and polished package. In his role as a senior instructor at electronic music production school Dubspot, Shadetek has spent recent years sharpening his studentsʼ minds and his own musical teeth. Features vocal contributions from rapper TROY AVE, RIFF RAFF, JAHDAN BALKKAMOORE, AKU, and CHAN DIZZY, as well as production from DJ/RUPTURE.