Bursting with creativity and a mind raised on Latin music and school musicals, Conrad Mata is using his expansive imagination and influences to paint a picture of the inner workings of his mind. Through his music, found at the crossroads of punk and funk, Mata is actively telling stories with each new release. From Orwellian tales to mentions of Daoist philosophies, Mata approaches his songwriting from a unique angle.
“When making a song, my favorite songs are the ones that you turn on and for some reason, in my brain, they always look like rooms. Like I can feel the interior design of that song. That’s how I create music,” Mata explained. “If I feel like I’m getting closer to a space, then I know I’m headed in the right direction.” Creating an environment within his music for free-flowing ideas and messages, Mata described how he first takes notice of how the beat and sonic elements convey a feeling, and then uses that to add a layer of depth to his lyrics.
“Something I came to realize is that the most impactful songs I loved growing up, I didn’t really listen to their lyrics, it was always about the feel of the beat to me and then I listen to lyrics after if I find that intriguing.” Once he was ready to listen to the lyrical contents of the songs that allured him, Mata noted, “All of my favorite songs teach lessons or give you a peek into how you could be living your life.” Relating to his own work he added, “I feel like if I was able to be subliminally influenced in a positive way through the music I listen to, I want to do that as well.”
With a background in saxophone performance, Mata has a knack for instrumentation and composition. Although he claimed to not be very good at it, Mata also dabbles in guitar, as well as piano in his recorded music. Mata picked up a guitar when he was involved in his high school’s production of “School of Rock,” which catalyzed his musical journey.
“That really opened up that world to me again, that was fun,” Mata said. From school musicals and marching band, Mata took the next step to making his own music when making a CD for the girl he liked at the time, which grew into a musical project much larger than the disk that has since been forgotten. “I made a couple of songs for her so that’s really what got it started. Slowly, buying little pieces that YouTube taught me I would need or what I saw that fellow musicians had, building my own little home studio. It was like when I was 10 I built a computer to play video games on. It was like that process — gathering little pieces throughout the years.”
Like a scavenger in the world of music, Mata gathered all the information and resources that he came across to allow him to pursue music. Throughout his life, Mata explained that he was driven by a creative energy that presented itself in various mediums. “I always wanted to be a writer, write novels, and then the creativity was channeled into acting, and so this is the current outlet: music.”
Stepping into this new space for his creativity to flourish, Mata voiced his surprise at the community he has found, and how that has led him to create greater goals in the scene. “I’ve noticed there’s so many Latin performers in this city that are so talented. I want to — this is in the like next 25 years — I want to throw a showcase for the Latin community.” Mata described how his cultural background, being of Mexican and Indigenous descent, is something he strives to embrace through art. “It’s something I’m making a concerted effort in. The community I grew up in wasn’t Latin so there’s always been a disconnect with my culture in that way that I’m always trying to find ways to make up for. It’s trying to bring in that Latin sound in whatever way possible. It feels like paying homage to ancestors I don’t even know that got me here.”
Being a new artist to the Denver scene, Conrad Mata is determined to leave an impression and build community through his music. As he’s blossoming into something of great potential, Mata asked that those listening “stay tuned.”
Conrad Mata will perform at the Hard Rock Cafe with his band megaGOLF on October 21 and is releasing his new single “Hog” in September.
All photography by Adrienne Thomas