Episode #84: Mato Wayuhi

Mato joins Osi to discuss his experiences both as an artist and composer, writing the music for FX/Hulu series Reservation Dogs, why it’s special for him to contribute music to indigenous film/tv projects, his creative process, and more.  Mato Wayuhi is a multidisciplinary artist originally from South Dakota. He works in film/TV both as a producer and musical composer, as well as writing his own music, garnering critical acclaim from NPR, Amazon Music, and Apple Music. Most notably, Mato is the composer for the award-winning FX/Hulu series Reservation Dogs. "Mato’s music is everything that good Indigenous art is right now. We are in a Renaissance and his music speaks directly to that movement. It’s unapologetic, it doesn’t need permission to exist and it’s made with an urgency — An urgency to move us into a new era" says Sterlin Harjo, creator and showrunner of Reservation Dogs. A recent graduate of the University of Southern California, Mato continues to work and play in Los Angeles, spending parts of his summers attending ceremonies and bumming around with family back home.