Gustafsson came to the attention of lovers of improvised music as part of a duo with Christian Munthe (started in 1986), as member of Gunter Christmann's Vario project and the band Gush (started in 1988). He later played widely with Peter Brötzmann, Joe McPhee, Paul Lovens, Barry Guy, Yoshimi P-We, Derek Bailey, Magnus Broo, Otomo Yoshihide, Pat Thomas, Jim O'Rourke, Thomas Lehn, Evan Parker, Misha Mengelberg, Zu, The Ex and Sonic Youth.

Since the early 1990s Gustafsson has been a regular visitor to the United States, forming a particular affinity with Chicago musicians Hamid Drake, Michael Zerang, and Ken Vandermark and recording for Okka Disk.^{[citation needed]}

He was awarded the 2011 Nordic Council Music Prize.^[1]

Gustafsson has worked extensively with artists from the worlds of dance, theatre, poetry and painting. He has lived in Nickelsdorf, Austria since 2011.^[2]

Gustafsson curated the Perspectives festivals in Västerås, Sweden in 2004, 2007 and 2009. This festival of musical improvisation is noted for its cross-genre character and creative atmosphere among musicians.^[3] The festival slogan for 2004 was "Fight Global Stupidity", 2007 "Fight Local Stupidity" and for 2009 it became "Fight (y)our stupidity".

Gustafsson was also joint curator of the 2010 Konfrontationen festival in Nickelsdorf, Austria.^[4]

Photos

As leader edit

• 1991: Nothing to Read (Blue Tower), with Paul Lovens
• 1995: Parrot Fish Eye (Okka Disk)
• 1995: For Don Cherry (Blue Tower), with Hamid Drake
• 1996: Mouth Eating Trees and Related Activities (Okka Disk), with Barry Guy & Paul Lovens
• 1997: Frogging (Maya), with Barry Guy
• 1997: Impropositions (Phono Suecia)
• 1999: The Education of Lars Jerry (Xeric)
• 1999: Windows _The Music of Steve Lacy (Blue Chopsticks)
• 1999: Hidros One (Caprice), with Nu-Ensemblen
• 2000: Port Huron Picnic (Spool), with Kurt Newman & Mike Gennaro
• 2002: The School Days and Thing (Anagram), the music of Norman Howard presented by Mats Gustafsson
• 2003: Blues (Atavistic), with David Stackenäs
• 2004: Hidros 3 (Smalltown Supersound), Sonic Youth With Friends
• 2005: Slide (Firework Edition)
• 2005: Catapult (Doubtmusic)
• 2007: It Is All About... (Tyfus)
• 2007: Words on the Floor (Smalltown Superjazzz), with Yoshimi P-We
• 2008: Mats G Plays Duke E (Qbico)
• 2008: Cosmic Debris Volume IV (Opax), with My Cat Is An Alien
• 2008: The Vilnius Implosion (NoBusiness)
• 2008: Mats G Plays Duke E (Qbico)
• 2009: Mats G. Plays Albert A. (Qbico)
• 2009 You Liked Me Five Minutes Ago (Rune Grammofon) with Fire!
• 2011 Released (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! & Jim O'Rourke
• 2011 Uneleased (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! & Jim O'Rourke
• 2012 In the Mouth a Hand (Rune Grammofon) w  with Fire! & Oren Ambarchi
• 2012: Baro 101 (Terp ), with Paal Nilssen-Love & Mesele Asmamaw
• 2012: Mats G. Plays Gullin (Sagittarius A-Star)
• 2012: Birds (dEN ), with John Russell & Raymond Strid
• 2012: Bengt (Utech)
• 2013 Without Noticing (Rune Grammofon) with Fire!
• 2013: Eissalon (Live) (Rock Is Hell ), with Didi Kern
• 2013: Vi Är Alla Guds Slavar (Otoroku), with Thurston Moore
• 2014: Hidros6 Knockin' (Not Two), with NU Ensemble
• 2014 Enter (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! Orchestra
• 2015 Exit (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! Orchestra
• 2015 Second Exit (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! Orchestra
• 2015: Hit The Wall! (Smalltown Superjazzz), with Thurston Moore
• 2016 MG 50_Peace & Fire (Rune Grammofon) & Friends
• 2016 She Sleeps She Sleeps (Rune Grammofon) with Fire!
• 2016: Piano Mating (Blue Tapes and X-Ray)
• 2016 Ritual (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! Orchestra
• 2018 The Hands (Rune Grammofon) with Fire!
• 2019 Arrival (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! Orchestra
• 2020 Actions (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! Orchestra
• 2021 Defeat (Rune Grammofon) with Fire!

