A&E

Norwegian DJ Matoma brings new music and good vibes to Vegas

Image
Matoma spins at Marquee on November 23.
Courtesy

Norwegian DJ and producer Matoma (real name: Tom Lagergren) is known for pop-leaning dance tracks spiked with cross-genre collaborations. Memorable 2015 single "Old Thing Back" reworked a Notorious B.I.G. favorite and featured Ja Rule, but that same year also saw Matoma put out "Try Me," a tropical house/R&B mashup starring Jason Derulo and Jennifer Lopez.

That kaleidoscope of sound has made Matoma a festival mainstay and a great fit for Las Vegas clubs, as you'll see next year, set to be his biggest yet on the Strip. He shared lots of new plans in a recent conversation with the Weekly.

You just announced the Camp Superdope co-headlining tour with Two Friends starting in January in Texas. How did that come together? They are two really nice and talented guys that [just started] playing Las Vegas for the first time. I've known them a little more than three years, and every time I'm in LA I try to catch a coffee with them. They're really just music-forward guys who have their hearts in the right place, and they're very polite. As a Norwegian, I really [appreciate] that hospitality and love to find a fit with people who have a great personality and humbleness. We have similar types of brands, although they're a bit more goofy and fun for the college market, and my market is a [little older]. But our music is similar. We love uplifting, happy beats, and it's all about the good vibes. The tour will be a new experience for all of us.

Your music has broad appeal because you incorporate so many different genres and guest artists into your sound. How do you go about choosing collaborators? I'm always trying to find interesting people to work with that also represent what I stand for, being able to make good quality music without sounding too cheesy or too cliché, while still having that pop element. For me it's about the voice and the history behind the artist rather than how big they are. I work with huge artists but also with undiscovered artists.

You played the new JEMAA pool party on the Strip this year, and now you're playing Marquee. What do you like about the Vegas club scene? The heat (laughs). Actually, one time I played Vegas, I had to have wet towels down on the ground because my feet were burning. Vegas is always fun, and that's where a lot of the industry really happens. It's always about the delivery of the set. You have to be 100 percent sharp, always pump up the crowd, always have the right transitions. It pushes me forward, because there's so much talent in Vegas and you have to keep up.

Besides the new tour, what are you focusing on for 2020? I have something like 12 shows in Vegas next year, so I'll be around. I'm working on a new collaboration for a song that will be released before the end of this year, and [I'll have] lots of new music in the new year, fresh sounds and a brand-new set. I feel like I've been blessed. This will be my seventh year as a DJ playing the States, so it's time to explore new possibilities and really push forward.

MATOMA November 23, 10:30 p.m., $20-$30. Marquee Nightclub, 702-333-9000.

Share
Photo of Brock Radke

Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of managing editor at Las Vegas Weekly ...

Get more Brock Radke
Top of Story