Guy Gerber has always been comfortable as an outsider. From being the rock kid at the rave, to the Israeli DJ on the European club circuit, to the electronic producer with a fetish for live instruments, he tends to skirt the edge of whatever scene he’s in. It’s a position that suits him well-so far it has led to dozens of lush, melodic records, an ever- evolving live act and his own label, Supplement Facts. This nonconformist attitude, combined with the emotional content of his art (so rare in today’s electronic music), explains how Gerber keeps his audience locked in, be it on record or on stage.
Before he was fiddling with drum machines and synths, Gerber was all about groups like Joy Division and My Bloody Valentine. These influences still echo clearly in his music today, especially in his use of harmony, contemplative moods and trippy, shoegaze- inspired sounds. It’s a style that’s anything but conventional, yet one that quickly drew in some of Europe’s most popular labels; three years after his recording debut, Gerber released the first of several records on John Digweed’s Bedrock imprint. A couple of years later, Sven Väth signed him to Cocoon, eventually releasing his album Late Bloomers. All the while, he was building Supplement Facts from the ground up, showcasing his own productions alongside those by likeminded artists, and illustrating each record sleeve by hand, so each release embodied his distinct creative panache.
These days Gerber has the kind of artistic freedom he’s always wanted, and it shows. Supplement Facts is more adventurous than ever, melding organic with electronic sounds. Meanwhile, he’s embarked on his most unexpected project yet: an album with P Diddy, who hired him for some remixes and took him on more permanently after hearing the results. Now the hip-hop icon flies Gerber out to his studio in LA to work, where he gives him “2000% artistic freedom.” The experience has been transformative. ”Something opened my mind out there,” says Gerber, noting how his approach to music has changed. For one, his rock roots are seeping back in; despite being named one of RA’s top 10 acts of the year, he’s scrapping his laptop for something more “live,” playing bass guitar over drum machines, and remembering the importance of lyrics. It’s impossible to say where all of this is headed, but with a talent as bold and unorthodox as Gerber’s, it couldn’t happen any other way.
Depending on whom you ask, Matthew Dear is a DJ, a dance-music producer, an experimental pop artist, a bandleader. He co-founded both Ghostly International and its dancefloor offshoot, Spectral Sound. He’s had remixes commissioned by The XX, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Spoon, Hot Chip, The Postal Service, and Chemical Brothers; he’s made mixes for Get Physical’s Body Language and the Fabric mix series. He maintains four aliases (Audion, False, Jabberjaw, and Matthew Dear), each with its own style and distinct visual identity. He straddles multiple musical worlds and belongs to none—and he’s just hitting his stride.
Matthew Dear’s 2003 full-length debut, Leave Luck to Heaven, is a suite of sparse, wickedly funky house laced with Dear’s deep, distinctive vocals, and includes the much-loved single “Dog Days” (voted one of Pitchfork’s Top 100 Songs of the Decade). The record was met with rapturous acclaim from both the dance-music establishment and the critical press, including a four-star review in Rolling Stone. The 2007 follow-up, Asa Breed, is a considerable departure from Heaven’s dancefloor excursions, incorporating the polyrhythms of Afrobeat, the irreverent pop sensibilities of Brian Eno, and the austere beauty of Krautrock. More four-stars reviews followed (Q and Mojo magazines), and Dear subsequently began touring with a live three-piece band, Matthew Dear’s Big Hands, in which Dear acted as frontman, commanding the stage with a Bryan Ferry-like swagger and a gentleman’s grace.
Today, Matthew Dear finds himself in a unique position. His highly anticipated third album, 2010’s Black City, is the culmination of years of hard work and experimentation, a darkly playful sound-world that envelops the listener like the arms of a malevolent lover. After over a decade of exploring pop’s outer limits, Matthew Dear now inhabits a rarefied corner of the musical universe: no longer tethered to any one genre, respected by his peers, and blessed with a bottomless well of creative energy. Now is Matthew Dear’s moment, and it sounds like nothing else.
show less
Before he was fiddling with drum machines and synths, Gerber was all about groups like Joy Division and My Bloody Valentine. These influences still echo clearly in his music today, especially in his use of harmony, contemplative moods and trippy, shoegaze- inspired sounds. It’s a style that’s anything but conventional, yet one that quickly drew in some of Europe’s most popular labels; three years after his recording debut, Gerber released the first of several records on John Digweed’s Bedrock imprint. A couple of years later, Sven Väth signed him to Cocoon, eventually releasing his album Late Bloomers. All the while, he was building Supplement Facts from the ground up, showcasing his own productions alongside those by likeminded artists, and illustrating each record sleeve by hand, so each release embodied his distinct creative panache.
