Mat Fieldes was born in Hastings, New Zealand, and started his music education at an early age at the encouragement of mother Susan, a piano teacher. After piano, guitar, recorder and drum lessons he picked his main instruments (basses....) to cover the spectrum of his musical tastes, from rock to jazz to classical.

While earning his bachelor's degree at Auckland University, he played practically full time with the Auckland Philharmonia (who continues to employ him when geography allows). He also moonlighted with several up and coming jazz/ rock late night acts including the now very successful London based saxophonist Nathan Haines.

He moved to New York in 1994, earning a place in the Master's program at the Juilliard School, where he studied with New York Philharmonic Principal Bassist Eugene Levinson. While regularly playing Principal with the Juilliard Orchestra, he also began his love affair with contemporary 'classical' music with the fledgling Absolute Ensemble, and Joel Sach's New Juilliard Ensemble and Continuum groups. A memorable recording with legend Ornette Coleman followed.

He continues to play regularly in New York with orchestra's, including the Brooklyn Philharmonic and New Jersey Symphony, Broadway shows (Full Monty, Kiss Me Kate, Saturday Night Fever), and a myriad of contemporary ensembles and rock bands, including the undeniably rockin' QUASILULU, featuring the extremely talented and charismatic Rona Figueroa.

He plays and tours extensively as Solo Bassist for Absolute Ensemble, with which he has shared the stage with luminaries such as Peter Erskine, Paquito D'Rivera and Lew Sohloff, and played venues all over the world including the Sydney Opera House, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Mexico, Germany, etc, etc. This group was honoured with a Grammy nomination in 2002.

As a recording artist he appears on Joe Jackson's Grammy winning 'Symphony' album, various soundtracks including 'American Psycho', and all Absolute Ensemble albums, including the latest 'Fix', on which he contributed as an Associate Producer.