A spearhead of the ‘Neo Progressive’ movement – that’s Martin Bley alias MATCHY, a leading synonym for modern deep and melodramatic techno and house. With a profound sense and a highly empathic absorption, the half of the former duo Matchy & Bott sprinkled continuously sales charts and playlists with dozens of significant releases over the past years. A formidable amount of loyal followers, supporters and fans have been built up. For a good reason! The enormous qualitative output settled down in the release catalogs at some of the foremost labels in the electronic underground scene within 5 years and is an evident hint that something great has grown. As the producing part of Matchy & Bott, Martin placed an incomparable stamp on the Katermukke imprint, which belongs to the infamous Kater Blau Club (ex-Bar 25 and Kater Holzig). Since the impact of the ‘Too Late For Lovin’ EP in 2013, things went beastly steep. Alongside more than 10 contributions on this label and establishing a firm spot in the Kater family, coups with a vigorous effect followed up on Coyu’s Suara Music or Oliver Koletzki’s Stil vor Talent.
We had the chance to chat with Matchy to talk about his recent release ‘Mireky’ EP released via Lauter Unfug.
Electronic Groove: Hi Matchy, thanks for chatting with us. So you must be excited about the release of your latest EP, ‘Mireky’ on Lauter Unfug. What can you tell us about the production and inspiration behind it?
Matchy: The pleasure is mine. Although the EP just came out, it’s actually a product of the incredibly beautiful spring/early summer we had in Berlin. Besides producing I tried to spend a lot of time outdoors. I really enjoyed playing the tracks during my open-air gigs in the last couple of months.
EG: The EP has four different tracks: ‘Mireky’, ‘Kantera’ and ‘Chakram’, and a remix from Stereo Express. How would you describe this EP in terms of sound?
Matchy: I am currently focusing my productions on melodic house & techno. In this occasion I tried to spice it up with some “ethnic and percussion influences” while keeping it forward and groovy. It turned out to be a winning combination.
I am very happy that all the tracks entered the Beatport Progressive House Top100 and ‘Mireky’ still around #30 after one month.
EG: Where was the EP produced. Do the surroundings affect in any way the outcome of your music?
Matchy: The EP was produced in my old home studio but I have a new studio in Berlin… and I think the right sound of a room and the equipment you use definitely influences the final result.
I’m super excited about the next year’s upcoming release, produced in the new studio. Be prepared for some next level sh…t 😉
“I am currently focusing my productions on melodic house & techno”
EG: Now that the summer season has passed, do you have any great memories worth sharing?
Matchy: The whole summer was simply amazing; we were all really lucky with an outstanding weather. A lot of great memories, therefore it’s hard to pick only one of them, to be honest.
EG: What other plans do you have for the rest of the year coming into 2019?
Matchy: November and December are apparently quite busy with gigs, but I will give my best to finish three EP’s that I am working on at the moment.
EG: What other things do you like to do other than music? Any different projects? Hobbies?
Matchy: Good question, I absolutely love sleeping and eating (laughs). No, actually I really love to cook… I consider cooking as a creative process too. Usually I don’t use recipes, simply freestyle. Berlin has great markets, where you can buy fresh ingredients.
EG: When visiting your hometown, where should we go for a drink?
Matchy: During summer you should definitely go see the infamous Holzmarkt at the Spree River and have a drink there. Klunkerkranich is also a nice location on the roof of a car park, probably the nicest location in central Berlin to watch a sunset. During the Winter I would suggest Ä or Ratzeputz.
Matchy’s ‘Mireky’ EP is now available. Grab your copy here.
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