Testimony

"Matthieu's genuine interest and love for music have made it possible for him to perform very successfully in a variety of stylistically diverse projects. His desire to keep improving at a point where many people who reach a similar level of playing ability would probably be quite satisfied with what they have is a true gift. Through working with him in our lessons I have come to respect his musicianship and dedication; I have also come to know him as an intelligent and thoughtful person whose love and interest for music are a natural reflection of an attitude towards life - there is always something new to discover, and Matthieu is on the quest! Bonne chance, mon ami!"

"I had a chance to spend 5 wonderful months sharing an apartment with Matthieu. Undoubtedly, he is the most inspirational person I’ve ever met and with his good heart and incredible energy he changed a part of me and made me realize there really are some exceptional people walking this Earth that really can make a difference. His extraordinary talent and full-time dedication will make him achieve anything he can. I remember waking up, and before even drinking my coffee I would hear Matt practice with his drumsticks. He motivated me immensely with his love and passion for music and most importantly – he would awe me on daily basis with how someone can be so completely dedicated to achieving his goal and living his dream to the fullest. His skill in playing the drums is impeccable and I get goose bumps remembering him play for his ensemble. Beside all of this, he is a true friend and a trustworthy, positive person that never failed to surprise me with his soul so full of life. A characteristic that I haven’t found in people since I met this crazy looking, AC Milan fan of a French man – Matt."

"When I met Matthieu, he had just joined some of my friends’ band, Leiden, and then, we made several tours with both our bands. He always improved his own drumming at once powerful and fine. I also took part of many projects in the music schools he was teaching as he asked me to accompany his students. These experiences were very interesting because they gave his students the opportunity to play with professional musicians. The fact that his path brought him to Berklee is kind of obvious as he’s artistically open-minded and always looking for new experiences and improvements."

"Here a couple words about one of my favorite student Matthieu Danesin. I met Matthieu in the Spring of 2013 in my Ear Training 3 class. He's an excellent student and more importantly, person. He's diligent, thorough and professional. Matthieu attended all classes and even came to office hours in an effort to gain mastery of the topic and concepts. He received the grade of A for his efforts. Currently, Matthieu is attending ET 4 and maintains his excellence and high level of work ethics. I'm confident that he'll prevail and will be awarded an A. I firmly believe that he will be successfull in whatever path he takes in the future. Great student."

"I met Matthieu back when we were both studying at the Dante Agostini Drum School in Toulouse, 10 years from now. We became friends pretty quickly and shared many practicing sessions. He’s always been very passionate, a hard-worker, with a tough mindset. Through all these years, I saw him perform with many different musical projects, from metal to jazz and he definitely can play any styles with no barrier. We are following each others career and I’m proud of what he has built for all these years. Amongst other things, he takes part of the jury for my drum school’s exams and it’s always a special moment anytime we meet again."

"Matt is one of the best musicians I’ve ever played with. He is a great team player and a hard worker. It's been a while now that I've been collaborating with him and he’s always been a precious person in the band, very helpful in any way. His way to see music and life is full humanity, sensitivity and he is that kind of person everyone hopes to work with."

"Matthieu Danesin has been a student in my school for 5 years. During that time, he demonstrated he is an organized and sociable person, his seriousness and application in studies and high musical abilities as well. There is clear evidence that he’ll succeed a first-rate musical career."

"I met Matthieu in the music environment in the late 90’ as we both share the same musical tastes, from jazz to rock, from funk to metal. Then, we toured with both our bands, Manimal and Leiden, and what I can say is that being on the road with Matthieu is never boring: he’s a joker, he’s very professional and fully dedicated to music. He’s a drummer with a high musical sense and he always tries to serve any project at his best. Playing with him is always a great experience and working with him as well as, for example, I was accompanying his students during rehearsals and live performances in the music schools he was teaching. Some musicians are able to stick immediately to the music with good taste and Matthieu is one of those."

"Matthieu and I had the chance to work together on a band project: "Anna Tiani Sextet” which featured original tunes as well as jazz standards and studio sessions at Berklee College of Music. During that time, I have gotten to know Matthieu quite well and I can say it was a big pleasure to work with him because of his enthusiasm and positive attitude. In the band he brought stability not only with talent for drums and musicianship but also with initiative and passion. Matthieu always made sure he was prepared for rehearsals and studio sessions. Moreover he definitely helped the band feeling motivated and complete. With his relentless motivation and passion for music Matthieu brought our performances to a different level. He is also a great friend and I remember his remarkable sense of humor always put a smile on my face…"

"Whether it is musically or as far as my drumming is concern, Matthieu is the most determinant teacher I studied with since I started playing music. His teaching is great, efficient, demanding but relaxed and always fit the student’s need. Despite of his irrepressible wish to convert me to jazz, he accompanied me through my musical project, made me embrace different styles of music through rewarding stage performances. More than just lessons, his teaching brought me a work method and a sensitivity that allowed me to pursue my path in an autonomous way. Hope I’ll see you soon. Thanks for everything."

