Matt John

"His sets provide an escape route from everyday life, a way to relax, turnoff and cop out."

After Fabrizio Maurizi and Ambivalent another artist from M_nus Lands at klubd nicosia decks. Techno like you never heard it before!

Listen to His Birthday mix

Matt John biography

When German dance magazine Groove discussed Matt John, they wrote that his music was new school hyperkinetic, not really defining what that was supposed to mean. Why new school one may ask? The sound of DJ and producer Matt John, a resident of wonderful Berlin, is rather classical, based on an old form of techno. Many influences of Detroit-sound can be found in his style. Minimal is the key word here which describes best, what Matt John produces and works with. My style is built on club experiences, that have impressed me when I was young. Richie Hawtin or Ricardo Villalobos made the biggest impressions, says Matt himself when asked about his idols. New school, then, is probably the way that Matt has evolved this kind of music. His style has grown, become larger and more variable and, in regards to his label mates at Perlon, his music has become a bit more danceable. But that would be referring to the hyperkinetic part of the description, the excessively moving bits of his music. Beats are philandering with melodies, soundscapes that mix, blend and become one. This is what a club is about. People are supposed to come along on a journey, dance and open up to new experiences. And they should take some of the home with them. I don't want to force anyone but rather have them explore, says Matt about his motivation at work, whether as DJ or producer.

His Djing began more than ten years ago at a club called Alte Weberei, a rural club close to his home town of Nordhausen in Thuringia. There in the mid-90s he discovered techno and by 1997 became addicted to those spinning turntables. The addiction grew, leaving no choice but to try electronic beats himself and seeing minimalist Plastikman spin the decks has been a revelation to Matt. Clear patterns with lots of room for ambience and experiment have been Matts passion ever since. In 2000 he even shunned his job as electrician and started a record store with his friend Marcel Knopf (of Mo'Ferry Productions). Three years later both moved to Berlin, store included and made the next decisive step in their career. Maybe the city was bigger than expected or maybe getting all your inventory stolen was it – whichever, the store closes and Matt has all the more reason to get into something new. First steps at production are some remixes, which get him attention and further his work as a DJ. Spinning as resident at some of Berlin's finest After Hour-locations he became a fixture in the city's ever-changing night life.
No night about town ends without a visit to Bar 25 or Beatstreet where Matt is responsible for the early morning beats. And he enjoys it, loves the smooth atmosphere of the morning glory times on sundays. After Hour is like another world. The creative potential there is different, not as much planning ahead, not so much a fixed set. You can take your time, relax and just look around. Get the inspiration from anywhere around. It is much more open and free.

And it is in After Hours clubs like Bar 25, 'Club der Visionäre' and Beatstreet, theses places of inspiration and fullfilment, as Matt calls them, that his other carreer finds a nourishing ground to grow in. Producing becomes an interplay of club and studio, and develops into an even wider field of experiments. Matt is building beats, remixing and finally in 2004 releases his first EP Holographic Mothers. It will be a signature release for him: holographicdescribing perfectly the way he sees his music. A play of light beams on different levels. You can see through it, stay on one level and than dive into another that is below the one you were on. Change between the tracks and melt them into one. My music constantly in the phase of construction, builds up, breaks apart and builds up again. But it is more than just an illusion – holographic, Matt explains his self-conception. Music, that opens up a world or two with out ever getting caught in the material. An image as real as it gets but permeable. Matt keeps on going,producing tracks for compilations, and in 2005 releases a club bomb on Perlon Records The rising scope.

In 2006 his Berlin-track Was kommt nach Montag? makes him a local hero. His sets are requested all over and especially his minimal approach to music leaves clubbers devastated for more. It is the space that this kind of music creats, there are more ways for variations. With a big soundscape you can easily get smashed by what is going on in the track. That leaves no more room for dreams.

No matter if you dj or produce, minimalism gives you better effects. You can build up energy more efficiently when you use
only little elements over a long period of time. There is more open space for development that way. Matt knows what he is talking about.