Sasha and Digweed. Lennon and McCartney. Layo and Bushwacka. Drum and Bass. Bonnie and Clyde. Fish and Chips. Pinky & Perky. Life is quite literally full of collaborations that just seem to work, and Sydney’s progressive scene is no exception. I met up with our very own dynamic duo Robbie Lowe and Matt Rowan to discuss their joint projects and their impending performances in the Cave to support Sasha.

If you’ve attended an event in Sydney’s humble progressive scene, there’s a strong chance you’ve seen Matt or Robbie weaving their own unique brands of magic for clubbers to dance to. Robbie has been a stalwart of the Sydney scene for some time, having played at a wide range of events over the past fifteen years. Matt, on the other hand, has more recently gained a profile through his strong production work; this has gone a long way towards supporting his real passion – playing live.

Finding events to play at in Sydney is the real trick; it’s a city that prefers to follow trends, as opposed to committing to one scene. In the past decade only Sweetchilli has had any level of success as a regular event of the progressive scene, and they relied on touring internationals to keep interest levels high. The lack of events means that few DJs will ever manage to play progressive music in Sydney with any regularity, and this tough environment means that only the most dedicated (or stubborn) survive and in order to do so they are usually forced to wear a number of different hats: DJ, producer, promoter. Matt and Robbie are aware of this, and have had much success both individually and as a team.

The pair cemented their friendship at a Sunday event called Halfway House which was run by Dan and Crispin from Sweetchilli. But with both of them working full time outside of the music industry, busy personal schedules and music industry commitments, it was some time before they decided to collaborate on production projects. Matt is no stranger to successful collaborations, either (with Canberra prodigy Jaytech one of his regular studio pals).

Eventually three years ago, they finally put time aside to work together in the studio and the result was the Dog Paddle and Boob Tube EP. This release was signed to Ministry, and the success led to three more releases. Their two most recent releases Sam I Am and Groundswell have been especially well received.

Cass* from progressive duo Cass & Slide once told me that when he worked with his partner he would have a basic idea, outline it and then allow him to develop it until a complete track appeared. In other words, Cass was the ideas man and not the technical specialist. I asked Matt and Robbie if they had a similar partnership – owing to the fact that Matt was a producer to begin with – but they assured me that theirs is far more balanced partnership. They both have ideas, but Matt can sometimes try and build an idea too much, or use too many effects, whereas Robbie brings a calming influence to the production work that allows the true beauty in a tune to appear. Whilst Matt understands the technical side of things slightly more, Robbie’s ear and input is definitely working in unison.

Then there’s the friendly nature of their collaboration. Being mates helps when they need to rein in each others enthusiasm; it also means they can sense when the other is really onto something and let them run with it. Having a shared viewpoint is just as important as having complementary skills. Some relationships work because they’re like fire and oil, full of counter-parts and explosive energy – but these relationships usually fizzle-out. Robbie and Matt work well together because they’re in harmony, balanced, and so they will have longevity.

After discovering that their friendship translated into professional rapport, Robbie also enlisted Matt’s help with the promotion of a regular party. Robbie started Colour with Tim Culbert and later Matt was enlisted to the project to assist them. The preference was for a fairly low key, local affair, where people would come together to enjoy themselves, catch up with friends and listen to good quality music, regardless of the genre. Whilst progressive music features at Colour, it’s not the only genre of music that gets played there as the wide-ranging and successful collection of Colour mixes attest to. Matt and Robbie feel it’s important that people come to Colour not just because of one style of electronic music but because it’s a great party!

One place where Matt and Robbie will not be collaborating, however, is behind the decks. While they are more than happy to play the same event and even follow each other, their live sets are unique, and individual. What they do have in common however, is a desire to play melodic music. The guys will showcase different styles of music depending on the event or the point of the evening they play, but they both feel that melody lies at the heart of all the music they play. Music can change dramatically over time, but the emotion that connects the DJ to their audience never does and it’s the melody in the music that drives so much of that emotion.

Talk of great parties naturally leads me to their up-coming gig at the Chinese Laundry on 21st November to support Sasha. Both Matt and Robbie are huge fans of Sasha and are truly excited to have been chosen to play on the same bill as one of the true legends of progressive music. Personally, I couldn’t be happier. If you’re lucky enough to have bought a ticket to Sasha and you like melodic progressive music, then once Sasha has finished playing, you might want to head towards the Cave. In there, you’ll find Matt Rowan and Robbie Lowe playing at different points of the night and you’re guaranteed to find me dancing my feet to the bone. I can’t wait!

Catch Robbie Lowe and Matt Rowan playing in the Cave Sasha this Saturday 21st November.