We get to know more about the influences and ambitions of Mateus Asato, the neo-soul guitarist who’s been making waves in the music world.
This interview was originally conducted by Emanuele Pellegrino for Planet Guitar.
Mateus Asato Interview:
Mateus Asato is certainly one of the new and most interesting stars in the global guitar community. Few possess such a wide stylistic range, combined with great phrasing, impressive skill, musicianship, and taste.
The young Brazilian has had an extraordinary career so far, which goes far beyond the category of “internet phenomenon”. We met the guitarist at last year’s Guitar Summit in Mannheim, where he answered our questions.
Born on December 29, 1993, in Campo Grande, Brazil, he took his first musical steps at the age of nine with an acoustic guitar. Just a year later, however, he switched to the electric guitar, taking as models mainly Brazilian guitarists such as Juninho Afram, Kiko Loureiro, and Edu Ardanuy.
Later, it was guitar heroes of the 80s and 90s such as Joe Satriani, Eddie Van Halen, Paul Gilbert, and John Petrucci who influenced his playing.
In 2013 he attended the Musicians Institute (GIT) in Los Angeles, where he laid a solid foundation for his skills. Here, he soon rose to prominence with the Instagram videos generating over a million followers.
Unlike many “internet guitarists,” however, Mateus found his way to the big stage early and has toured as a support musician for Tori Kelly, Jessie J., and, most recently, Bruno Mars.
In 2019, Guitar Magazine named him one of the 50 most interesting young guitarists in the world and even John Mayer considers Asato “one of the best guitarists in the world”.
Asato’s decision to suspend his Instagram account in February with the explanation “I found myself lost between the limits of 15 to 60-second videos” led to lively discussions, only to shut down upon reopening in 2022.
Mateus Asato’s profile is currently a colorful mix of sideman, solo artist, and studio activity, as well as educational content in the form of clinics.
Mateus’ Choice of Gear
While Mateus provides in-depth information about his gear in the following interview, I would like to list a few key points here. As for guitars, Asato relies on the American manufacturer Suhr, thanks to which he can make some signature models.
Among these, the Classic S, a classic Superstrat, is available with a rosewood and maple neck. There is also a series similar to the Telecaster, consisting of the Classic T MN, the Classic T WH, and the Classic T Gold Foil.
As far as amps go, the Suhr Badger 35 is one of his favorites, as are the Bogner amps. Being an avowed fan of pedals, Asato has a gigantic park of effects that is constantly changing.
However, he seems to have a preference for overdrives, delays, and reverbs. In addition to producers like Neunaber, Brown Amplification, 1981, and Jackson Audio have customized a signature pedal for him, the Asabi.
The interview with Mateus Asato
Gearnews: What was the best new thing for you this year in terms of gear?
Mateus Asato: Oh, wow, I think it was two pedals. One was Brown Amplification’s “ The Protein,” an overdrive, and 1981’s “ LVL .”
GN: What’s your favorite amp when it comes to recording?
MA: It’s a hard question. I’m a big fan of my Bogner Shiva 20th Anniversary model. When I record it’s my favorite amp!
GN: What’s your favorite amp on stage?
MA: I would say two amps. One is Suhr’s Badger 35, which I love playing! And a Matchless DC30.
Pedals, Amps, and more…
GN: What’s your favorite effect pedal?
MA: It’s a Neunaber reverb. I forgot the name, but any Neunaber reverb is one of my favorites!
(Editor’s note: according to other interviews, Mateus may have been referring to the Immerse Reverbator or the Wet Reverb V5 ).
GN: Do you prefer single coils or humbuckers?
MA: The singles! I like background noise! Single coil definitely!
GN: Do you prefer a miked cab or speaker or IR simulations?
MA: Cab miked!
GN: What do you prefer: in-ear monitoring or wedges?
MA: Wedges! I’m not crazy about in-ears…
Creating the Asato Sound
GN: What do you need to create your sound?
MA: A good amp with a good amount of headroom, a reverb pedal, a delay and two overdrives. I’m ready to go with this one!
GN: Who is your favorite guitarist this year?
MA: Steve Lukather!
GN: And your favorite guitarist of all time?
MA: EVH, baby! Eddie Van Halen!
GN: What is your favorite album this year?
MA: I would say my favorite album of 2023 is “Screaming in the Dark” by The Band Camino. And my favorite album of the year is by a Brazilian band called Forfun.
(Editor’s note: unfortunately Mateus did not reveal the exact title of the album).
GN: And your favorite album of all time?
MA: Hard question! I would say “Continuum” by John Mayer. I really like!
Techniques
GN: When we talk about phrasing, what is the most important thing for you?
MA: Let a story be told! Of course, the “touch” is also important, but for me, if you don’t tell a story, everything becomes mechanical and turns into an exercise to be reproduced.
GN: What’s your favorite riff?
MA: “As I am” by Dream Theater or “In the Name of God”, whose intro is incredible! There are many I could mention, but these two come to mind so quickly.
GN: What is your favorite chord progression?
MA: The one in the key of F: Bb – Bb/C – Am – Dm. I could play this progression forever!
GN: How do you approach the topic of “chord-melody arrangements” of songs?
MA: In principle, I start with the monophonic melody, the vocal line so to speak, and learn it first. Then I build on top of it, in the form of double stops or whole chords.
So I start with the melody and listen carefully to what the singer does, and then gradually add what I’m most comfortable playing.
Influences
GN: Where does the neo-soul influence in your playing come from?
MA: It’s probably more out of necessity. Until recently I didn’t even know what neo-soul was, so I’m always a little amused when people say “Oh, wow – neo-soul!”. I didn’t grow up with this style of music either, but in 2015 I played with Tori Kelly, an R&B singer.
R&B and neo-soul are very close to each other, so I listened to this genre a lot. Knowing artists like D’Angelo or Lauryn Hill, I then started to incorporate this style into my playing.
John Mayer is also a major influence, so it’s a mix of all these styles. Since I play for R&B singers, I simply had to learn to play this style.
Mateus’ Signature Guitar Models
GN: Can you tell us something about your guitar models?
MA: First, there are the new models from Suhr, which I call “The Twins T” (Editor’s note: the models are called Classic T and Classic T Gold Foil). One of them has two MAT single coils and is my first reverse headstock model. The other model, the other “twin”, has the same finish but has the normal headstock and two Lollar Gold Foil pickups.
The idea came to me when I was designing the 2020 Black T (Editor’s note: Mateus refers to the Classic T MN) and was looking for an element of contrast. The models are actually identical, aside from the headstock and finish.
I wanted the Gold Foil version to have a more vintage feel and a Gretsch-like sound which I really like. I really like both guitars and the coolest thing is the neckplate with my face on it! [laughs]
GN: Mateus, thank you very much for the interview!
More about Mateus Asato:
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