Deeprhythms

Photo Credit – Kate Green

If you’re plugged into the London music scene, chances are you’ve crossed paths with Matt Cowell. I’ve had the pleasure of crossing paths with Matt a few times both on his home turf and under the Tisno sun. Each time his friendly and positive nature has stood out as much as his deep passion for music.

Matt cut his teeth as a resident at Plymouth’s Vivify and since landing in London, he’s been collaborating with key events and labels like Ransom Note, Viscera and Not An Animal. He co-founded the boutique event series Optick and runs the Viscera Transmissions label alongside Ben Carrington, championing talents like Manami and Komodo. 2023 also saw him team up with Johnny Aux under their alias The W.C. for a remix of Latrec’s “Kutika.”

At Ransom Note, Matt is instrumental in curating the residency at The Social, which has hosted legends like Optimo and emerging acts like Baba Ali. Beyond the club booth his radio projects — “Too Hot To Sleep” on Radio Vilnius and shows with Ransom Note on Kiosk and Netil Radio — showcase his knack for eclectic boundary-pushing selections.

The mix Matt recorded is an excellent showcase of his ability to create unforgettable dance floor moments that are as diverse as they are thrilling.

Hi there, how’s things? Can you introduce yourself briefly to our listeners?

I’m Matt Cowell, originally from the South West, now based in London. I’ve been involved with various events over the years, having held a residency at Vivify in Plymouth and collaborating with various parties, magazines, and labels in London. I also co-run Viscera Transmissions and co-host a radio show called “Too Hot To Sleep” on Radio Vilnius. 

What about DJ’ing, and how did you get started?

It all started at university in Falmouth. I’d then bounce back and forth between Plymouth, where I held a residency at Vivify. Being part of the club night and playing alongside likeminded artists is where it all started really, before doing a brief stint in Berlin, which connected me with festivals like Gottwood. Over the years, I’ve definitely been involved with a few areas of music which has helped with collaborations and my work today.

Do you have any memorable experiences to share from your early days as a DJ?

One moment was playing my first set at Vivify at the Factory in Plymouth b2b with DanBe, I think July 2015? We had the closing in the basement – it was freezing and we played a lot of techno, but everyone seemed to be loving what we were doing and stayed through till the end. With lightworks and vivify around then there was a bit of a vinyl collective then so there was a big connection with everyone through that.

When you select records for your sets, what’s your approach like?

With my approach I tend to create a few different playlists for different genres or styles which all have a slight cross over so they can be linked at various points throughout the night. I try not to over-prepare but that often happens anyway, so I can go down a few different avenues with bits that I’ve been enjoying.

Name five tracks or releases that are currently on heavy rotation?

I’ll give you 6 🙂 

Who are the artists and DJ’s you’d currently recommend?

I think Stella Z, Megan Leo and shjva are doing incredible work.

Tell us about your shows on Radio Vilnius ?

On Radio Vilnius, I co-host “Too Hot To Sleep” with Reefe Murphy. We host the show every 3rd Saturday of the month at 8pm local time. The shows usually feature an hour of music that we’ve been enjoying recently, with the occasional guest filling in, it’s quite free and nothing strict about it.

How did you get started and how have the shows evolved?

As we tend to visit Vilnius a few times a year, we got in touch with the station to see if we could host a one off show when visiting. As a natural progression this has turned into a more regular fixture over the last couple of years, where myself and Reefe alternate on the show each month. 

Any plans for the coming months?

Much of the same with the occasional guests filling in 🙂 

Tell us about your parties with Ransom Note, Viscera and Optick?

With Ransom Note we’ve hosted a residency at The Social in Fitzrovia over the last couple of years, hosting the likes of: Baba Ali, ddwy, Optimo, Fabio, C.A.R., Pleasure Pool, Wolf Müller, Jaye Ward and more. It’s a mixture of live and DJs and we often run these parties as free parties – they’re something a bit different.

Any plans for the coming months?

Next year is going to be 15 years of Ransom Note so keep an eye out on what’s to come for sure!

How have you evolved as a producer? 

I haven’t produced too much in recent years, but it has progressed quite a lot. I started making tracks under Mattiik a few years back with releases on Mint Tea, These Things Take Time and a few other labels, it was a very lo-fi sound that generated a really nice and organic community for up and coming producers to get your music heard.

I guess this naturally progressed over time to produce more polished sounding tracks, even though I don’t really put anything out at the moment.

What does the coming 12 months hold for you in regards of releases, collaborations etc.?

Nothing myself but a few bits coming out on Viscera Transmissions that haven’t been announced yet! Announcements early next year!  

You are one the creative forces behind Viscera – tell us about your vision for the label and what’s in the pipeline?

At Viscera, we’ve always had a cosmic theme in the back of our minds and we’ve always been into such a wide range of music that we try to represent that with the label. Although the releases are quite different I think you can still picture them being part of the Viscera sound / catalog. But yeah, we’ll be releasing some bits from a range of up and coming and established artists over the next couple of years for sure.

Pick one release out of the catalogue and tell us a story behind it, please?

I think I have to pick Latrec’s Kutika. This one is from Andy Bainbridge and Serious Hots, we had the track for quite a while and has become a staple of pretty much every Viscera set over the years. It’s a track that keeps ticking over and everyone keeps coming back to, we’ve been lucky to have a lot of support since release which we’re really grateful for and I managed to remix the track with Johnny Aux – The EP is full of party bangers that encapsulates the Viscera party and label.

Where do you find the music and the artists for the label? 

Usually we’re following artists already and approach them to see if they have any demos lying around, or we have the artists come to us, it’s not too forced and all feels quite natural.

Can you name a few local acts, events or locations that should be on people’s radar?

For sure – Definitely always worth checking everything that’s going on at The Social and The Gun! Always guaranteed to see something great, no matter what day of the month. 

So the mix, can you tell us a little something about that? 

The mix I’ve put together goes through a few of my current musical interests and a bit of the vibe I might go for when playing out 🙂

Many thanks, anything else?

Thank you for having me!