Techno has evolved across the last 30 years of dance music to capture different signatures and sounds. The Detroit-born genre initially fusing funk, electronic jazz with futuristic synths, drum machines and sequences has seen techno mutate into quite the beast, moving much like a signature track to Chicago, then across to The UK, Germany and all around Europe. Stylistically ceaseless, there is a subtle artform to techno that delicately balances between consistent or repetitive. Layers of harmony, meters and textures forever hover in finespun equity. It can be done and done well – but only by the accurate, the discreet and the meticulous.
Local techno traveller Matthew Guy is like a techno track himself: subtle, insistent and underrated. As a local DJ found behind the decks segueing from house through to techno, his signature sound focuses on well-produced tracks that groove. Since first seeing Norman Jay perform at Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney in 2002 for an epic ten hour set, Matt has gone on to build upon his skills and sets with all the persistence of a Sven Vath mix, particularly utilising music as an escape from the daily grind. It is in this electronic flight where Matt shines; where his servility to music also works to augment it. The focus is never on him personally: it is always about the beats, the track, the producers, the production, the ambiance and the seamless mix where he is committed to sharing the best music he can lay his hands on.
Matthew Guy sits down with MyCityLife and drums out his Top 5 Dragonfruit Beats.
