Making a surplus of music is never a bad thing and neither is it to separate all those tunes accordingly when your name is Matthew Dear. The monikers that embody the producer are ones that are tastefully different as well as similarly noticeable. Under the guise of Audion, he releases deep, tech-swerved grooves and melodies to fuel a dancefloor’s dark and sensual roots; with Jabberjaw, he prescribes doses of minimal beats and maximum atmosphere while making fans want more and more with every passing second; under the moniker of False he works for Richie Hawtin’s M_nus label and captures bits and pieces of Hawtin’s signature minimal sounds. Last but not least, the name that is Matthew Dear provides lyrical, soulful and communicative power through his songs, and amplifies that live with the inclusion of his “Big Hands” band. Needless to say, the guy doesn’t always have time to chat, however we caught Matthew for a bit after his highly successful Audion audiovisual tour to talk origins, favorite records and upcoming endeavors.
URB: This last tour had an unbelievably vast yet intimate set-up. How did the idea come about?
MATTHEW DEAR: The idea behind any of the music I make is to create some sort of visual landscape or representation of peaks and valleys. So, with this live show, the art director for Audion, Will Calcutt and this amazing artist, Eno Henze, put this A/V rig together with myself watching the process closely.
URB: During the show it seemed so fluid, matching beat for beat what was happening in the music. Was it difficult to incorporate?
MD: Well, I was controlling one laptop for audio, one for video, synching both as best I can. I wouldn’t say difficult, but at times, definitely tricky in terms of the time you have to put things together. It’s also quite fun when you get it right! [laughs]
URB: It seems like with all these monikers you incorporate different values in sound — from structure to atmosphere to even specific soundscapes — is this normal to you, to separate the entities to make each one stand out on their own?
MD: Oh, totally. With the Audion and Jabbejaw material, I have a lot of more of myself to look towards for that, go deep into my “dance” side of my mind, I guess. With Matthew Dear, it’s lyrical, still electronic but not entirely dance-oriented. With False, it’s straight minimal madness, so I’m never losing tracks of making changes to whichever moniker I’m working under… but I’m definitely working on them all in a different way.
URB: Let’s talk live differences; in this case, what sort of difference can people expect between the angle of yourself and the Big Hands band and Audion?
MD: Sound-wise, a noticeable one. With Matthew Dear’s Big Hands, I try and let it be what it is organically, which is a band onstage performing live to a crowd that’s there to see a band play music off their records. With Audion, it’s an experience of new, old and everything futuristic. People come to dance, sweat and feel a vibe that’s hopefully provided deep and soulful by the end of the night.
URB: What’s the future got in store for Matthew Dear and his many monikers?
MD: [laughs] Just evolving and progressing naturally with all the music I make. I mean, the stuff under my own name is due for some work soon hopefully, and hopefully some new implementations in the Audion audiovisual process. Maybe some special videos, maybe other bits, but we’ll be working on it.
Huge thanks to Matthew and Ghostly International. Check out Matthew Dear’s site HERE
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