These days Gerber has the kind of artistic freedom he’s always wanted, and it shows. Supplement Facts is more adventurous than ever, melding organic with electronic sounds. Meanwhile, he’s embarked on his most unexpected project yet: an album with P Diddy, who hired him for some remixes and took him on more permanently after hearing the results. Now the hip-hop icon flies Gerber out to his studio in LA to work, where he gives him “2000% artistic freedom.” The experience has been transformative. ”Something opened my mind out there,” says Gerber, noting how his approach to music has changed. For one, his rock roots are seeping back in; despite being named one of RA’s top 10 acts of the year, he’s scrapping his laptop for something more “live,” playing bass guitar over drum machines, and remembering the importance of lyrics. It’s impossible to say where all of this is headed, but with a talent as bold and unorthodox as Gerber’s, it couldn’t happen any other way.
Depending on whom you ask, Matthew Dear is a DJ, a dance-music producer, an experimental pop artist, a bandleader. He co-founded both Ghostly International and its dancefloor offshoot, Spectral Sound. He’s had remixes commissioned by The XX, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Spoon, Hot Chip, The Postal Service, and Chemical Brothers; he’s made mixes for Get Physical’s Body Language and the Fabric mix series. He maintains four aliases (Audion, False, Jabberjaw, and Matthew Dear), each with its own style and distinct visual identity. He straddles multiple musical worlds and belongs to none—and he’s just hitting his stride.
Matthew Dear’s 2003 full-length debut, Leave Luck to Heaven, is a suite of sparse, wickedly funky house laced with Dear’s deep, distinctive vocals, and includes the much-loved single “Dog Days” (voted one of Pitchfork’s Top 100 Songs of the Decade). The record was met with rapturous acclaim from both the dance-music establishment and the critical press, including a four-star review in Rolling Stone. The 2007 follow-up, Asa Breed, is a considerable departure from Heaven’s dancefloor excursions, incorporating the polyrhythms of Afrobeat, the irreverent pop sensibilities of Brian Eno, and the austere beauty of Krautrock. More four-stars reviews followed (Q and Mojo magazines), and Dear subsequently began touring with a live three-piece band, Matthew Dear’s Big Hands, in which Dear acted as frontman, commanding the stage with a Bryan Ferry-like swagger and a gentleman’s grace.
Today, Matthew Dear finds himself in a unique position. His highly anticipated third album, 2010’s Black City, is the culmination of years of hard work and experimentation, a darkly playful sound-world that envelops the listener like the arms of a malevolent lover. After over a decade of exploring pop’s outer limits, Matthew Dear now inhabits a rarefied corner of the musical universe: no longer tethered to any one genre, respected by his peers, and blessed with a bottomless well of creative energy. Now is Matthew Dear’s moment, and it sounds like nothing else.
Guy Gerber has always been comfortable as an outsider. From being the rock kid at the rave, to the Israeli DJ on the European club circuit, to the electronic producer with a fetish for live instruments, he tends to skirt the edge of whatever scene he’s in. It’s a position that suits him well-so far it has led to dozens of lush, melodic records, an ever- evolving live act and his own label, Supplement Facts. This nonconformist attitude, combined with the emotional content of his art (so rare in today’s electronic music), explains how Gerber keeps his audience locked in, be it on record or on stage.
Before he was fiddling with drum machines and synths, Gerber was all about groups like Joy Division and My Bloody Valentine. These influences still echo clearly in his music today, especially in his use of harmony, contemplative moods and trippy, shoegaze- inspired sounds. It’s a style that’s anything but conventional, yet one that quickly drew in some of Europe’s most popular labels; three years after his recording debut, Gerber released the first of several records on John Digweed’s Bedrock imprint. A couple of years later, Sven Väth signed him to Cocoon, eventually releasing his album Late Bloomers. All the while, he was building Supplement Facts from the ground up, showcasing his own productions alongside those by likeminded artists, and illustrating each record sleeve by hand, so each release embodied his distinct creative panache.
These days Gerber has the kind of artistic freedom he’s always wanted, and it shows. Supplement Facts is more adventurous than ever, melding organic with electronic sounds. Meanwhile, he’s embarked on his most unexpected project yet: an album with P Diddy, who hired him for some remixes and took him on more permanently after hearing the results. Now the hip-hop icon flies Gerber out to his studio in LA to work, where he gives him “2000% artistic freedom.” The experience has been transformative. ”Something opened my mind out there,” says Gerber, noting how his approach to music has changed. For one, his rock roots are seeping back in; despite being named one of RA’s top 10 acts of the year, he’s scrapping his laptop for something more “live,” playing bass guitar over drum machines, and remembering the importance of lyrics. It’s impossible to say where all of this is headed, but with a talent as bold and unorthodox as Gerber’s, it couldn’t happen any other way.
Depending on whom you ask, Matthew Dear is a DJ, a dance-music producer, an experimental pop artist, a bandleader. He co-founded both Ghostly International and its dancefloor offshoot, Spectral Sound. He’s had remixes commissioned by The XX, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Spoon, Hot Chip, The Postal Service, and Chemical Brothers; he’s made mixes for Get Physical’s Body Language and the Fabric mix series. He maintains four aliases (Audion, False, Jabberjaw, and Matthew Dear), each with its own style and distinct visual identity. He straddles multiple musical worlds and belongs to none—and he’s just hitting his stride.
