Matt Meler
Newcastle
It all begins with a modest pair of Technics 1200s, 13 years ago in ’03… Matt is thrust into generation Y with a healthy/unhealthy (depends on who you ask) addiction to vinyl and digging through crates for the stuff that made his eyes twitch and his feet tap. Cats who would eventually mould him into the mysterious man he is today include Frankie Knuckles, Larry Levan, Kerri Chandler, Masters At Work, Dimitri From Paris, Moodymann, Dennis Ferrer, JT Donaldson, Mark Farina, Derrick Carter, Francois K, Laurent Garnier and Joey Negro, spanning the Disco to the Deep and every little offshoot that happened to catch his ears.
Matt’s influences are firmly rooted in and skewed towards the underground. A lot of this can be attributed to the fact that our guy was exposed to everything within the musical spectrum by his music-loving parents. From Sade and Mozart to Louis Armstrong and The Rolling Stones, all a helping hand to Matt’s knowledge of music and particular love for jazz, funk, soul, disco and, ultimately, house and its glorious variants.
A long-running passion for music and the art of DJing has seen Matt hold long-term residencies at some of Australia’s most exclusive clubs, providing his talents as support for the likes of Joey Negro, Dimitri from Paris, DJ Meme, Fred Everything, Miguel Migs, Richard Earnshaw, Sonny Fodera, Henry Saiz, Oliver Dollar, Franky Rizardo, Ron Basejam, Bag Raiders & Flight Facilities plus frequenting both ADE & WMC global events – a testament to his ability as a DJ and love for dance culture. To make things better/worse (depends on who you ask – there’s a theme here), 5 years ago saw a torrid love affair with production and studio software and hardware come to fruition; yet another obsession if you want to be dramatic. Have these vices proven somewhat fruitful?
Bet your ass they have. Fruitful in the form of a harem of top-notch releases over the last 18 months on a horde of well-respected international labels including Dikso (Berlin) and Mullet Records (UK), which have seen Matt’s music gain support and recognition from the likes of Tensnake, Mark Knight, and Graeme Park. Matt has also had multiple features on the esteemed ‘Hed Kandi’ compilations and more recently on perhaps one of the most compelling dance labels around: Armada Music on their ‘Deep House Selections’ compilation.
Matt Meler’s interests include drinking cheap red wine, eating cheese from a tub, being handsome, and making delicious music.
