Matti Charlton's "businesswoman in the 80s" Is a Statement
Matti Charlton is a Canadian songwriter and artist. They are a member of the transgender community and are openly autistic. Matti's output is as varied as the instruments they were formally trained in (classical guitar, piano and cello) and includes Ragtime Hip-hop, Flower Child Witch Folk, Banjo Bedroom Pop and Trans-Disco, as defined by the artist themselves. Matti's latest jam "businesswoman in the 80s" is a piece of melancholic synthwave that features a head-spinning solo and ends deliberately too soon. Read what Matti said about the inspiration and rich context behind the track.
Matti Charlton
The track was written with the imagery of synthwave reborn in the new century, having grown up on the VHS distorted stuff like, well, ANYTHING on a VHS tape. Big Trouble In Little China, Gremlins, as well as the score for Star Trek: The Next Generation were large influences. I wanted to express small bursts of potential, fading like fireworks but spectacular. I also wanted the track to end TOO soon. So you'd want more. I will at some point in the future release a longer version of this song - think of it like a multi-track release, a synthwave version of, say, what FSOL did with the Lifeforms or My Kingdom singles. An expansion of each of the micro themes I explore in the song feels like a natural path for each track.
One of the difficulties here was detuning elements just enough to have that nostalgic tone of garbage media like VHS videotape or cassette tapes. Not enough to be persistent or obnoxious but enough to remind the listener how shitty things used to sound, and also how warm they sounded on that media too.
With the title and the ADHD elements together, I wanted to make a statement about how fleeting any perception of equality has been for women. It's been promised in the 80s, even before. But it's always been fleeting and leaves one wanting more. As a member of the transgender community identifying more strongly with women than with men (quantum gender, bigender, but above all an enby) I wanted to refresh the listener's sense of 80s sentimentality that synthwave carries in its pocket and mix it with a touch of a dose of reality.
Truth is, things were really FUCKED up in the 80s. As a passionate feminist and supporter of the #metoo movement, I've had enough of the misogyny of trumpism and Neo-conservative victorian values that see a repression of self expression. I invite the listener to hear my synthwave in a new light – yes, the MUSIC of the 80s synthesizers was delicious, no doubt, but the future for gender equality and opportunity for women and transgender persons needs to find a better future so that we can all hear each other's music and live in a world together that includes everyone and is one we can all be proud of.
One of the difficulties here was detuning elements just enough to have that nostalgic tone of garbage media like VHS videotape or cassette tapes. Not enough to be persistent or obnoxious but enough to remind the listener how shitty things used to sound, and also how warm they sounded on that media too.
With the title and the ADHD elements together, I wanted to make a statement about how fleeting any perception of equality has been for women. It's been promised in the 80s, even before. But it's always been fleeting and leaves one wanting more. As a member of the transgender community identifying more strongly with women than with men (quantum gender, bigender, but above all an enby) I wanted to refresh the listener's sense of 80s sentimentality that synthwave carries in its pocket and mix it with a touch of a dose of reality.
Truth is, things were really FUCKED up in the 80s. As a passionate feminist and supporter of the #metoo movement, I've had enough of the misogyny of trumpism and Neo-conservative victorian values that see a repression of self expression. I invite the listener to hear my synthwave in a new light – yes, the MUSIC of the 80s synthesizers was delicious, no doubt, but the future for gender equality and opportunity for women and transgender persons needs to find a better future so that we can all hear each other's music and live in a world together that includes everyone and is one we can all be proud of.
Also check out Matti's other songs – two more head-spinning synthwave tunes "Light Years From Now" and "Neon Delorean", the slow disco of "Dark Addiction", the funeral freak folk of "The Ringing of the Bells" and its Echo Twelve remix, the cold and hostile ambient of "The Dark Vastness of Space" and the experimental electronics of "You Save Me From Everything Else". And be sure to follow them on Spotify and Apple Music.