How exactly does a pop-punk aficionado turn into a well-loved regular on the Melbourne club scene? It all happened for Steve Mat when he accidentally stumbled across a compilation by Hope Records that contained the likes of Timo Mass and Starecase. From that moment, May was hooked. Spellbound by the compilation he was inspired enough to move away from his alternative roots into the real of dance music that he love so much today.
How did you get into DJing?
I used to play the drums for about 7 years, from the time I was in grade 5 at school. I would play for school music class stuff as well as in bands a few mates and I would form. My main music preference back then was anything from alternative and punk to grunge and stuff. When I was getting up to about year 10 in school, I started being quite bored of the same crap that was coming out by a lot of these bands, not to say I totally lost interest, I actually still enjoy a lot of the stuff! I would wait a whole year for one cd to come out of half decent songs by the band. My terribly short attention span usually had troubles coming to terms with this, and my brother was starting to listen to more dance music stuff so I used to borrow his CD’s. Hope Music Vol. 1 and GU13 (Sasha Ibiza) were my favs. One thing led to another and before I knew it I wanted to know how those mixed CD’s were made. So I ended up getting decks, buying vinyl and learning how it was all done. A friend of mine Carl I met through my brother was playing Timo Maas, and other progressive tunes in a side room at a nightclub in Melbourne called Casey’s, commonly known as a ‘fresh-out-of-school-pickup-joint’ for 18-23 year olds. I used to go along on some nights and play some progressive tunes with him. That’s where I met Ivan Gough, who was also a resident, and Luke Chable as well. We all used to spin our new proggy purchases in the side room before it opened. Was pretty funny.
Who or what inspires you?
Anything really. It could be taking a walk down at the beach. I’ll see something that effects me in someway, whether it be a stupidly hot chick going for a swim or the sun setting over the water! Maybe I’ll hear some new music that will just make me want to run home and start writing a record. The latest from Chable and Bonnicci has almost made me ashamed to write breaks tunes, it’s just so damn good, and it has fully inspired me to start trying new things!
Who are some of your favourite artists?
The Melbourne crew rock! Luke, Danny, Andy Page, Dan Mangan, Keltec, Nubreed/Dirty 4’s. These guys are always pushing boundaries and coming up with fresh cool sounds, and fortunately I have had the opportunity to work with quite a few of those guys as well as shit talk and shit stir. Internationally I’d be looking towards Charlie May (no relation), Sasha, Tom Holkenborg, Habersham, Ozgur Can, Blake Jarrell, Matthew Dekay, and Kosmas Epsilon. I also think the stuff coming out on James Holden’s label Border Community is pushing boundaries. They got such awesome tunes coming out, really different sounds. As for DJs, I was blown away by James Zebielia both times I saw him play in Melbourne, and when Phil K and James did the versus set with visual effects on the Pioneer DVD-J, that’s just taking DJing to the next level, they rocked!
What would be your favourite Club?
Don’t really have one; it’s more the night held at the club. My fav nights are usually the ones put on by the Private Function crew, Future, and Room have been putting on some awesome nights lately independently as well.
Your worst club experience?
Cant really think of anything whilst playing or DJing except when you take the needle off the wrong record, the CD skips, or somebody tall scratches the needle across your record, but they aren’t really bad, they are just things that happen. Worst would be a few years ago, Dave Seaman was playing in Melbourne at QBH. I had been on a booze cruise beforehand for some uni thing, and let’s just say I had maybe one or two to many and left early!
And your best club experience?
I wish it was me playing, but it wasn’t. Over in the UK I was on my way home from a 7-month ski-working holiday from Canada I noticed Chable (Luke) was on the bill to play at Bedrock in Brighton alongside Digweed. After a few emails back and forth I confirmed this and changed my flights to get down to go and see him play since I hadn’t seen him in about 9 months, since he had remixed Open Day. Although he still owes me 10 pounds for the door list he said he had put me on, it sounds a little silly, but playing at Bedrock especially at Brighton has always been a bit of a dream of mine, even just to visit! And yeah got to see Luke play an awesome set, I met John, was with the best crew and we just had an awesome night. So that goes down in my books as one of the best.
You’ve just finished a new release- ‘Blend Forty-3’. Can you tell us a little about it?
It’s my 2nd original tune I have signed. Luke and I did the remix together, which was pretty cool, I learnt a lot while we were working on this, I even learnt how to use the guns mounted on the side of the tank when he had a rocket launcher pointed at me, whilst taking one of many frequent breaks in the remix to kick each others ass at COD (laughter). The name of the record might be a little over peoples heads in other places around the world, ‘cos I’m not sure their instant coffee is called blend 43. Basically I drink a lot of coffee, it looked like a rather “interesting” name so that’s how it came about. I was working out some chord progressions that moved me more than other things I was working on at the time. Once I had build up the groove a bit I worked out a melody. Arranged it, and then tested its reaction with a few mates. The first time this record was played out to a club was at the Dekay Private Function back in September by Dean Millson. Once Luke had finally heard it he wanted to do a bigger mix, so that’s how we collaborated on the B Side. Baroque signed the record, it’s my first tune out on a UK based label, and I hope I can do more stuff with those guys again in the future. I have just signed another new record called “Sublimate” to a new label starting under the Armada Music group as well; it’s a biggish sounding proggy tune as well. I’m still thinking about what to do for the b-side, I might try and do a breaks remix, or something totally left of centre, Holden/Fake/Petter inspired stuff. Not quite sure yet. This will probably be the last thing I’ll be working on for quite a few months. I’m heading back over to Canada for a few months to finish off the winter there. I’ll be teaching skiing out of a Banff based ski resort. On my way home I’ll visit some friends in London and Holland as well as playing some gigs around the place at various destinations.
Finally, where would you like to be in 5 years time?
Maybe in a uni course I will actually find interest in! Musically I hope to expand on my music knowledge, and keep coming up with fresh ideas that my friends will dig as well as me. I’ll be 26 by then so who knows what could happen! I would like to work with a few more people as well, collaborate on some ideas. Hopefully music can take me overseas for a while, just have to see.
Steve May’s debut solo 12-inch release, ‘Blend Fourty-3’, is out now through Baroque Records.
