ARTIST INTERVIEWS – MATT ROWAN
Who are you, and where are you from?
Matt Rowan from Sydney, Australia. DJ and Producer.
How did you get into music, and who or what are your influences and heroes (DJ/producer/artist…)?
I learned music as a child and played a number of instruments. I studied it at High School so it’s always played a large part in my life. Post school, I decided to become a teacher and I still work in a school today as a Head Coach but music was always an “itch I had to scratch”. I started DJing in ’97 and tinkered with production but nothing serious until ’05 where I had a few minor releases. My big breakthrough came with Jaytech and my track Tomorrow which helped launch both of our careers internationally.
Early on, I was influenced a lot by the DJs and club nights I used to attend in Sydney. Back then, most nights used to follow a similar structure – that is to say the first DJ would be play deep stuff, the next guy would move into a progressive sound and the third guys would end up playing harder and trancier. Night’s like that made sense to me (and still do) so my sounds now are influenced by those feelings that I experienced then. Funkiness to get you moving, driving tempo to keep you energized, pad sounds and complex undertones to get you thinking and use of music theory to convey different emotions.
Having met Jaytech in 2004, he’s one of the few guys I’ve ever known who thought musically along similar lines so we got along really well. As well as this, I think “Lord Chug” Chris Micali is my favorite producer of all time and a big influence! There’s never been a track of his I haven’t loved.
What other music styles besides electronic music you listen to, and at what occasions?
I think I would say I have a pretty eclectic taste in music. In recent years, I’ve been getting into bands like Snarky Puppy and soloists like Jacob Collier. They’re understanding of music is so far advanced from anything I’ve experienced – or am capable of. It makes music mysterious and magical for me and I really appreciate that.
How would you define a good piece of music?
Any piece of music that is able to convey a simple message in a very complicated way!
Where do you find inspiration for your projects?
I like doing remix work as listening to an original tends to spark ideas about what the track is saying or feeling and how would I interpret that. I also like working with longtime friend and DJ buddy, Robbie Lowe as we tend to view and hear music pretty differently so working with him can be an inspiring process. He tends to push into areas I normally wouldn’t go to myself so that is always refreshing.
What artists would you like to work with if you would be given the opportunity?
Micali – baby – call me! We can do lunch!
From former years I would love to sit down and do a sesh with Hipp-E, Junkie XL or Andy Page. And in recent years, I’d very much like to work with Boris Brejcha or Seb Leger.
What are you passionate about outside of music?
I have always worked in the sport industry and I’m passionate about the provision and coaching of sport to school kids. On top of that, I’m passionate about my family! My lovely wife Carolyn and kids Billie and Jack. I’m very blessed to have them all in my life!
How would you describe your music in your own words?
Progressive and Deep House with a focus on driving basslines and melodic elements. Music that is dance floor friendly but doesn’t take itself too seriously.
What is your first memory to music?
A good question! I have very early memories of my mum recording me singing nursery rhymes which she would then tape and send to family members. My mum was really keen on me being a musician of some sort so singing seemed like the best way to start and learn.
What can we expect of you in the near future?
Having had a break for a few years, my motivations for producing now and a lot different from what they were. I’m now keen to just produce music that I’m proud of and hopefully the joy I experience in creating tunes comes through in the finished product. So that being said, I do have a couple of remixes coming out over the next few months, but I will continue to write and produce as time will allow.
What is your favourite piece of equipment you use in the studio or DJing, and why?
I have always and continue to have a limited number of gadgets and gizmos to do the work. Currently on Ableton 9 with a handful of 3rd party VSTs. I recently purchased my first Midi Controller (believer it or not) – A Novation Impulse 49 and it’s great to be able to craft sounds that sound more “hand made” than what I’ve done before.
As a DJ/Producer, what has been your biggest highlight?
I would have to say the 1 week in 2005 that surrounded Jaytech’s and my first EP Tomorrow/Blaze was bizarre and breath taking! At the time, Jaytech was living 3 hours’ drive away in Canberra and I was staying at his place for the week to write some music. We wrote the two tracks and were pleased with what we’d done and then forwarded them on to Nick McGeachin (A&R for a number of labels, including Hope Recordings as well as agent for a number of DJs) in Los Angeles.
The week concluded and we were due to head back to Sydney and we hadn’t heard back from Nick (remember this is all pre-social media days so contacts and replies all came quite slowly). As we were driving back, Jaytech kept getting missed calls on his cell phone from an unknown international number. We were on a major highway but reception was poor. Eventually, Nick called to let us know that he had forwarded the track onto Nick Warren and Hernan Cattaneo and both of them loved Tomorrow/Blaze. In fact, Nick Warren wanted to sign the tune to Hope Recordings straight away! The only issue was we needed to get an audio CD copy to him straight away. He was playing a festival in Sydney that weekend and I managed to track him down as he left off stage due to jump into a hire car to play another gig that night in Canberra. I recall shouting through a wire fence “Hey Nick – new tune for you via Nick McGeachin!!!”. He came over to the fence and grabbed the CD, gave me a wave and then went off to do his next gig. About 4 hours later, we get a call from a friend who was at the gig in Canberra telling us that they just heard Nick Warren play our music to a packed audience.
We couldn’t believe it!
Later that week in, Nick Warren returned from Canberra to Sydney to hang out for a while. We arranged to meet him at a bar in Bondi and we all got super drunk whilst we listened to stories of his DJ exploits. Jaytech and I left the bar a few hours later and just stood on the street – barley believing the bizarre confluence of events that had just taken place that week. One minute, we’re in Jaytech’s bedroom tooling around on Ableton 4 and the next, we’re having two of the industry’s heavy weights champion our sounds whilst we sip Vodka in a dingy Bondi bar.
Tomorrow was ultimately signed to Hope Recordings and appeared on Dave Seaman’s Renaissance Master series a few months later. That one week period was a classic zero to hero moment for me and whilst I have many fond memories of touring with Jaytech and by myself, I would have to say that that one week period – as strange as it was – would be my most fond memory to date.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.