"I used to play with Matt from 2000 to 2011 in my professional band called Feedback. I’ve really enjoyed working with him because of his precision, serious and also sense of humour. Job was well done with fun and harmony …what can be better?"

"I met Matthieu in 2008, when I was 17. He gave me the opportunity to play music in a professional way for the first time of my life. We played together with Feedback, a 70’s rock cover band during 2 years and performed about 70 gigs. This experience has been significant for the beginning of my career. Matthieu was the first one with whom I experimented bass/drum interactions, and the work we did together will be useful for the rest of my life. He’s meticulous, patient, an awesome teacher and definitely a big plus in a band due to the stability he brings. I think all his musical and human qualities make of him the man everybody need for all kinds of projects."

"I met Matthieu back when he was performing with this original and energetic band from Toulouse called Screwface. We performed many times with our bands and started hanging out together at Paul's place, his bassist, who I knew for many years. I realized that Matthieu was open-minded, musically speaking, and that some of his influences such as Paradise Lost or Metallica were also mine and would fit my band's style, Leiden. At that time, we were looking for a drummer to stand in for the beatbox, for the sake of the inspiration, the musical ideas and the scenic aspect as well. It was not easy at first because playing with a click all the time, during rehearsals, studio sessions and live performances is very challenging, demanding and needs time to get used to it. But more and more, Matthieu got very comfortable with that and brought a big plus to the band. After our second album "Dualite" came out, we've been touring a lot in France and Switzerland, in real harmony and with a shared desire. Matt's approach for the band has always been very professional and he was always ready to invest himself musically and theatrically. I personaly find his drumming very interesting, musically speaking and also visually speaking, mixing power and flexibility. I definitely liked less the improvisation aspect and his too busy drumming sometimes during the rehearsals but one thing's for sure, Matt can play any styles of music and give everything on stage."

"I had many opportunities to play with Matt. Whatever the context, the musical styles (Jazz, Pop, Rock), on stage or during recording sessions, I really appreciated his musical qualities and personal qualities as well. Indeed, Matt is not only an excellent drummer but also a complete musician whose main concern is to make music better every time he seats behind his drum kit. Hopefully, we’ll share music moments together soon."

"8 years ago , Matt used to be my drum teacher with whom I learnt how to play the piano... Ok ! Sorry, my abilities to make jokes are not as sharpened as his, but this is for me a sort of tribute to his sense of humor and the way he had to share his skills and his knowledge about drums and music. Thanks to his very efficient way to teach, I had the opportunity to play drums with professionals once a year during 5 years, performing songs I've never thought I was able to. Matt is a great teacher and above all, an amazing drummer : jazz, rock, reggae, metal... every style of music has no secret for him. I'm really proud to have been his student and it's an honor for me to write about him here. Thank you Matt sensei and may the 8th sense be with you !"

"Matt, my friend, what could I say which could highlight best this guy’s qualities… I could easily write half a book on his being a reliable person, trustworthy and wise (which is quite a good quality according to his young age) but decency tells me not to claim too much ! Still as a reliable person Matt is accordingly a reliable musician, talented and inspired as well as inspirational. Playing with him is always a pleasant experience and also a tough one as his level of requirement is quite high. Working on studio projects with him is quite a challenge, nothing can be too tight… Definitely the drummer and the friend I personally love to play, chat and party with."

"First, I have to say that Matt is my friend. To me, he’s determined, gifted and humble. The musical experiences we shared showed me how much he invests himself in any project: the energy he deploys, always with a smile, keeps the band moving forward. His passion for the drums and music has made him a true musician: to be aware of what’s all around you is essential and he knows that."

"I met Mathieu a few years ago, when a friend of mine told me « I think I found a drummer ! » We planned at the time to build up a cover-band to play songs from the 80’s , in a “metal” kind-of-way…. Playing with Mathieu makes music easier. This guy feels as much at ease with 80’s songs than with brand new rock standards. He is the kind of drummer you can rely on. He’s hard at work , he is the one dragging everybody up. In fact, playing with Mathieu is the same experience as being his friend. His determination, his strength and his optimistic way to look at music and life makes him very, very special. I don’t know what I am the more proud of : having shared the stage a couple of times with Matt, or being one of his friends."