1. How important was Your early exposure to EDM culture in shaping Your career today ?
Matt Darey: I guess I was there right from the early beginnings of Dance music culture and I moved through many genres in the time from then till now. It gives me a great perspective on the way things are today and that helps me see outside the boundaries of what's going on right now, try to think ahead.
2. You are a producer, Dj, radio show host and founder of Your own label (Nocturnal Global). How do You balance all these responsibilities without comprising one or another ?
Matt Darey: I think the main thing is to get the balance between these things and your personal life. It's always a juggling act and there's never enough time to do everything you want to do but the label, Dj-ing and the radio show all go hand in hand so it's not too crazy. I have some good people on the team that you don't see out there in public without whom I would never have a life of my own.
3. How do You choose who You collaborate with ? What are the most important factors ?
Matt Darey: Just have to love their music, simple as that. I love working with new talent in the main cause they have so much more energy and enthusiasm.
4. What should fans be on the lookout of Your work for in the months to come ?
Matt Darey: I guess more big vocal tunes. I get in the studio when I can, right now I put aside a few weeks to chill, that's when I get most creative.
5. You have released Your first EP, under Your Urban Astronauts guise, therefore, tracks such as "This Way", "No Submission", "Animal". Is there anything that You are hoping to accomplish with this release ?
Matt Darey: Not really, I was just trying to create something new and that I would find personally fulfilling. I learnt a lot from making that EP.
6. Guest features on the project include Martin Roth, Simon & Shaker, Mark Sherry, just to name a few. Do literally You select collaborative partners based on who best complements Your style, or rather who You think sounds 'hot' at the moment ?
Matt Darey: Well that's really old news to be honest, about 4 years ago ? Urban Astronauts is more about tracks like "See the sun" and Black Flowers" nowadays, the sound has changed dramatically.
7. Urban Astronauts is definitely a name that stands out. What is the inspiration behind it ?
Matt Darey: It's a bit trippy and has that feel of the altered state of reality that you find yourself when creating music, a journey deep into the sound.
8. Your much-anticipated "Nocturnal" radio show has been captured on a two disc compilation and is now available worldwide. What is the significance behind this new project ?
Matt Darey: I just wanted to make an album, I haven't made one for a long time, encapsulating some of my favorite music from the Nocturnal tours and of course my own productions, 6 in fact. I think it would have taken about 8 CD's to truly encapsulate all the sounds I play on the show but I kinda picked the ones that were rocking the live sets which made it easier to pick the tracks.
9. "All tracks are flawlessly blended". How long it took You to compile the playlist ?
Matt Darey: I listen to music every day of my life so it was more instinctive, didn't take long.
10. Gig-wise, are You going to support this compilation ?
Matt Darey: Yeah , I'm touring every country in the world over the next 5-6 months with the album. It gives everything a focus.
11. Everyone knows that Your weekly radio show "Nocturnal" is a feel-good party show, but does it have a deeper meaning for You ?
Matt Darey: Well I sometimes play party music and other times deeper sounds that might not work well on the dance floor but are great to listen to, it varies so much every week. "Nocturnal" is about a journey into EDM with no limits or constraints on genre.
12. You have proven to be a chameleon of sound and have produced a variety of releases from Breaks to House and from Trance to Progressive all the way to Rocktronica. So You are not going to be pigeon-holed for a distinctive style. Is that correct ?
Matt Darey: Well, I guess people know me a lot more for Trance than anything else, I was there from the start of that genre and still make some big Trance records. However as a DJ, my styles are so diverse as most listeners to my show or live sets will tell you. I'm always just going to play music I love no matter where that takes me.
13. You have always been drawn to creating top notch remixes and have a long running series. What distinguishes a good remix from a bad one ?
Matt Darey: Crisp and cutting edge production, i.e., a fresh sound or new variation on a sound, keep the essence of the original song, after that, it's that indefinable something that just works, makes you feel emotion and takes you to that place, like a kind of escape from reality that people need sometimes to get them through life.
14. What tracks are out there right now that You would absolutely have to include them all in Your future sets ? Something, more like Your own favorite Top10 of the moment.
Matt Darey: Well it changes from week to week as you can see in my Nocturnal playlists, I hardly ever play the same tracks twice when I can help it. I love new music above all. It would be misleading to have a top ten of favorites cause there's so many equally awesome tracks in my collection right now, as for which ones I play, that depends on the occasion, the clubbers and the country I'm playing in.
15. Any last words or confessions in terms of future projects ?
Matt Darey: Lots more big vocal tracks, next up on the production line is another track with Kate Smith called Black Canyon, it's a killer also made a track with Josh Gabriel which is in the making right now.
Interview made by Cosmin Lukacs (TranceSound.net admin/founder)
Links:
Matt Darey official website
Matt Darey @ MySpace
Cosmin Lukacs official website
Cosmin Lukacs @ MySpace
Capitan official website
