Matthew Dear (born April 4, 1979) is an American
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
producer and DJ.
History
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
-born Dear moved to
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
as a teenager, where he was inspired by the sound of
Detroit Techno
Detroit techno is a type of techno music that generally includes the first techno productions by Detroit-based artists during the 1980s and early 1990s. Prominent Detroit techno artists include Juan Atkins, Eddie Fowlkes, Derrick May, Jeff Mil ...
. Dear met Sam Valenti IV at a party while attending the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, after which the two started the record label,
Ghostly International
Ghostly International is an American independent record label founded in 1999 by Samuel Valenti IV and currently headquartered in Brooklyn, New York City. Chief artists include Matthew Dear, Dabrye (a.k.a. Tadd Mullinix), Com Truise, Tycho, Gol ...
, based on a shared love of
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
. Dear's first single was 1999's "Hands Up For Detroit" (co-produced by
ghettotech
Ghettotech (also known as Detroit club) is a genre of electronic music originating from Detroit. It combines elements of Chicago's ghetto house with electro, Detroit techno, Miami bass.
Overview
Former Detroit music journalist for the ''Det ...
pioneer
Disco D
David Aaron Shayman (September 21, 1980 – January 23, 2007), better known by his stage name Disco D, was an American record producer and composer. He started as a teenage DJ in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he helped DJ Godfather popularize the ...
, who performed under the name Daisha). Successive singles, such as "Stealing Moves" and the chart-topping "Mouth to Mouth" (as Audion) were issued on
Spectral Sound
Ghostly International is an American independent record label founded in 1999 by Samuel Valenti IV and currently headquartered in Brooklyn, New York City. Chief artists include Matthew Dear, Dabrye (a.k.a. Tadd Mullinix), Com Truise, Tycho, Gol ...
, Ghostly's offshoot that focuses on dancefloor music.
Dear's first album ''
Leave Luck to Heaven
''Leave Luck to Heaven'' is the first studio album by Matthew Dear. It was released on Spectral Sound, a sub-label of Ghostly International, in 2003.
Critical reception
Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, saying, "Formatt ...
'' appeared in 2003 and was praised widely as a seminal fusion of pop and
minimal techno
Minimal techno is a subgenre of techno music. It is characterized by a stripped-down aesthetic that exploits the use of repetition and understated development. Minimal techno is thought to have been originally developed in the early 1990s by Detro ...
. The album's single "Dog Days" became one of Spectral's best sellers and a favorite of international DJs like
Richie Hawtin
Richard "Richie" Hawtin (born June 4, 1970) is a British-Canadian electronic musician and DJ. He became involved with Detroit techno's second wave in the early 1990s, and has been a leading exponent of minimal techno since the mid-1990s. He becam ...
.
Dear followed the album with ''Backstroke'' in 2004 and has also begun working under the harder-edged Audion alias, apart from additional monikers False and Jabberjaw.
In 2007, Dear released his sophomore full-length, ''Asa Breed''. Matthew and his band, Matthew Dear's Big Hands, then began a US promotional tour and a European tour as the opening act for
Hot Chip
Hot Chip are an English synthpop band formed in London in 1995. The group consists of multi-instrumentalists Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Owen Clarke, and Felix Martin. They are occasionally joined by former member Rob Smoughton for ...
. 2008 saw the re-release of ''Asa Breed'' as the ''Asa Breed Black Edition''. This re-release added 5 new songs, including a remix of
Don and Sherri
''Don and Sherri'' is an EP released by Matthew Dear on Ghostly International Records on October 16, 2007. It was released simultaneously on 12" and digital download. It features a remix by M.A.N.D.Y., a cover by Hot Chip, and a remix of "Ele ...
from Hot Chip and the video for the song, shot in downtown New York City.
In 2011, Dear opened for
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
, performing on their first three dates in the UK.
Dear's fourth album, ''Black City'', was released on August 17, 2010. It conceptualizes a futuristic metropolis that never sleeps. Dear describes 'Black City': "Well, there's a kind of timelessness to it in the sense that I don't want things to run on a 24-hour clock. It seems like a city that's always awake, maybe always dialed in electronically, and cannot be turned off. It's this imaginary weird never-sleeping town. But yeah it's full of lust, and love, and dark shadows. Weird things around the corner…" Black City was met with near-unanimous critical praise, earning top marks from Mojo, Uncut, Q, URB, and the Village Voice, ending up on countless year-end lists, and earning Pitchfork's Best New Music nod. A worldwide tour followed.
On stage, Dear performs with a multi-pieced live band. They have supported
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
,
Hot Chip
Hot Chip are an English synthpop band formed in London in 1995. The group consists of multi-instrumentalists Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Owen Clarke, and Felix Martin. They are occasionally joined by former member Rob Smoughton for ...
and
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting).
