Croatian DJ, producer, and label owner Matroda has forged a path to house music stardom over the last decade, becoming a household name to underground dance music fans worldwide. And while he’s been a certified hit machine for several years, he didn’t follow a straight and narrow path. While staying firmly in the four-to-the-floor range, he’s experimented with various genres yet (mostly) retained a style that’s steady groovin’ and always bass forward.




His career has seen him work with Chris Lake and Wax Motif while also releasing dozens of his chart-topping beats. And with a path that has wound from dubstep and glitch hop to electro house and now his own unique brand of tech house, we thought it would be good to follow his musical journey over the last nine years.










1. Matroda - Phunkshock (2012)

In 2012, the producer released his debut EP, I Am Matroda featuring “Phunkshock” as its intro track. This EP was a precursor to his debut album, All Eyes On Matroda, featuring the same tracks with a few additions. “Phunkshock” is a full-on dubstep track, echoing the sounds of Skrillex circa 2010. This track is another testament to Matroda’s versatility and his evolution throughout his career.







2. Matroda - Some Strange Voices (2013)

“Some Strange Voices” was among the first Matroda releases, and you’d never guess that it was him who produced it. It is entirely different from the Matroda we know today. The bottom-heavy glitch hop tune is heavy on instrumentation and spicy swirling bass. It sounds more like Griz than Matroda.







3. SNBRN feat. Kaleena Zanders - California (Chris Lake & Matroda Remix) [2015]

What truly catapulted Matroda into the spotlight was his collab with Chris Lake on their remix of SNBRN’s iconic house track “California,” featuring the anthemic vocals of Kaleena Zanders. Heavy on future house vibes, the track remains in heavy rotation for DJs across the globe. This remix has cemented its spot as a house classic and a fan favorite.




4. Matroda - Chronic (2016)

After his first album, Matroda moved away from bass and dubstep toward house music, and his career began to take off. He went on to release “Chronic” on Spinnin’ Records. In a hybrid of his converging styles, the track is more house-esque, still featuring heavy bass influence and a sexy breakbeat flourish before the first drop.




5. Matroda - Do You Remember House? (2019)

In 2019, Matroda dropped The RED Tape EP, which proved to be one of the biggest albums of the year within the genre. Fittingly, the intro track is “Do You Remember House?” which shows a glimmer of his ability to cross-pollinate elements from sub-genres of house music. His rhythmic basslines and syncopated rhythmic style are on full display here.




6. Matroda - Jack The House (2020)

In 2020, Matroda launched his music label Terminal Underground, intending to shine a light on hand-selected up-and-coming producers. “Jack The House” was the lead track off of the EP of the same name and the inaugural release on Terminal Underground. Matroda’s sound design has always been the highlight of his music, and it’s only gotten better over the years, as evidenced by the sidewinding effects and soulful rave vocal samples.




7. Matroda, San Pacho - La Pasion (2021)

“La Pasion” is a proven crowd favorite and staple in DJ’s Rekordboxes. Featured on his Jack the House 2 EP, Matroda and fellow Croatian artist San Pacho channel Latin house vibes with their own jilted basslines and slapping drums.







8. Matroda, Bleu Claie - PWR (2022)

The duo have been good friends for some time and have collaborated on several projects. “PWR” perfectly melds their two styles with Bleu Claire’s talent for funky classic house synths and Matroda’s sub-knocking basslines.















Tracing Matroda's Musical Journey in 8 Tracks

In 2020 Croatian producer and house music superstar Matroda announced the launch of his very own record label, Terminal Underground. Already widely known for a sound on the cusp of funky tech house and bottom heavy bass house, the label served as a platform for him to guide the direction of house music culture from his ears to yours.




He shared in a Facebook post, “I started TERMINAL UNDERGROUND as a label/collective/platform where I will help promote fresh new music. I promise I will listen to every demo personally but will only release a few singles per year at first,” and even included a link for demo submissions.




The label has become a sounding board for fresh talent and innovative music. He helped launch the career of fellow Croatian artist San Pacho and has pushed chart-topping releases of his own as well as rising house stars like Bleu Claire, Guzz, SUBSHIFT, Peace maker!, and Cave Studio.




1. Matroda - Jack the House (2020)

“Jack The House” was the debut single for the highly anticipated launch of Terminal Underground. Bass-heavy beats anchor a track layered with the perfect amount of laser beams. The energy-packed track was the ideal way to kick things off.




2. Honey & Badger - Wallifornia (2020)

Belgian DJ and producer Honey & Badger has fostered attention from some of electronic music’s biggest names. This release on Terminal Underground was just another accolade to add to his growing resume. With support from artists like Tchami, Malaa, and Martin Garrix, Honey & Badger’s bass-heavy house music has already been making the rounds since 2018. “Wallifornia” proves to be a certified club banger with its rap vocals and bouncy rhythm.




3. San Pacho, House Divided - Workaholic (2020)

Matroda isn’t the only Croatian producer making waves in the house music scene. Fellow Croatian producer San Pacho has been on the rise for some time now, receiving approval from the likes of Skrillex, Tchami, and Jauz. “Workaholic” comes in collaboration with Los Angeles-based DJ duo House Divided. The track is an homage to those who work hard to play hard.




4. Donkong, MITTONE - LOVE (2021)

“LOVE” is a collaboration between German duo Donkong and rising house star MITTONE. The vocals on the track give it an extra edge with the question we all ask ourselves, “what is love?”




5. Sliipow - Flashion (2021)

Sliipow is an Indonesian producer who mainly focuses on bass music but occasionally dabbles in house and drum & bass. The track “Flashion” puts him squarely in the running as a house music up-and-comer if he chooses to continue in that direction.




6. OOTORO - Def Jam (2021)

Joining Sliipow on the label, fellow Indonesian producer OOTORO has fostered a global audience with his fusion of heavy bass house and disco-tinged tech house. “Def Jam” is the type of track that can get any crowd movin’ and groovin’.




7. Eauki - Narcotica (2021)

Eauki, pronounced oh-ki, is a Dutch producer who should be on your radar if he isn’t already. “Narcotica” has some seriously futuristic vibes that will make listeners feel like they’re partying on a spaceship.




8. Elternhouse - Memories (2021)

Elternhouse is a duo made up of brothers Marius and Mika. They started their musical journey in 2015 in their parent’s basement, which they turned into a small studio. The track “Memories” features some ethereal vocals juxtaposed with a heavy bassline giving it an upbeat yet dreamlike vibe.




9. Devarra, Jargen - Coming Back (2022)

Indonesian artist Devarra is a certified dance music veteran with two decades of experience behind the decks. He teamed with Jargen, a stand-out producer from the next generation, on “Coming Back.”

The soulful house track with a groovy bassline leading up to an intense second drop will surely get the whole room bouncing.




10. Roxe - Sounds Good (2022)

“Sounds Good” is a unique take on tech house with Roxe’s masterful inclusion of a super groovy guitar riff and female vocals that sound like they were pulled from the cutting room floor of a recording session.










11. SUBSHIFT - Club 95 (2022)

SUBSHIFT is a tech house DJ/producer hailing from the UK. He has a unique sound signed off on by Chris Lorenzo, ACRAZE, Wax Motif, and more. The producer has seen releases on Insomniac Records, Hood Politics, and Wax Motif’s Divided Souls. “Club 95” is the perfect name for this track which incorporates soulful vocal samples and takes the listener on a journey back to the storied dancefloors of the 90s club scene.



Matroda

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Victoria Silva

Victoria Silva