I first off want to thank Matt for contributing as much as he has these past few weeks, with the submitting of a fantastic progcast that will be up later this week and agreeing to do an interview for us. He truly represents the ideal image of being a humble superstar willing to take time out of his schedule for his fans
So thank you again Matt
Interview on 8-13-07
AS-
What inspired you to be so involved in EDM ?
MR-I’d always been interested in Dance music from an early age and wanted to get into it since my days at school. Once I finished my degree it was the first thing I wanted to get into and it wasn’t long before I’d purchased a pair of decks. Unfortunately, my lack of computing skills kept me out of production for many years whilst I DJ’d here in Sydney, and it wasn’t until I was shown how to use Ableton Live (version 4) that I finally got into the production again.
AS-
How did you and jaytech meet?
MR-Jaytech and I were signed to the same management group in Australia. We originally met when we were booked to play a rave in Canberra and from that point we started touring together too.
AS-
A few years ago Anthony Pappa & Kasey Taylor were the dynamic duo from down under with their darker side of progressive, now you and Jaytech seem to take the down under duo title with your electro driven big bass house. How do you feel the direction of EDM is moving in Australia and who is some of your up and coming native talent?
MR-Australia is very big on the electro house tip at the moment. Other genres of music have got very good followings with well attended events, but electro is the dominant sound. Having said that, the clubs that play electro are renowned for following music fashions so I feel that once the trend changes, another style of music will take the lead become the dominant sound. In regards to up and coming talent, Australia is bursting with numerous talented producers coming to the fore and across all genres too. Breaks producers like Friendly and Hook n Sling are doing really good things at the moment and there are a number of others making in roads as well.
AS-
How do you feel about digital djing? (serrato/ final scratch/ torq)
MR-I feel that by and large people aren’t using the technology the way it could or should be used. I’ve seen DJs using laptops in clubs that have pre mixed the whole set and just occasionally tweak an effects knob. This gives people who do use the technology well a bad rap as most people think they are making little effort. I think there is also a “email checking” aspect which people find a little dull too.
AS-
What was your first public show like?
MR-I entered a DJ competition in 1998 and used technics 1200’s for the first time. Lets just say the set didn’t go as well as I would have liked! Double beat city! Fortunately there was only 10 people in the club and 8 of those people were my mates so it didn’t matter too much.
AS-
What was the worst show you've done?
MR-I played a gig in Adelaide a few years back. The promoter was expecting me to play trance and even though I was busting out my music at a rapid 136BPM, came up to me 4 tracks into my set, asked me to finish and then played himself. Again there were only a handful of people in the club so no harm done!
AS-
Do you have any tips or advice for dj's trying to make it big?
MR-Sure – be very patient and never be satisfied with your current level of skill or ability. You can always do better
AS-
Do you feel that in the age of digital releases (mp3) that there are more benefits for the producer or does piracy being at an all time high make it harder to establish yourself?
MR-Piracy has killed off any ability for producers to make good money from their abilities. Add to that, the relative ease of access to pirated software, and you have an influx of below par music swamping the scene, with the good stuff being uploaded to sharing sites. Production can lift your profile but in terms of benefits, it’s a case of giving much and receiving little in return.
AS-
Who is you top 5 favorite producers right now?
MR-In no particular order – Andy Page, Chris Micali, Jaytech (or course) Boom Jinx and Spin Science
AS-
What is your all time favorite track?
MR-Autokat – Gimmie The Beat . Absolute cracker of a tune that I loved for many years
AS-
How do you feel about Congress' attempt to step in on internet radio?
MR-As an Australian, I’m not sure what the issue is here, but I imagine they are trying to crack down ..right infringements and the like so I don’t really know. If that is the case, I think to a large extent it would mean throwing the baby out with the bathwater – that is – the people who are supposedly being targeted for “help” (producers and performers) will be the ones who suffer through a lack of exposure.
I would argue that congress’s time and money would be better spent in stopping p2p websites and software from operating. This continued line of “it’s not my fault if somebody uses my software for bad things” that is held by p2p software makers is a load of crap and everyone knows it.
AS-
What do you do to take breaks from making music?
MR-I’m quite physically active and I like to run a lot. I enjoy hanging out with my friends and eating in good restaurants. (This sounds like a dating website!!!!)
*here’s a few rapid ?'s*
AS-
Vinyl or MP3?
MR-MP3
AS-
Club or Massive? (like wmc)
MR-Massive
AS-
Mixing Outside or Inside?
MR-Outside
AS-
Coke or Pepsi?
MR-Both are fucking vile!
AS-
And who would win in a fist fight Sasha & Digweed or
Fanciulli & Zabiela ?
MR-Digweed’s hair is all conquering and all powerful. Sasha would talk it up but only because he stands behind diggers hair. Zabiella would have some fan dangled device designed to try and win the fight and Fanciulli would be happy enough to tell his friends he was actually in a fight with the other three.
So…
Digweeds hair for the win!
Thanks a ton for your time Matt, we will be looking for some more stuff of yours in the future
Aurelius Scott for progressivehouse.com
_________________
good synths makes good sense
http://myspace.com/djaureliusscott
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