Depeche ...
on their world tours.
Dear revived his Audion alias in 2013, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the first Audion release with a compilation, Audion X, and a series of new singles and DJ performances leading up to the release of the second Audion album, Alpha, in 2016. In early 2017 he released an entry into the well-regarded
DJ-KiCKS mix series, along with his first single under his own name in five years, "Wrong With Us". The song was produced during a writing and recording session with the English duo
Simian Mobile Disco
Simian Mobile Disco are an English electronic music duo and production team, formed in 2003 by James Ford and Jas Shaw of the band Simian. Musically, they are known for their analogue production. Ford is also known for his production work.
...
, which also yielded several other songs. In June, he released "Modafinil Blues", the first single from his upcoming album, and announced tour dates, where he will be performing without a band for the first time.
Influences
Dear has listed
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.[Talkin ...](_blank)
,
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
,
Adonis
In Greek mythology, Adonis, ; derived from the Canaanite word ''ʼadōn'', meaning "lord". R. S. P. Beekes, ''Etymological Dictionary of Greek'', Brill, 2009, p. 23. was the mortal lover of the goddess Aphrodite.
One day, Adonis was gored by ...
,
Nitzer Ebb
Nitzer Ebb () are a British EBM group formed in 1982 by Essex school friends Vaughan "Bon" Harris (programming, synthesizers, drums, vocals), Douglas McCarthy (vocals), and David Gooday (drums).
History
Initial releases (1983–1987)
The g ...
, and
Roman Flügel
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
as inspirations.
When asked who he is influenced by Dear replied, "Definitely I'm influenced by
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
and a lot of his work. I've said it before but he is one that is so interesting to listen to on all formats whether it be his production with other bands, whether it's his solo work or whether it's his collaboration work with other artists. He's probably the number one."
Discography
As Matthew Dear
Solo
Albums
*2003 ''
Leave Luck to Heaven
''Leave Luck to Heaven'' is the first studio album by Matthew Dear. It was released on Spectral Sound, a sub-label of Ghostly International, in 2003.
Critical reception
Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, saying, "Formatt ...
'' (Spectral Sound)
*2004 ''
Backstroke
Backstroke or back crawl is one of the four Swimming (sport), swimming styles used in competitive events regulated by FINA, and the only one of these styles swum on the back. This swimming style has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disa ...
'' (Spectral Sound)
*2007 ''
Asa Breed'' (Ghostly International)
*2008 ''Asa Breed Black Edition'' (Ghostly International)
*2010 ''
Black City'' (Ghostly International)
*2012 ''
Beams'' (Ghostly International)
*2018 ''
Bunny
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit spec ...
'' (Ghostly International)
EPs
*2003 ''EP1'' (Spectral Sound)
*2003 ''EP2'' (Spectral Sound)
*2007 ''
Don and Sherri
''Don and Sherri'' is an EP released by Matthew Dear on Ghostly International Records on October 16, 2007. It was released simultaneously on 12" and digital download. It features a remix by M.A.N.D.Y., a cover by Hot Chip, and a remix of "Ele ...
'' (Ghostly International)
*2012 ''Headcage''
Singles
*2000 ''Irreparably Dented'' (Spectral Sound)
*2001 ''Stealing Moves'' (Spectral Sound)
*2003 ''Dog Days'' (Spectral Sound)
*2004 ''Anger Management / Future Never Again'' (Spectral Sound)
*2007 ''
Deserter
Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ...
'' (Ghostly International)
*2008 ''Free To Ask'' (Get Physical)
*2008 ''Pom Pom'' (Ghostly International)
*2013 ''Pale Shelter''
ith_Tegan_and_Sara.html" ;"title="Tegan_and_Sara.html" ;"title="ith Tegan and Sara">ith Tegan and Sara">Tegan_and_Sara.html" ;"title="ith Tegan and Sara">ith Tegan and Sara*2017 ''Wrong With Us (DJ-KiCKS)'' [with
Simian Mobile Disco
Simian Mobile Disco are an English electronic music duo and production team, formed in 2003 by James Ford and Jas Shaw of the band Simian. Musically, they are known for their analogue production. Ford is also known for his production work.
...
] (!K7)
*2017 ''Modafinil Blues'' (Ghostly International)
*2017 ''Bad Ones'' [feat Tegan and Sara]
Compilations
*2008 ''Beginning of the End: Spectral Sound Singles'' (Spectral Sound)
Mixes
*2008 ''Body Language Vol. 7'' (Get Physical)
*2008 ''BBC Essential Mix'' (BBC)
*2012 ''RA.306'' (Resident Advisor)
*2017 ''
DJ-Kicks'' (!K7)
Tracks featured on
*1999 ''Hands Up For Detroit'' (Ghostly International)
*2003 ''
Idol Tryouts
''Idol Tryouts'' is the second various artists compilation album released by Michigan-based label Ghostly International. Unlike the label's previous sampler '' Disco Nouveau'', ''Idol Tryouts'' contains music solely from artists signed to Ghostly ...
