DJ & Producer from London, England. A lover of all things electronic music, Monty first found his taste for it in the London Drum & Bass, Dubstep and Garage scene before firmly finding his love for House and Techno upon moving to the South Coast. With various parties and events on the South Coast as his inspiration, Monty went on to hone his sound in House and Techno taking big inspiration for tracks which are both melodic and very dancefloor friendly. With releases already secured with High Tide Recordings, Made Crazy Music Sub-Label Recordings, Ozono Records, Koda Recordings and Optimal Sonance showcasing his versatility as a producer, Monty continues to push the boundaries on his ability to release brand new music while also showcasing himself as a DJ. As 2019 saw him grace the stage at some of Ibiza’s biggest clubs, most notably at Eden where he appeared for UK brand ‘Boxed In’. Monty continues to explore new avenues with his sound, with a particular interest in the classic sound of rave and trance being incorporated into his productions.
How are you, what’s 2022 been like for you so far?
I’ve been absolutely brilliant thank you. It’s been a bit of a busy one so far. I’ve been spending a lot of time back in the studio working on some new projects. I’m just finishing off my first sample pack at the moment which I have loved putting together. Although I’m so so excited about this release.
How did you get to where you are in music? What has been your journey so far?
To be honest it’s been quite a journey for me so far. Originally, I started in dance music going to Dubstep and Drum & Bass events in London when I was a teenager. Absolutely loved DJs such as Skream, Benga, Andy C and more. But when I went to university in Portsmouth I used to go to Switch in Southampton where I found a real love for house and techno (a few High Tide parties in there definitely played a big part).
I was always DJing at uni and was a resident in Portsmouth and even ran my own events from time to time which I absolutely loved. Production was just the next thing to develop myself more in the industry. Have had a few releases so far which have been picked up by some DJs but this one coming this month has me really excited for the next steps.
I’m currently working on building up a new events brand, label and music academy called Northern Texture which I’m really excited for going forward, can’t wait to see what we can achieve in 2022 and onwards.
Specifically what is your sound and who are you inspired by?
Oh that’s a hard one. To be honest I would say my sound is firmly Techno but with a real focus on being dancefloor centric and with some melodic influences. I really like to have variety in my productions which cover so many different bases, especially as a DJ where I like to go into different genres and directions. I like to have different influences so to create something really new and unique.
My key inspirations really come from lots of different places. The big ones for me are Skream, Sasha, My Nu Leng and Burial. For me they all absolutely kill it every time when they release music and I love hearing how unique each of their productions are. Definitely would love a studio session with some of them at some point haha
Your latest EP out on High Tide Recordings, what has the reaction been so far?
So far it’s been amazing. The label have pulled out all the stops to get behind it and it’s looking really good. Denney did a quality job on the remix for ‘Deus Ex’ and really gave the track a new lease of life which was totally amazing to see.
But for me seeing the DJs that have picked the EP before release have been truly breath taking. Seeing some of my heroes such as Pete Tong and Joris Voorn among many others picking it up has been something I’ve dreamed of, so for it to be happening now is truly amazing.
Where and when was it written, is there a message behind the release?
So the EP was written in two main instalments really. Deus Ex and Marius were actually written during the same studio session way back during the height of the covid lockdowns. At the time I was living back at my parents house as I had to cease my previous company due to covid so was just writing tracks everyday in a makeshift home studio.
I remember the studio session they were written in as clear as day. I was up at about 3/4am having watched an NFL game that evening. Deus Ex was written first, I had just created the lead synth during a studio synth jam whilst the game was on and then just laid down a drum groove from my drum machine under it and then the bassline and other synths came into place around it. In the end it was a really minimal and simple track but I just loved the sound of all the elements coming together and I’m so so happy with the end result.
Marius though was a little different. I had recently come back across an old deadmau5 record called ‘Faxing Berlin’ (which I believe was one of his first releases). I remember loving how the track could progress the way it did with so few elements, so I thought I’d write a track of a similar vibe. Then a couple of chord progressions and drum groove later, Marius was born. For me it was a track I never thought I’d ever set out to produce but I’m so so glad I did.
Fast forward about 10 months or so later and then I wrote Murphy’s Law. This track was very heavily inspired by the track ‘Hypnotised’ by Tinlicker & Dosem. I had loved playing that record in all of my DJ sets once the lockdown was lifted so wanted something to have the same sort of impact. At the time I had just added some new synths to my studio so was keen to give them a proper run out.
What sort of studio setup do you have, any key bits of equipment you love to use?
Throughout the covid lockdowns I rebuilt my entire studio setup, so I added in loads of hardware synths: Moog Sub37, Prophet 6, Roland TB-03, Roland TR-8, Roland System-1
For me it all depends on what I’m setting out to write. The Moog is an ever present for me as the sound for basses is just so so amazing, I love it. The Prophet too, is just so good for creating pads and atmospheres.
Share a track that you’ve enjoyed listening to recently.
It’s old but gold. Recently came back across this one from 2009 from Four Tet & Burial called Moth. These two producers truly are in a league of their own and it was really nice to hear this track once again. Definitely one for upcoming afterparties haha.
What future projects are you working across for the rest of 2022?
I’m currently working with the guys at Northern Texture up in the North East about getting some new projects up and running. We’ve got some events booked in as well as setting up a new music academy and label too. Am very excited to be involved with them.
In terms of releases, I’ve got a ton of records I’m sat on (probably around 150 odd) so will have to watch this space on what I do with all of them haha.
