Exclusive Interview with Matthew Dekay

Lucid chats with cool-cat Matthew Dekay about his new avatar, influences and upcoming projects.

Yo yo Matthew! Welcome to the Lucid Blog! OK, first things first - Where the hell have you been? You’ve been missing in action for the longest time!

MDK: Haha, I know! I honestly hadn't been inspired to write/compose new EDM music until recently.I lost that special feeling with the music. "Progressive" became more of a style of music and lost its total meaning in my opinion. Todays progressive to me sounds like an evolvement of more then a decade of Trance and doesn't interest me anymore. Funny is that what I do now feels a lot like my early productions like Symbiosis and it was the time where I felt the most comfortable with the music.

You've been pioneering the EDM scene for over a decade now. Is the buzz of DJing still the same for you?

MDK: The buzz is different I feel, because I am more selective in choosing the right events that I think suit me better musically. Last year for example was the first time I played alongside DJ's like Guy Gerber, Jamie Jones and Lee Curtis so that was very inspiring.

What has changed from when you first started playing out? You feel the crowds now are more aware and demanding? Is it more challenging for DJs to outwit them?

MDK: Well EDM music has been around for more than 2 decades. Although there are many djs and producers. Just some are inventing something new every now and then. it's great to see that a new generation is coming up and is finally exploring new fields. I feel it's such a relief to see new guys like Nicolas Jaar or Seth Troxler pushing the boundaries of EDM.

We absolutely love your new edgier techy sound! What really happened there? Is it true that hanging out at Sven Vath's Cocoon in Ibiza inspired you to go this alley?

MDK: Well like I said earlier in the interview to me it all still feels the same. I didn't go into the studio trying to create tech-house. It was just a natural evolution. Cocoon Ibiza was inspiring, but so was Berlin when I first visited for the first time in the Summer of 2009. I didn't feel the early minimal-techno was my kind of thing at all, but then hearing Ricardo Villalobos play 3 years ago really blew me away. It was that feeling that I've been missing for a long time.

Speaking of which, Wongel is a beast! How did you and Lee 'Crazy' Burridge come togehter? Can we expect more collabs in the future?

MDK: Ah thank you so much! I've met Lee in NY where he was playing one night. It's funny we both actually lived a parallel life all these years in so many ways. I mean we knew each other but never met. We instantly clicked and became best friends. We're working on lots of things at the moment and I can't wait for our new releases to see the daylight. Exciting times!

We remember you calling your style 'Trousy'! Still sticking to that? How important is it for artists to evolve their styles with time?

Conrad Schnizler of Kluster said once ;" as an artist it's your job to always create something new"
It's funny that people nowadays look at progressive and associate that with my early productions. Funny enough when you told someone that you're producing progressive 5 years ago it was always associated with Electronic music that sounds dark and boring.

You’re also working on a new label - All day I dream? What’s up with that & what will happen to DK Recordings?

MDK: DK Reccordings is done. It was a great journey but it was time to let it go. I feel like this is a second chapter in my career as a producer/dj so I thought time for a new label. Lee Burridge and I will run the label. We already signed tracks from Alexi Delano and Konrad Black and we already have plans for expanding towards the end of the year with another label.

Your Soundcloud boasts some impressive new releases. What to expect from Matthew Dekay in 2011?

MDK: Thanks! April 25th will be the release of Tauben my new single on Pier Bucci's label Maruca music. Another project I'm finishing now is the new single "Out of Order" together with Lee. We're both currently fine tuning it in our dj-sets to make it sound the way we want. And way more in the pipeline but that's little secret for now

In an earlier interview floating around the net, you mentioned that you and Sander Kleinenberg worked in the same studio. Is he still your studio partner?

MDK: We had some plans to work together at some point when I was kind of taking some time off to re-invent myself. Unfortunately it didn't work out because I suddenly decided to move to NY to work on my own projects.

You played Space Ibiza last year? How was the island experience? Can you bill Space as the Mecca of EDM? What are the other clubs you enjoy playing at?

MDK: Space has always been on my top list of clubs I would love to play at. Finally last year they asked me to play a few events for them forst Headlining a special one off party called PUSH PUSH that was representing the sounds of Berlin and then for their new weekly night Kehakuma. One word, amazing! So yes Space is still definitely the Mecca of EDM I think. There are so many clubs that I enjoyed to play. Even small venues where its just about the music like Miniclub in Valencia was an amazing experience. Same goes for Prestige a one off event I did in Budapest was great.

Okay, so that reminds us of your infamous India tour in 2007, which got canned cause you were sitting at the wrong boarding gate! LOL, how did you manage to do that?

MDK: Yes! what an idiot I am! I was touring a lot in 2007 and I think I just came back from a gig the night before and for some reason that gate number was still in my head. I was convinced that I was sitting at the right gate. When I showed the ground staff my boarding card they told me I was sitting at the wrong gate. Terrible! I soon came to realize i already missed my flight. Worse thing was when I tried to call my agent my phone was disconnected! so I had to call them from a phonebooth. After my agent tried to re-arrange another flight I left the phonebooth without my phone and wallet!! I really sound like a complete moronbut this is what constant traveling does to you I guess.

So any India plans? Are you aware of the EDM scene here?

MDK: I am not aware of the scene in India although I was talking to my friend Dixon who recently played there and said it was fantastic. I really hope to see it for myself one day.

Thanks Matthew for taking out time. Before we call it out, would you like to say something to your Indian fans out there?

MDK: Yes! thank you as well. Hmmm... to my Indian fans huh?! I really have fans there? Thanks for the support, bless you all! x

For more on Matthew, check his Discography, his upcoming releases and do connect with him on Facebook

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