Artist Profile: Mat The Alien

He's a West Coast DJ legend, and come August 1, Mat the Alien will be headlining The Nest stage at Electric Love Music Festival. We had a chance to chat with Mat: check out what he has to say about his techniques, his current projects, and of course, what he feels about festivals.

image from: www.matthealien.ca

 Electric Love: What are your previous festival experiences?

Mat The Alien: Every summer, I play a bunch of festivals like Shambhala, Bass Coast and Soundwave, which used to be on the island. I’ve played Motion Notion, a lot of the BC ones actually; I go and do a bunch in the states as well. I’ve done Sonic Bloom, this year I'm doing “what the festival” and I’ve done Decibal also. Festivals are pretty much my favorite thing to play because people have to be committed to going for a few few days and everyone is hearing new music. People are going to get drunk or high and they know they’re going to have a good time.

Electric Love: Can you share a wild tour or show experience?

Mat The Alien: I’ve done some crazy shows, it can be great because of the sound system or the crowd like Shambhala. I got to go to the Philipines and play with a bunch of people I look up to. Sometimes you have to pinch yourself and think “what a crazy job”.

Electric Love: What do you bring to the table, musically?

Mat The Alien: Music for me is always evolving, I like to keep it fresh, last night I did a radio show and I played music I downloaded all that day and people sent me thinking “oh I like that”. I like the idea of playing records and digging through crates and me being excited about it. Some people want to do a set that’s all planned out but each festival has its own vibe and I like to change it up and play some some old bits and some new bits. Really try and contrast the set and play some upbeat stuff or some chill stuff and really try and take people through a journey with all kinds of different sounds. All festivals are different vibes and I usually go with a bunch of different genres and start out 125/130 bpm and move up to 170 bpm as the set progresses and try and throw in some scratches and turntable stuff. 

Electric Love: What type of setup do you have?

Mat The Alien: I use traditional technique turn tables and I use Serato and the Serato mixer so I don’t have to touch a laptop and I can just pick the tracks out with the mixer. I usually have 3 turntables if possible and use one for scratching. I use the silver technique 1200’s, I like how you can incorporate things like Serato with it but the tables still have that old school feel to it.

Electric Love: What are you currently working on?

Mat The Alien: I’ve got an album that’s going to be coming out this summer that’s a remix album, it's all  the  people  that have remixed tracks off my album that I put out last year. People like 6blocc , Pigeon Hole and a bunch of other people coming in. I’ve been in transition in the last year setting up my studio and I’m starting to work on more mixes now, I’m always trying to work on stuff.

Electric Love: What are you looking forward to most about Electric Love Music Festival? 

Mat The Alien: The best thing is going to check out all of the other sets and people I want to see. Hanging out with friends and having a few beers and seeing friends from all over. I can’t complain, it’s always a fun time playing festivals.

Check out Mat on:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/matthealien

Twitter: www.twitter.com/matthealien

Instagram: @MatTheAlien

Electric Love "Flow Fest" Showcase: Photo Set

The organizers,  DJs and artists of Electric Love Music Festival are a community-oriented collective. As a precursor to the launch of our festival this year, we had the chance to present an artist showcase at the Studio in the City "Flow Fest" in beautiful North Vancouver. Average Gypsy and Hertz Donut - among others - shared their talents with a host of other performers, and the Electric Love crew captured some great moments. Check out the photo set below!

ARTIST PROFILE: ASTRONAUT

We are very lucky to have Astronaut landing on Electric Love’s festival stage this coming August long!

This dynamic EDM duo from Bristol, UK, comprised of Ross “Rossy” Burr and Dan Goudie has received massive support from UKF and several other UK music blogs since 2012 and has continued to break airwaves across North America. Over the last couple years, the duo has departed from their traditional house sound, embarking on a more “Justice-influenced, stripped back and basic” essence, as Ross shares during the duo’s UKF Radar interview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfsMXyFRh8I).  

Astronaut’s debut release on Monstercat Records back in December 2013 was a re-release of their hit song, “Apollo.” The song has since been featured on a remix EP released by Monstercat and Disciple Recordings entitled Destination: Apollo. In addition to their own updated remix of “Apollo,” Destination: Apollo contains remixes by such heavy-hitters as Barely Alive, The Brig, SLDGHMR, and DKS.  

Setting themselves apart from other EDM artists this side of the galaxy, Astronaut incorporates powerful visual elements into their music videos to tell a continuing tale. The music videos for “Apollo,” “Quantum,” and “Champions” string together to form an animated sci-fi story following the duo’s featured protagonist, Apollo, who had been separated from his race of people and subsequently sent on a quest to relocate his mothership. In this way, Astronaut has not only launched a musical project for fans to enjoy but also a visual narrative for audiences to discover and explore. 

The Rivals (Barely Alive & Astronaut) EP is the pair’s most recent release this year. This hot new Dubstep/Electro House/Glitch Hop EP—including songs, “Rivals,” “Bad Fellas,” “Raga,” and “Some Kind of Monster”—has been charting for the past week at number one on Beatport’s Top Ten Releases. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/astronautuk

Twitter: @astronautuk

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/astronautuk

ARTIST PROFILE: SWOLLEN MEMBERS

The Canadian hip-hop group from Vancouver - consisting of artists Mad Child, Prevail, and producer Rob The Viking - is prominently known for putting their city on the map as well as its underground style. Since the group formed in 1992, the Swollen Members sound has swept through Canada and gained the following of fans all over the globe. 

With noted albums such as Bad Dreams, Black Magic, and Armed To the Teeth, Swollen Members has perfected the gritty, street-style rap and has taken it to a whole new level. What started out as an album has quickly become its own genre listened to by tons of dedicated fans waiting for Swollen Members to come perform live in their city. 

After years of building up a following, the group realized that their fans were a dedicated family fully supporting the “Battle-Axe movement” and with this, Swollen Members was able to create the “Battle-Axe Warriors," a clan of loving Swollen supporters all around the world. This type of extended family that they have created brings the music community closer together and is one of the only of its kind. 

The legendary group continues to impact the Canadian hip-hop scene and always will. The powerful movement they have created has built up a high demand to see them perform live, and their global tours are consistently anticipated. Swollen Members has always showed love to the fans, and we are happy to announce that they will be joining us for the Electric Love Music Festival in Chilliwack, BC on August 1st! 

https://www.youtube.com/user/SWOLLENMEMBERS

https://twitter.com/swollenmembers

https://soundcloud.com/swollenmembers

https://www.facebook.com/official.swollenmembers?fref=ts