Check out my new track with EJ3000: 'Grind It': https://stmpd.com/jhtXJ

The Belgian artist and producer, otherwise known as Jef Martens, remains on the cutting edge of electronic dance music, keeping his eyes on the future at all times and consistently challenging himself and the genre at large. That forward-thinking mentality has been ingrained in his very DNA, and it serves as a creative catalyst for him to this day.

W E L C O M E -   TO
D E E P S P A C E
Contact: Dreeyzbeats@outlook.com

- "So what if you mix House/Techno and AfroHouse in your sets?", says Mati Eye as we catch up for coffee at the local Starucks, as he's about to get into his morning routine in the studio near Victoria Station in central London. The "venti" (huge) coffee is according to Mati Eye as key to making music as his many synthesizers and modules. "I need my coffee", he laughs. "It's my muse, and keeps me focused. To me focus is what allows for something as abstract and random as music, to transform into something something truly beautiful worth playing for other people". I can't do anything but agree as I get my notepad out for the interview. 

The Mati Eye sound reminds me of both classic house anthems but with more recent influences. "Do you intentionally mix different styles in your music and sets, or is it just by chance?", was my first question to the Swedish born DJ/Artist/Producer.

- "Well to fully answer you original question, to me it all happens as part of a flow. I can't really loose myself in a vibe if I start thinking in genres or styles already in the studio, or in any creative part of the writing process to be honest. I think that would kill off any chance to come up with something fresh or truly original. I would just be repeating the past, which is never a good idea if you aim to make some impact on the music scene. And that goes regardless of what kind of music you normally make, or what subculture you may feel you are a part of". He continues, *I just try to stay true to my own inspiration, and make tracks that I'd like to hear in the clubs. That's all you can do really. And if someone wants to put a label on it, that's fine with me, but I just don't think in terms of labels or styles creatively, so if you hear Afro House or even Old School House in my music, it just shows that those elements may have been partial influences, but most likely it was just me following a vibe, unintentionally, because it made me feel good."

So what were your influences then, growing up?

- "That's easier to answer. I grew up listening to all sorts of music but the big influences in my mind, at least relevant to the music I'm making now, are probably the early Cassius, Prodigy and Daft Punk tracks when it comes to house, and then probably any old 80's or 90's track on vinyl - from Quincy Jones to Kraftwerk. There's still nothing that can compare with the warm tube like sound of the records from that era."

Do you use analog or digital synths in your mixes?

- "I use both. If I can get the sound I want from digital I'm not gonna be a snob about it and recreate, or find it on the original synth. But for a lot of those vintage base sounds, you sometimes need to get your hands dirty on the patch boards. Usually a mix of the two will give you the best of both worlds, especially if you mix it on a real console. I try to do that as much as possible and book a studio with an SSL or similar for the final mix if I'm not writing/producing as I'm traveling, which happens a lot."
 
What do you think of the new revival of tech house and techno music with a more commercial sound that's flooding the dance charts lately?

- "For me, good music will always be good music, no matter what you call it. If people want to put labels on things to understand it better, who am I to stop them. I think the crowd that have always been listening to house music and electro before it got more mainstream, will most likely listen to it after the hype is over too. For those fans it's more about your personal experience than what's on the radio and in the charts. The rest will move on to the next hype, I'm certain. In a way I kind of miss the days when listening to house or techno felt like you belonged to a secret club in a way but mostly, i just embrace change lol."

Tell a little about your recent projects and what you are working on at the moment.

- "Well 2024 was a busy year for me writing new material and quite alot of ghost producing on the side. Over the years I have relased music as an artist on labels like Armada, Ultra, Sony and Universal under different aliases, but moving forward the Mati Eye releases will be my main focus. I'm currently working on two remake tracks from the 90's in parallel to finishing off 5 originals, so it's been a busy year, and alot of the efforts have been focused on preparation for 2025 so I'm excited to really take things to a new level with the new sound now so this year  I'll be spending much more time doing promotion and playing live. Hope to see you soon in a club near you... Come say hello in the DJ booth and I'll comp you a drink or two if you are nice", says Mati Eye as he prepares to head back to the studio for the night shift as he calls it.

//Mark Davies, 

Freelance Journalist, and Music Supervisior.

Mati Eye contact & bookings info:

For booking inquiries pls use message function on Soundloud. Messages are monitored bi-weekly.

DENIZ KOYU KOLLEKTION VOL. 2
on.splice.com/denizkoyu


Since 2011, sonic shape-shifter Deniz Koyu has been tearing up the club floors with his masterful take on dance music. An ever-evolving artist, Deniz Koyu is in a class of his own with his perfect production, high-energy shows and innovative sounds. Known as a producer’s producer – who counts Axwell & Ingosso, Alesso, the late Avicii, David Guetta and Nicky Romero among his biggest fans – Deniz is the genius behind hits ‘Tung’, ‘Hertz’, ‘Bong’, ‘Follow You’ and has released remixes for the likes of The Chainsmokers, Zedd, Miike Snow and David Guetta. 2016 saw Deniz experiment with new sounds and genres as he started also releasing music under the alias KO:YU. The more alternative sound that crossed over to the dance pop realm won him even more fans with stand-out tracks ‘Trippy’, ‘Don’t Wait’ (feat Example) and ‘15 Sleeps’ released on prestigious labels including Sony and Tiësto’s Musical Freedom. Under his original name, Deniz Koyu continues to build on his progressive house roots. In 2018 Deniz Koyu released ‘Atlantis’ on Spinnin’ Records which got picked up by the DJ elite and he later collaborated with Nicky Romero on the groundbreaking track ‘Paradise’. Having remixed for Alesso, The Chainsmokers and Galantis, Deniz Koyu is one of the most in-demand DJs to play on the world’s biggest stages at Tomorrowland, Ultra, Creamfields, ADE, international tours across Europe, USA and South East Asia, as well as special guest performances for Alesso and KSHMR.

ThatEpicBeat is following