: Ghostly International Vol. 1'' (Ghostly International)
*2003 ''State of the Union EP'' (Spectral Sound)
*2005 ''Spectral Sound Vol. 1'' (Spectral Sound)
*2006 ''
Idol Troyouts: Ghostly International Vol. 2'' (Ghostly International)
*2007 ''
Chuck (TV series)
''Chuck'' is an American action comedy/ spy-drama television series created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" named Chuck Bartowski, played by Zachary Levi, who receives an encoded e-mail ...
Season 1, Episode 4'' (NBC)
*2007 "Gossip Girls (TV series) Season 1, Episode 1"
*2008 ''
Life Beyond Mars: Bowie Covered''
*2015 "Undercover" (Lane 8)
njunadeep
Remixing
* 2004 DJ Minx ''A Walk In The Park'' (M_nus)
* 2004 Håkan Lidbo ''Clockwise Rmxs'' (
Shitkatapult
Shitkatapult is a German record label which focuses on electronic music, spanning both IDM and techno. The label was founded by Marco Haas (T. Raumschmiere) and Marcus Stotz in 1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the ...
)
* 2004
L'usine ''Flat Remixes'' (Ghostly International)
* 2004 Monobox ''The Remixes'' (Logistic Records)
* 2004 Osborne ''Bout Ready to Jak Remixes'' (Spectral Sound)
* 2004 Someone Else + Miskate ''Rip It Cookie Muenster EP'' (Foundsound)
* 2005 Circlesquare / Colder ''7 Minutes / Shiny Star (Remixes)'' (Output)
* 2005
The Postal Service
The Postal Service are an American indie pop supergroup from Seattle, Washington, consisting of singer Ben Gibbard, producer Jimmy Tamborello, and Jenny Lewis on background vocals.
The band released their only album, '' Give Up'', in 2003 on S ...
''We Will Become Silhouettes'' (
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often ...
)
* 2006
Hot Chip
Hot Chip are an English synthpop band formed in London in 1995. The group consists of multi-instrumentalists Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Owen Clarke, and Felix Martin. They are occasionally joined by former member Rob Smoughton for ...
''No Fit State'' (
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
)
* 2006
The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons in Manchester in 1989. They were pioneers (along with the Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method, and other acts) in bringing the big beat genre t ...
''Do it Again'' (
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
)
* 2007
Black Strobe "
I'm a Man" (
Playlouder
Playlouder was a digital music and media company. providing news, reviews, and other music-related content. It also claimed to be the world's first music service provider— an Internet service provider bundling access to music content along with ...
)
* 2007
Terence Fixmer "
Electrostatic
Electrostatics is a branch of physics that studies electric charges at rest (static electricity).
Since classical times, it has been known that some materials, such as amber, attract lightweight particles after rubbing. The Greek word for amber ...
" (
Planete Rouge)
* 2007
Dubfire
Ali Shirazinia ( fa, علی شیرازینیا), commonly known by his stage name Dubfire, is an Iranian American house and techno DJ and producer. Prior to his solo career, Dubfire made up half of the duo Deep Dish. Dubfire's style is notic ...
"
I Feel Speed" (
SCI + TEC Digital Audio)
* 2008
Matt John "
Olga Dancekowski" (
Bar25)
* 2008
Sasha "
Park It In The Shade" (
emFire)
* 2008
Kieran Hebden
Kieran Hebden (born September 1977), known as Four Tet, is an English electronic musician. He came to prominence as a member of the post-rock band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist with charting UK albums such as '' Rounds'' ( ...
, Steve Reid "
People Be Happy/Rhythm Dance" (
Domino
Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also ca ...
)
* 2008
Spoon
A spoon is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily for ...
"
Don't You Evah" (Merge Records)
* 2008
Liquid Liquid
Liquid Liquid is an American no wave and dance-punk group, originally active from 1980 to 1983. They are best known for their track "Cavern," which was covered—without proper permission or attribution—by the Sugar Hill Records house band as ...
"Optimo" (Domino Records)
* 2009
The Juan MacLean "Happy House" (DFA Records)
* 2010
The XX
The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx (beats, MPC, record production), a ...
"VCR" (XL Recordings, Young Turks)
* 2010
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg (; born 21 July 1971) is a British-French actress and singer. She is the daughter of English actress Jane Birkin and French musician Serge Gainsbourg. After making her musical debut with her father on the song "Lemon I ...