Matthew Dear’s 2003 full-length debut, Leave Luck to Heaven, is a suite of sparse, wickedly funky house laced with Dear’s deep, distinctive vocals, and includes the much-loved single “Dog Days” (voted one of Pitchfork’s Top 100 Songs of the Decade). The record was met with rapturous acclaim from both the dance-music establishment and the critical press, including a four-star review in Rolling Stone. The 2007 follow-up, Asa Breed, is a considerable departure from Heaven’s dancefloor excursions, incorporating the polyrhythms of Afrobeat, the irreverent pop sensibilities of Brian Eno, and the austere beauty of Krautrock. More four-stars reviews followed (Q and Mojo magazines), and Dear subsequently began touring with a live three-piece band, Matthew Dear’s Big Hands, in which Dear acted as frontman, commanding the stage with a Bryan Ferry-like swagger and a gentleman’s grace.
Today, Matthew Dear finds himself in a unique position. His highly anticipated third album, 2010’s Black City, is the culmination of years of hard work and experimentation, a darkly playful sound-world that envelops the listener like the arms of a malevolent lover. After over a decade of exploring pop’s outer limits, Matthew Dear now inhabits a rarefied corner of the musical universe: no longer tethered to any one genre, respected by his peers, and blessed with a bottomless well of creative energy. Now is Matthew Dear’s moment, and it sounds like nothing else.
read more
Before he was fiddling with drum machines and synths, Gerber was all about groups like Joy Division and My Bloody Valentine. These influences still echo clearly in his music today, especially in his use of harmony, contemplative moods and trippy, shoegaze- inspired sounds. It’s a style that’s anything but conventional, yet one that quickly drew in some of Europe’s most popular labels; three years after his recording debut, Gerber released the first of several records on John Digweed’s Bedrock imprint. A couple of years later, Sven Väth signed him to Cocoon, eventually releasing his album Late Bloomers. All the while, he was building Supplement Facts from the ground up, showcasing his own productions alongside those by likeminded artists, and illustrating each record sleeve by hand, so each release embodied his distinct creative panache.
These days Gerber has the kind of artistic freedom he’s always wanted, and it shows. Supplement Facts is more adventurous than ever, melding organic with electronic sounds. Meanwhile, he’s embarked on his most unexpected project yet: an album with P Diddy, who hired him for some remixes and took him on more permanently after hearing the results. Now the hip-hop icon flies Gerber out to his studio in LA to work, where he gives him “2000% artistic freedom.” The experience has been transformative. ”Something opened my mind out there,” says Gerber, noting how his approach to music has changed. For one, his rock roots are seeping back in; despite being named one of RA’s top 10 acts of the year, he’s scrapping his laptop for something more “live,” playing bass guitar over drum machines, and remembering the importance of lyrics. It’s impossible to say where all of this is headed, but with a talent as bold and unorthodox as Gerber’s, it couldn’t happen any other way.
Depending on whom you ask, Matthew Dear is a DJ, a dance-music producer, an experimental pop artist, a bandleader. He co-founded both Ghostly International and its dancefloor offshoot, Spectral Sound. He’s had remixes commissioned by The XX, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Spoon, Hot Chip, The Postal Service, and Chemical Brothers; he’s made mixes for Get Physical’s Body Language and the Fabric mix series. He maintains four aliases (Audion, False, Jabberjaw, and Matthew Dear), each with its own style and distinct visual identity. He straddles multiple musical worlds and belongs to none—and he’s just hitting his stride.
Matthew Dear’s 2003 full-length debut, Leave Luck to Heaven, is a suite of sparse, wickedly funky house laced with Dear’s deep, distinctive vocals, and includes the much-loved single “Dog Days” (voted one of Pitchfork’s Top 100 Songs of the Decade). The record was met with rapturous acclaim from both the dance-music establishment and the critical press, including a four-star review in Rolling Stone. The 2007 follow-up, Asa Breed, is a considerable departure from Heaven’s dancefloor excursions, incorporating the polyrhythms of Afrobeat, the irreverent pop sensibilities of Brian Eno, and the austere beauty of Krautrock. More four-stars reviews followed (Q and Mojo magazines), and Dear subsequently began touring with a live three-piece band, Matthew Dear’s Big Hands, in which Dear acted as frontman, commanding the stage with a Bryan Ferry-like swagger and a gentleman’s grace.
Today, Matthew Dear finds himself in a unique position. His highly anticipated third album, 2010’s Black City, is the culmination of years of hard work and experimentation, a darkly playful sound-world that envelops the listener like the arms of a malevolent lover. After over a decade of exploring pop’s outer limits, Matthew Dear now inhabits a rarefied corner of the musical universe: no longer tethered to any one genre, respected by his peers, and blessed with a bottomless well of creative energy. Now is Matthew Dear’s moment, and it sounds like nothing else.
show less
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