On Wednesday, tropical house darling Matoma took over Necto for a night full of leis and Hawaiian shirts. The laid back looks of many party-goers were matched by the easy atmosphere created by the music, and I think it’s safe to say that everyone felt infinitely more de-stressed thanks to the works of this Norweigan DJ/producer.
Matoma’s name popped up in the dance music scene a little over a year ago with his re-imagining of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Old Thing Back.” Since then, he’s taken the easy breezy feeling many of his songs encompass and applied it to his album release strategy. Hakuna Matoma, the artist’s 8-track debut album, is actually more of a work-in-progress playlist he plans to add to until he feels it’s finished.
Praise for Hakuna Matoma has been in no short supply; one fan even enlarged the cover art, turning it into a poster to show his support on Wednesday. Necto was one of the first stops the artist will make on his 19-date tour, including a slew of festivals such as Coachella, Sunset Music Festival and North Coast Music Festival.
Matoma is proof that just a little bit of tropical house flavor goes a long way. Working in everything from pop favorites like One Direction’s “Perfect” to his “Hello Vs. Party & Bullshit” remix (one of his earlier works) to EDM chart-toppers like Galantis’ “Runaway” and Major Lazer’s “Lean On”, he brilliantly showcased his chosen genre’s ability to unify a variety of sounds. And despite my normal aversion to One Direction, I found myself singing along with everyone else. When the vibes are that good, how can you not?