It's me... Hi! I'm Mat Eric Hart, it's me...
Does 1 year older = 1 year wiser?
Hey 👋
Taking great inspiration from the iconic Taylor Swift anthem Anti-Hero — I thought this would be as good a point as any to start the new year…
Perhaps it’s also because my 5 year old daughter has been on a major Swiftie flex the past few months — a subtle parenting hack to ween her off the seemingly endless reign of Disney princesses and onto something harder — who knows, the result is that I live in a routine where at least one Taylor Swift lyric pops into my head on a daily occasion…
That out the way, since starting this publication this time last year, I wanted tot take this opportunity to welcome in 2025 with a post that shares my happiness and appreciation for having been blessed with an incredible, and growing, network of subscribers and followers.
Welcome and thank you.
So I’d like to start the new year the same way as I did the last — sharing just a few words on who I am and why I’m here…
“To have this direct and meaningful connection to the musically curious and people on a similar wavelength is increasingly important”
My name is Mat Eric Hart. 36. Born in London — back when bread and a bus pass were affordable. I now live out in the South of France with my wife Camille and 5 year old daughter Pearl.
Some of you might already know me personally or might have tuned in to my radio series Sonic Tapestries. Maybe an algorithm sent you here or maybe you just figured you’d come along for the ride out of curiosity — whatever the connection — I just want to say thanks for stopping by :)
Since discovering Substack I’ve found it to be such an inspirational source for sharing my world as I try to make sense of it and myself — exploring methods for channelling my own journey into one coherent and interactive shared space.
What has been so encouraging to me is the open, nurturing nature of the community here on this platform. I’ve been overwhelmed by some of your comments, shares and messages so please do continue leaving your feedback, thoughts and contributions —they are all so so so very welcome!
So what’s new…?
A few things…
Firstly, a new subscription tier has opened up. For those who feel they want to contribute a little towards my creative spirit — now you can!
Here’s what you’ll get in return :
FREE SOUNDS - exclusive sounds from my archive collection. Every month a little audio goodie bag of trinkets, tracks, field recordings and sound effects sent to you straight from the studio 🛍️
ENTRY INTO THE ALBUM OF THE MONTH DRAW - Each month I’ll be sharing my album of the month from an artist who will feature in my monthly Sonic Tapestries radio show. 🏆
A paid subscription enters you into the draw to win a physical vinyl copy every month! I believe deeply in the importance of sharing sounds, and I wanted to integrate this into a model that fairly reflects this belief away from just driving subscriptions and streams — giving back to you the subscriber a little gift for your support 💿💽📀
A DEDICATED LISTENER - I’ll offer each paid subscriber a monthly one-on-one session with me — Zoom/Skype/Whatsapp/in-person (why not!)…
What are you working on? Would you like to chat shop about sound? Need another perspective? Maybe we can help each other to create something amazing together! 🎧🧏♂️👂🧏🏻♀️
***Until Jan 31st get 50% off with this limited time offer***
I should also say that Sonic Tapestries will remain subscription free and accessible for all newcomers, with absolutely no obligation to upgrade to a paid subscription.
I want to keep growing Sonic Tapestries, and essential to this is offering everyone to access my archive.
I’m not precious about safeguarding content and respect those who wish to paywall their work, but that will never be the case with Sonic Tapestries. I want my audience to know all that they wish to know about me and my work.
“I’ve watched music writing go from sort of nerdy, sort of weirdly cool job to a hobby that pays next to nothing but still limps along, infiltrating and influencing culture on the margins, while its practitioners—at times, myself included—take themselves too seriously, and then serious themselves right out of enjoying doing the thing that, at this point, can only be done out of genuine enjoyment.”
So what’s next…?
I find it increasingly difficult and moderately frustrating to be confronted with the question - “so what is it that you do for work Mat?”
I’m sure this resonates with many of you. For me, I find it difficult because I rarely define myself to one particular state or profession. I know it’s not just me who feels this way, though it’s often hard to find individuals who can relate. Sometimes I work 100 hour weeks, sometimes I lay low and drop off from the pace of modern life.
Depending on the day you ask I might be doing something quite different…
Designing SFX — DJing — recording ambiences — composing — leading soundscape workshops — managing a small community arts centre studio — conserving and restoring audio…
This particular post from someone I very much look up to in the sound world — field recordist and sound artist Kate Carr — tickled me recently :
One of the things that I have kept relatively hush hush here (until now…) is my life as an open format DJ here in the South of France.
It’s something that I’ve kept quiet, not because I’m not interested in talking about it, but more because I couldn’t find a way to work it in to the narrative I wanted to spend time focusing on.
I’m very fortunate to be represented by an incredible agency — Wildfire DJs — who have helped support me and my family through a very tough transitional period from the UK pre-Brexit and pre-Covid to where we are now.
I’ve worked for years as a DJ in some form or other, but never to the point where I could support myself, let alone a family, and call it my full time job. It’s strange to say that now, but after four years and over 100 weddings under my belt at some truly otherworldly spots across France, Italy and Spain, I think it’s about time I share some of the stories and adventures and gorgeous locations that this path takes me on.
I guess a part of me was worried that it would clash… like the jungle frogs and the EDM…
So what if it’s a clash — it’s a clash I want to embrace and shed some light on, so expect to see some more of this…
As I’ll be sharing more playlists, more châteaus and more adventures from DJ travels!!
“If there's nothing to achieve. If there's nothing to gain. If there’s no place to get to, then there's nothing to be afraid of. There's no such thing as failure. And there's nothing to lose.”
This year also marks the start of a new partnership with ROVR Radio bringing you a brand new series of Sonic Tapestries curated playlists.
Each month I’ll be curating a seamless soundscape of atmospheres taking inspiration from artists exploring nature, spirits and spaces in their work —
You can check out the first episode right here ⬇️
I’m very proud of the diverse nature of my work and I have had the good fortune to work on a rich and fascinating variety of projects, many of which I will share with you over the course of the next few months.
There are absolutely times when I have questioned myself and my direction.
“Am I making the right decision?”
“Will anyone listen to my work?”
“Is this idea worth the time and investment…?”
Indeed many a project of mine has been choked by these refrains. I’m still learning how to process these thoughts. What I understand better now than before is that it’s all a part of the process.
Not getting stuck in fear — the fear of failure, the fear of making a wrong turn — the reality is you are the only person who could ever produce the work that you create, so try being with it rather than without it.
To put it somewhat nihilistically with the words of Woody Allen :
“We all question our place in the universe. The artist's job is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence.”
I chose this platform as a way of channeling my work and sharing it in a format and manner that felt natural to me and I hope you’ll find some inspiration behind it all.
Feel free to write me directly or leave a comment in the comments section below.
It’s a pleasure to have you here with me.
Mat
🌻
Looking forward to more from Sonic Tapestries. Thank you Mat. I also agree, Substack is nice little community that feels like a much friendlier place for connection. I am really loving it here. Feels a little bit like how instagram used to feel for me, like a nice discovery tool.
Great article, thanks for sharing. Merci! Where are you in the south of France (West or East?)