Soundtracking the City with Broad City Music Supervisor Matt “FX” Feldman
Since making its debut last year, Comedy Central’s Broad City has grown to become one of the hippest and most talked-about comedies on TV. A key component to the series’ signature style is its eclectic soundtrack that suitably reflects the show’s vibrant, New York setting. Credit for this unique soundscape goes to the show’s 22-year-old music supervisor, Matt “FX” Feldman. A New York native, Feldman got an early start in the business as a teenager when he stumbled onto an opportunity to work on MTV’s short-lived remake of the British series Skins. Since then, Feldman has worked several jobs, including the current FXX comedy Man Seeking Woman. He also works as a DJ, and releases original music under his project Scooter Island. One of the group’s songs, “Not Yours” soundtracked a particularly memorable scene this season when an overjoyed Abbi wakes up in her crush’s apartment, having agreed to use a strap-on the previous night.
Feldman sat down with Paste to discuss his unorthodox path to becoming a music supervisor, his love for Gorillaz and their influence on Scooter Island, and how a high school friendship with hip-hop raconteur Azealia Banks shaped his musical development.
Paste Magazine: In terms of bringing music to a project like Broad City, do you get ideas when there’s a rough cut, or can you brainstorm when scripts are being written?
Matt Feldman: Yes, it’s funny you mention that. In the first episode of Broad City’s second season there’s the big smoking scene with the kids doing smoke tricks. We used a song by Baauer & RL Grime called “Infinite Daps.’ I had pitched maybe 50 songs to the director for that episode, and she kept saying, ‘No, no, send me more.’ I put that song in almost as a joke and was like, ‘Ha ha, let’s see if she likes this.’ And she was like, ‘It’s perfect!’ I didn’t know what the scene looked like because I’m in a post-production position and I don’t get to be on set every day. But, in retrospect, if I had seen that cut, I would have known.
Paste: How does one enter this field exactly, considering how young you were when you first got started?
Feldman: You know, people ask me this question and I wish I could tell them the right answer. I think a lot of it had to do with being in the right place at the right time. I know LA has a much denser scene of music supervisors but, from what I understand, it’s like a lot of the other film and TV positions. You got to work your way up through interning and work with different people who have been doing it for a long time. I see myself as an outlier due to the circumstances in which I came into this.
Paste: How did you come in?
Feldman: I had a friend in high school that I had a huge crush on at the time. I was a senior and she was a junior. I invited her and her friend over to my house to show them the British program Skins. One of her friends, at the time, had seen Rent on Broadway like 143 times—she was that type of obsessive person when it came to things she loved. And she was equally as enchanted with Skins. When the creator Bryan Eisley came to the States to make the American version, somehow she tracked him down and became his intern. I was in Europe at the time and she sent me an e-mail saying, ‘Hey, Skins has this writers’ programs where they bring in teenagers to work on the scripts and talk about their experiences.’ It was kind of like a focus group. Luckily, I was available to get into the last one. I remember asking about music and Bryan was like, ‘Can you make me a playlist?’ The next day he said, ‘Yeah, I need you to quit your day job.’ I ordered a business card with ‘Music Curator’ on it, not knowing a single thing about the job [laughs].
Paste: Did you have any interest in pursuing music as a career before that?
Feldman: Definitely. My father was a conductor and worked in a bunch of orchestras. My mom said I sang before I spoke. For middle school, I went to this boarding school to be a professional boy soprano. I went to LaGuardia High School with Azealia Banks. I graduated senior class president doing both vocal and instrumental music. So it’s definitely something I wanted to do my entire life. It’s been my driving passion.
It’s cool because my father was someone who didn’t speak the romance languages so, when he was conducting, he never thought he’d be able to reach the heights of a proper conductor who can speak French and Italian. I relate to that because I learned instruments, and don’t have great technique, but I can play them a little bit and sort of sing. But music supervision and working with other artists on their tracks allows me to refine my peripheral abilities, while not feeling so down about not being the ultimate showman, you know what I mean?
Paste: Sorry, going back, did you say you knew Azealia Banks in high school?
Feldman: Yeah, it’s funny, I’ve been holding off on talking about that because I’m terrified of what she’s going to say! (laughs) The first day we met, I cut three periods and we spent the whole time in the cafeteria talking about indie bands. She schooled me on so much music. I was a choirboy and I was wearing a professional suit-and-tie. She was just like, ‘Tribe Called Quest! Interpol!’ and just throwing bands at me. She sort of cut out of school halfway through and stopped coming, so we drifted apart a little. But when we were freshman/sophomore, we hung out a ton.
Paste: Were you at all surprised to see that she became who she is now?
Feldman: Not at all. She’s the exact same girl she’s always been, for better or for worse. Musically, she’s definitely developed a lot and obviously people mature. But not a single thing she’s said—good or bad—has surprised me. I think her record shows a really strong sense of who she is. Having MJ Cole on that “Desperado” track—that’s very much in line with her. She has this worldly view of music even though she’s a Harlem girl.
Paste: It sounds like you basically grew up in a musical environment. Unlike other musicians, was it easy for you to say to your parents, ‘Hey guys, I’m going to be pursuing music?’
Feldman: Right, definitely. I dropped out of college and my mom, who is Chinese, was very unhappy about that (laughs). I have a Jewish dad and a Chinese mom. She was super not cool with that, but otherwise they’ve been super supportive. They’ve been very happy for me and patient with me and my projects.
Paste: Working on these different shows, do you work in conjunction with the directors and editors? In doing that, do you have to adjust your approach based on who’s directing or editing?
Feldman: 100 percent. Some directors like to get their vision in first, before I even touch it. One of the shows I’m working on, Man Seeking Woman, the directors have an incredibly strong sense of music, and comedy is reinforced by the music they’re choosing. I’m really a ringer with them. I give them the one big tune of the episode. With Broad City, it’s working with the editors from the ground up. Showing the rough cuts, building the scenes, trying out five or six different things for big scenes, talking with the girls—it’s very, very hands on.
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