On&On welcomes Producer, DJ, and Co-Founder of All Day I Dream, Matthew Dekay for this edition on Free Your Inhibitions. We are impressed by the determination of this artist who had the will to say no to a well-paying commercial career and re-focus himself to the core of his love of music. Enjoy this wonderful conversation about early influences, and his thoughts on the space, life, and the perfect sound system…

Where were you born?
I was born in Haarlem a small city close to Amsterdam in The Netherlands.

At what point in your career as an Artist, did you realize that you were “All In”.
That was approximately 17 years ago at the end of the 90’s when I decided to release music under the artist name Matthew Dekay. Yes, Matthew is my real name, but my last name is not Dekay 😉 I grew up listening to a lot of different music. My father was a bass player and he played a lot of Funk music with Rhythm and Soul. My Mother, on the other hand, danced in a Romanian Folklore group so she was really into to all the very heavy dramatic (lots of minor chords) music. I guess the mixture of both is very much my signature sound.

What is your ideal set length, and what’s the longest set you’ve played?
My ideal set length would be 6 hours because I feel you can tell a good story and still be able to control the flow. I love playing longer too but that depends on a lot of other factors like venue, crowd, and sound system. The longest I’ve ever played was 12 hrs and for me that was enough 🙂 However when I play 8hrs I never need to go to the toilet! I guess I was genetically born differently… With an optimized bladder for DJing 🙂

What’s the best sound system you’ve ever heard?
Custom sound system made by a Swiss guy that developed studio speakers for Amphion.

Where’s the best sound system you’ve ever played on?
If I have to choose one, it would have to be Stereo Bar in Montreal. I love that sound system! Of course, there are a lot more places with wonderful sound but that system I could play on for days on end!

Imagine you’re performing in a warm open-air venue, it’s 3AM, there’s an amazing sound system, and the crowd consists of 1,500 of your biggest fans. How would you describe your musical style in this moment?
My music is first and foremost based on rhythmic flow and groove believe it or not! Yes, I love dramatic melodies in minor chords but the foundation is hypnotizing the crowd with a funky groove. I guess my sound is spiritual. It doesn’t necessarily draw attention to itself. It requires a certain concentration from the audience to really get into my musical flow. You have to pay attention to the subtleties in order to have a real appreciation for it. My music is definitely not easy and I don’t like to play it safe. I love taking lots of risks during my sets and my aim is to play tracks people have never heard before but want to hear again. I am not a jukebox, I have a story to tell.

What’s the most memorable set you’ve heard in the last few months?
A memorable set? Hmmm… Well I was playing in at Hoppetosse in Berlin with Federico Molinari and I loved his set. He played after me and I told myself as soon as he played a tune I didn’t like I would go home. Well this didn’t happen and I stayed until the end around noon the next day which is extremely rare for me!

If you could go to space and return, how long would you stay for, who would you bring, and where would you go?
You know I really love where I am. Space might be wonderful but I think only to look back at the Earth and realize how little we are but also that everything is one. To me the most powerful thing is imagination.

What do you think about On&On?
Keep doing what you guys are doing! You’re great 🙂

A Big Thank You to Matthew Dekay for taking the time to connect with us for this installment of F.Y.I. Come listen to him Saturday, April 23, 2016 at Mighty. Discount Pre-sales Here .

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F.Y.I. Featuring Matthew Dekay (All Day I Dream)