american matthew remixes frank ocean for the apocalypse

It’s not even April yet but we can already say with confidence that 2020 has been a lot to deal with. So much crazy shit has happened in such a short period of time that if you were put on the spot and asked to list all of the “holy shit!” moments thus far you’d likely miss some major events .

In the midst of the mayhem, the music community is drawing inspiration from the things going on around them and making art that both documents and soundtracks the times. American Matthew, the Puerto Rico-based producer, DJ and founder of indie label BELIEVE IN YOURSELF DO IT YOURSELF RECORDS is one such artist.

His latest release, titled APOCALYPSE TECH PACK, is a pair of songs recorded after a series of earthquakes decimated the already vulnerable Puerto Rico from late December 2019 to January 2020 — a calamity that has been overshadowed by the COVID-19 crisis and lost in the shuffle of the 24-hour news cycle.

“The songs were made once power was restored to the island a few days later,” Matthew says in a statement about the project. “The inspiration [sic] by the feeling walking around and interacting with the community on the island while we all shared feelings on the possibility that the world might actually be ending.” This year has been so crazy that the tracks are applicable not just to P.R.’s plight but the global pandemic we’re currently facing.

Don’t get it twisted though, “I Will Always Love You” Matthew’s flip of Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed” isn’t some gloomy dirge — instead it’s a house track that’s as upbeat as the original is dramatic. Ocean’s refrain of “I will always love you!” hits different here; the declaration of love feels defiant in the face of possible doom. It’s a revelation and affirmation that love, the greatest human emotion, transcends circumstance. Matthew puts it’s plainly: “If the apocalypse were happening, this is what we would play.”