Meet Matthew Kratz | Composer, Producer & Publisher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matthew Kratz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matthew, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When you own your own business it is very difficult to balance work with non-work because they are so intertwined. I have always struggled to create a clear line between the two. I used to feel like I ALWAYS needed to be working to just stay even, but it’s immensely draining and a quick road to burnout. After a while I knew I just had to ease back on the work throttle and let things go a bit. Focus on top priorities. Get done what I can get done each day and allow for the business to be a work in progress rather than a masterpiece.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think the best thing I did when i started my music career is that I didn’t think much about it. I didn’t dream of being famous or rich because at the time there were very few wealthy electronic artists. In the 90s electronic music was stiff very much an underground scene. I just worked on music whenever I could. And because I didn’t yearn to “make it” I allowed things to develop on their own. My music found it’s place. My process of making music was very organic and true to me. I never felt pressure to be something I wasn’t. And I also wasn’t under the microscope of social media. It wasn’t easy but I never thought it would be. I just did the work and I enjoyed the work. I started by doing everything myself but I’ve learned that a team of creative people is always needed to launch any creative project. I learned that by trial and error.

I’m proud to be known as a seminal groundbreaking producer Kraddy who’s created a song (Android Porn) with over one billion views across platforms. I’ve placed music in many successful movie campaigns and tv commercials including a feature in a Academy Award winning film.

I continue to write music as Kraddy and I also started my own trailer music company. Now I work both as a trailer music producer and a composer – both writing music and guiding other composers to create amazing cues.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My church in LA is the Venice Beach Skate Park. I find it such a peaceful, beautiful and creative place to relax. From there we would roam the Venice Beach Boardwalk looking at all the tacky t-shirts and doing some of the best people watching on the planet. We would have to ride bikes over tot he Santa Monica Pier to play video games, pinball and air hockey at the arcade and then a ride on the ferris wheel for some good clean fun.

I would take them to some of my favorite vegetarian restaurants – Cafe Gratitude, Veggie Grill, and Gracias Madre – and to some of my favorite bars – Chez Jay, The Cozy Inn, and my favorite, The Townhouse. The Townhouse is one of the oldest bars in LA and used to be a speakeasy, which makes it special.
No trip to LA is complete without going sailing in Santa Monica Bay. I think a trip to Griffith Park Observatory and a hike at Temescal Canyon would also be must dos. I haven’t been out in so long its hard to remember where I used to go out but vague highlights include The Satellite (maybe closed?), The Troubadour (also closed?), The El Rey, jazz at The Culver Hotel and some late night shenanigans at an illegal warehouse party.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My first mentor, Bruce Leighton, definitely deserves a shout out. I was living in SF and interning at the legendary Hyde Street Studios. I wanted to do more than just make coffee and answer phones so I asked all the people in the building if they needed an assistant. Bruce was the only one to say yes. He gave me a key and told me that as long as I kept the place clean I could use the studio any time he wasn’t – an incredibly generous and trusting offer. I used that time to the fullest, going in almost every weekend. Bruce guided me many times along the way and taught me so much about music and about the business of music. I’m forever grateful.

Website: kraddyodaddy.com, dastardlysounds.com

Instagram: @kraddyodaddy, @dastardlysounds

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewkratz/

Twitter: @kraddyodaddy, @dastardlysounds

Facebook: facebook.com/kraddyodaddy, facebook.com/DastardlySounds

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/kraddyodaddy, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtHNQhAVlvfUC9EG6JLpYzg