This month L-E sat down with the very down-to-earth DJ/Producer on the rise, Matt Rowan. We caught up with Matt on his way back from Miami this year to discuss the success of his latest productions with fellow Australian Jaytech, and his plans for the future.

L-E:
I understand you're heading back from WMC today. Had you ever been to America before?

Matt:
No not at all. This is my first time here and its been a whistle stop tour. Just here for a couple of gigs whilst the conference is on and do the whole networking thing... It's been a bit of an eye opener!

L-E:
How was the experience different from what you imagined?

Matt:
Weather-wise I froze my arse off down here! It's been so cold. And it’s been difficult commuting to and from the "strip" each day as I'm way too far out (91st and Collins!!). Seeing Ocean Drive and Collins Ave ram packed with muscle cars and people was entertaining. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I didn't think it would be like this.

L-E:
How many gigs did you get to play, all-in-all?

Matt:
I had three booked and ended up with one! The first was the Reversible Records Party and Onda Lounge which was a great night - I closed the night out after Chris Fortier and everyone hung around til the end which was cool. The second was supposed to be the Feedback Bookings party @ Klub but there was a mix up between the promoter and the club owner and my scheduled time slot (5pm) didn't happen. I was then supposed to play the Pulse Radio party @ The Sheffield but by the time I got there, there had been a change in the schedule and I was bumped back half an hour (giving me only half an hour to play). At that point, the nasty cold I've been fighting all week caught up with me and I decided that discretion was the better part of valour and I headed home. All good though! The Pulse guys were cool with it.

L-E:
Did you find yourself getting a little more attention than usual in light of the popularity of your recent productions with Jaytech?

Matt:
Yeah for sure - it was always my intention to one day come here on the back of some production work so this year seemed like the time to do it. I have two tunes signed to Reversible Records and the crowd who was there was familiar with my work so that's really cool to see. The work I've done with Jimbo (Jaytech) has created a bit of a stir so most people I spoke to knew what I was on about which is great.

L-E:
Given your rising popularity both stateside and abroad, do you think you'll be doing more international touring after this, or going back in the studio?

Matt:
For me the studio is an on-going process, but granted, it's certainly easier to concentrate wholly and solely on production work without any distractions. At this point, Jim and I are in the planning stage of a North, Central and South American tour slated for later on in the year. It's very much in its infancy at the moment but we've plenty of interest from quite a few cities so it’s certainly well worth the effort to do it now.

L-E:
How did you come to working together with Jaytech, and how has it been producing with him?

Matt:
It's a pretty random story actually. I was booked to play the chill out area of a rave in Canberra by a girl who puts on hard house gigs down there. She'd also booked Jim to play the same gig and we met there. Following that, the promoter decided to try to "on-sell" us to other cities in Australia and act as our booking agent. We did a mini tour of Australia and became solid friends. A few months later, I had some time off work so I went to Canberra (I'm from Sydney), to write some tunes with him. Jim had been producing for a number of years and I had recently had my debut EP released so it seemed like a good time to get together. We wrote “Tomorrow” in a day and the “Blaze” two days after that and by the end of the week we had an offer from Hope Recordings to sign the tune. It happened really fast! This took place in October of last year

L-E:
Sounds like the two of you really hit it off in the studio. Do you two have a definite process in the studio when it comes to making the music, with each having your specific role, or it is more improvised?

Matt:
Yeah there are no real hard and fast rules we have. We're both classically trained musos so it’s very easy to work with him. We can convey ideas quickly to each other in a musical sense so it's not a difficult process at all. Jims a bloody whiz when it comes to working his way around software and does so quickly and easily so its him at the controls when we work in the studio. When it comes to the tunes themselves, we tend to discuss what our thoughts for the tune will be prior to starting and go from there. If we want to write a big tune, well then we write accordingly, and if we want something more groovy or funky, well that's how we approach the composition.

L-E:
What type of equipment do you use in your studio?

Matt:
I'm fairly Lo-Fi I'm afraid! I use Ableton 5.02 with a number of VSTi’s, I use an M-Audio Firewire Sound card linked to just my bog stock Hi-Fi Speakers! (I know I know - I should have studio monitors!). I then do all my mastering in Wavelab. That's about it really

L-E:
Do you think your production has evolved over the years, especially with the new partnership?

Matt:
I've learnt an infinite amount of production techniques from Jim. He never ceases to amaze me with his computing skills and he translates this very well to a studio situation. As a result, my own productions have certainly improved over time and I'm now at a point where I believe in my own abilities as a producer too. When I first started DJ’ing 8 years ago, I bought a small studio working with Cubase as a platform. I wouldn't (and still don't) consider myself much of a computer genius so trying to figure out how to use Cubase made my head swim. As a result, (I) never produced anything for a number of years. It wasn't until a friend of mine showed me how easy it is to use Ableton that I finally headed back to the studio and got my act together! It was a god-send really.

L-E:
Do you also use Ableton for DJ'ing, or just strictly for the studio?

Matt:
Strictly the studio - I don't find Ableton sets very visually appealing to watch in a club and I don't intend to use it for that purpose. I think in order to use Ableton for DJ’ing requires a whole new re-think in how you approach a set - and I've yet to see a DJ do that. I don't know why the techno guys haven't jumped on it…to my mind Ableton lends itself to it.

L-E:
Many people think that Sasha has found a new niche with his Maven setup using Ableton Live. What do you think the future holds for the art of DJ'ing?

Matt:
I'm not so sure to be honest - I think the more you move the fine motor skills into the devices you play with the less visually appealing you become. And that's not to say that everyone needs to be like James Zabiela either. I think first and foremost, a DJ's responsibility is to get a dance floor moving - regardless of the chosen method. Having said that, I think the days of vinyl could be numbered. It's so much easier to purchase mp3s online and then store and carry them as opposed to vinyl.

L-E:
Do you find it more rewarding to DJ than to produce music, and why?

Matt:
For me they are two different things (which may sound odd as they are so closely linked). I love playing gigs where the crowd is receptive to what you’re doing and that buzz certainly takes some beating, whereas I find production work to be a more cathartic experience. When I produce I find reward in the satisfaction of a completed work and the constant challenge to do something better.

L-E:
What can we expect production-wise from you in the future?

Matt:
In terms of releases - the schedule is pretty full. There's the remix of Starecase's Vapour Trails due out next week I think, followed by remixes for AFK, 4mal, Cue Maddison, Narek and Danny Bullo as well as a remix of Jim's new tune Starbright. There’s also new original compositions with Jim on Hope recordings as well as new releases on Fiberline, Reversible and Only records.

L-E:
Can't wait to check them out, keep up the good work! Thanks for your time.

Matt:
Sweet. Not a problem at all mate. It was a pleasure.

Matt Rowan's May06 Guest Mix

For more information on Matt Rowan, visit his website mattrowan.com.au

Matt Rowan and Jaytech's "Tomorrow" and "Blaze" are available on Hope now.