With AALY Trio + Ken Vandermark

• 1998: Hidden in the Stomach (Silkheart)
• 1998: Stumble (Wobbly Rail)
• 1999: Live at the Glenn Miller Café (Wobbly Rail)
• 2000: I Wonder If I Was Screaming (Crazy Wisdom)

As sideman edit

With Per Henrik Wallin & Kjell Nordeson

• 1995: Dolphins, Dolphins, Dolphins (Dragon)

With Jaap Blonk & Michael Zerang

• 1996: Improvisors (Kontrans)

With Ken Vandermark

• 1997: FJF: Blow Horn (Okka Disk)
• 2013: Verses (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

With Jim O'Rourke

• 1999: Xylophonen Virtuosen (Incus)

With David Grubbs

• 1999: Apertura (Blue Chopsticks)
• 2002: Off-Road (Blue Chopsticks)

With Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo & Steve Shelley

• 2000: New York – Ystad (Olof Bright)

With Greg Goodman & George Cremaschi

• 2002: They Were Gentle and Pretty Pigs (The Beak Doctor)

With Agustí Fernández

• 2005: Critical Mass (psi)

With Paal Nilssen-Love

• 2005: Splatter (Smalltown Superjazzz)

With Sonic Youth & Merzbow

• 2008: Andre Sider Af Sonic Youth (Sonic Youth)

With Pat Thomas and Roger Turner (The Articles)

• 2008: Goodbye Silence

With Barry Guy Solo/Duo

• 2009: Sinners, Rather than Saints (NoBusiness)

With Barry Guy and the London Jazz Composers' Orchestra with Irène Schweizer

• 2009: Radio Rondo/Schaffhausen Concert (Intakt)

With the Barry Guy New Orchestra

• 2001: Inscape–Tableaux (Intakt)
• 2005: Oort–Entropy (Intakt)

With Barry Guy and Raymond Strid

• 1996: You Forget to Answer (Maya)
• 1997: Gryffgryffgryffs: The 1996 Radio Sweden Concert (Music & Arts)

With Gord Grdina Trio

• 2010: Barrel Fire (Drip Audio)

With Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid

• 2011: Live at the South Bank (Smalltown Superjazzz)

With The Sons of God

• 2011: Reception (Firework Edition)

With Masami Akita & Jim O'Rourke

• 2011: One Bird Two Bird (Editions Mego)

With Colin Stetson

• 2012: Stones (Rune Grammofon)

With Ich Bin N!ntendo including Christian Skår Winther, Joakim Heibø Johansen & Magnus Skavhaug Nergaard

• 2012: Ich Bin N!ntendo & Mats Gustafsson (Va Fongool)^[5]

With The Ex

• 2013 Enormous Door (Ex Records)

With Agustí Fernández & Ramon Prats

• 2013: Breakin the Lab! (Discordian)

With Correction

• 2013: Shift (Otoroku)^[6]

With Merzbow & Balázs Pándi

• 2013: Cuts (RareNoise)
• 2015: Live in Tabačka 13/04/12 (Tabačka)

With Merzbow, Balázs Pándi & Thurston Moore

• 2015: Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (RareNoise)

With Craig Taborn

• 2015: Ljubljana (Clean Feed)

With Paul Rutherford

• 2002: Chicago 2002 (Emanem)

With the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Octet/Tentet

• 1998: The Chicago Octet/Tentet (Okka Disc)
• 2000: Stone/Water (Okka Disc)
• 2007: American Landscapes 1 (Okka Disc)
• 2007: American Landscapes 2 (Okka Disc)
• 2010: 3 Nights in Oslo (Smalltown Superjazz)

• T. Millroth: "Aaly Trio", Orkester journalen, lvi/4 (1988), 11 .
• M. Chaloin: "Mats Gustafsson", Improjazz, no.19 (1995), 6.
• W. Montgomery: "Mats Gustafsson: Flow Motion", Wire, no.164 (1997), 18.
• J. Hale: "Mats Gustafsson", Coda, no.288 (1999), 17.

• Official site
• Swedish Music Information Centre · Jazz Facts: Mats Gustafsson (1999) (unavailable?)
• Mats Gustafsson (1999) [incl. discography].
• J. Guthartz: discography and index of compositions (2000).