"Time Of The Assassins" (Because Music)
* 2010
The Drums
The Drums are an American indie pop band from New York City.
Formation
Founding members Jonathan (Jonny) Pierce and Jacob Graham became friends as children, having met at Bible camp at age 11 or 12. Some years later, they formed a short-lived ...
"Me And The Moon" (
Moshi Moshi/
Island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
)
* 2012
Ultraísta "Smalltalk" (Temporary Residence Ltd.)
* 2013
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
"Skirt" (Rising Music)
* 2017
Tourist
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...
"We Stayed Up All Night" (Monday Records)
* 2018
MGMT
MGMT () is an American indie rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. Alongside VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, MGMT's live lineup currently consists of ...
"Little Dark Age (Matthew Dear Album Remix)" (Columbia Records)
As Audion
Singles & EPs
*2004 ''Kisses EP'' (Audion I, Spectral Sound)
*2004 ''The Pong EP'' (Audion II, Spectral Sound)
*2005 ''Just Fucking'' (Audion III, Spectral Sound)
*2006 ''Mouth to Mouth'' (Audion V, Spectral Sound)
*2006 ''Just a Man / Just a Woman''
ith_Ellen_Allien.html" ;"title="Ellen_Allien.html" ;"title="ith Ellen Allien">ith Ellen Allien">Ellen_Allien.html" ;"title="ith Ellen Allien">ith Ellen Allien(Audion VI, Spectral Sound)
*2007 ''Mouth to Mouth (Remixes)'' (Audion R1, Spectral Sound)
*2007 ''Noiser/Fred's Bells'' (Audion VII, Spectral Sound)
*2008 ''Billy Says Go'' (Audion VIII, Spectral Sound)
*2009 ''I Am The Car'' (Audion IX.I, Spectral Sound)
*2009 ''Look At The Moon'' (Audion IX.II, Spectral Sound)
*2009 ''It's Full of Blinding Light EP'' (Audion IX.III and X, Spectral Sound)
*2009 ''Stoplight'' (Audion IX.IV, Spectral Sound)
*2009 ''Instant In You'' (Audion IX.V, Spectral Sound)
*2009 ''That's That'' (Audion IX.VI, Spectral Sound)
*2009 ''Push'' (Audion IX.VII, Spectral Sound)
*2010 ''Document Part 2'' [with Mike Parker] (Spectral Sound)
*2013 ''Sky'' (Spectral Sound)
*2013 ''Mothermouth'' (Spectral Sound)
*2013 ''Let's Go Dancing'' [with Tiga (musician), Tiga] (Turbo)
*2014 ''Fever'' [with Tiga (musician), Tiga] (Turbo)
*2014 ''Dem Howl''
ith Troels Abrahamsen(Spectral Sound)
Albums
*2005 ''
Suckfish'' (Audion IV, Spectral Sound)
*2016 ''Alpha'' (!K7)
Compilations
*2013 ''Audion X'' (Spectral Sound)
*2016 ''Mouth to Mouth 10'' (Spectral Sound)
Mixes
*2006 ''
Fabric 27'' (Fabric)
*2016 ''BBC Essential Mix'' (BBC)
As Jabberjaw
*2003 ''Girlfriend'' (Perlon)
*2009 ''The Connie Shake'' (Spectral Sound)
*2009 ''The Garden Of Eden'' (Spectral Sound)
As False
Singles/EPs:
*2002 ''.WAV Pool'' (Plus 8)
*2002 ''Warsaw Bread'' (Plus 8)
*2003 ''You Wouldn't/Beginner's Luck''(Plus 8)
*2004 ''Sink the Ship EP'' (M_nus)
*2005 ''River Camping'' (M_nus)
*2007 ''Fed on Youth'' (M_nus)
*2009 ''Love Letters'' (M_nus)
Albums:
*2003 ''False'' (Plus 8)
*2007 ''
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
'' (M_nus)
References
External links
Official Home PageReview of False's River Campingat
Grooves Magazine
''Grooves'' is an American electronic music magazine founded in 1999 by editor Sean Portnoy, initially concentrating on the then-burgeoning IDM music genre and expanding to its more experimental, abstract offshoots, such as microsound, microhouse ...
Review of Audion's Mouth to Mouthat
Grooves Magazine
''Grooves'' is an American electronic music magazine founded in 1999 by editor Sean Portnoy, initially concentrating on the then-burgeoning IDM music genre and expanding to its more experimental, abstract offshoots, such as microsound, microhouse ...
Post about Matthew Dear's Birthday
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dear, Matthew
American techno musicians
Remixers
1979 births
Ghostly International artists
Musicians from Texas
Living people
Musicians from Michigan
University of Michigan alumni
People from Kingsville, Texas