From the Sunday morning warehouse to the Friday night super club, Matt Tolfrey is the perpetual young turk of London’s relentless techno carnival. Leftroom label boss and acclaimed DJ/producer, Tolfrey knows a thing or two about crafting a musical world that is experimental yet playful, underground yet shot through with glitter and glamour, boundary-pushing yet unpretentious. His DJ sets acknowledge the trends without becoming a slave to them. His production references the history of electronica but adds a resolutely contemporary edge. World-wise international DJ, cross continent party planner, and all-round infectious personality, Tolfrey is summed up best by Seth Troxler: “Matt Tolfrey, the last great British DJ.”
Now a mainstay of Resident Advisor’s top 100 DJs poll, in recent years Tolfrey’s career has exploded. 2012 alone saw his debut Essential Mix live from Sankeys Ibiza for Radio One, as well as a hugely successful residency at that same infamous hotspot, a ten-year anniversary at Fabric, shows as far as Japan and Peru, as well as appearances at Seattle’s Decibel and Piknic Electronik in Montreal. Not to mention that his album Word Of Mouth dropped in November 2012 with nothing less than 8/10 in all publications online or print. Or that Leftroom Presents, his monthly show on London’s Rinse FM, has been key in delivering a subtler, sexier sound to the UK scene. In the coming year the Tolfrey empire reaches even further: a new residency with New York’s Verboten, a coveted place on the Beatport Stage at Movement, forthcoming music on Cocoon with Inxec, as well as remixes on MURK Records, and collaborations with Eats Everything, Jozif, and more.
The force behind the Leftroom collective (featuring the likes of Laura Jones, Jay Haze, Gavin Herlihy, Kate Simko, Craig Richards, and Simon Baker), Tolfrey is a truly rare thing: a man with the vision and ability to orchestrate a spirit of collaboration between dance music’s hottest tastemakers, without in the process sacrificing his own unique sound. In Tolfrey’s production the soul and sophistication of London deep house meets the Chicago naughtiness of the classic Derrick Carter bump. All gentle crooning, high-hats that pat you on the ass, synth lines that slink inside your head and take a nap on your mental furniture, Tolfrey makes music for the thinking man’s rave. But most importantly, whether he’s parading around the beaches of Ibiza in his new floral trunks from Paul Smith, or BBQing with his pals in Detroit, Tolfrey is just a likeable guy, committed to rejecting the sometimes elitist vibe of dance music culture. After his set is done, he’s happiest on the dance floor, making friends and breaking hearts, not tucked away behind the velvet rope.
Start Activity: 2004
Record Labels: Leftroom / Culprit / Cocoon Recs
Influences: My fellow techno soldier…
May your t shirt be as thin and black as my soul.
May your mixes make Jeff Mills jealous.
May Sergeant Sven bestow the purple heart of house music on your chest.
For a job well done.
This is your future, my son.
With every sip of Becks and bass drop, may the angles of hotmix be with you.
Tomorrow, you become Green and Blue.
I salute you!
– Ryan ‘The Body’ Elliot
Actual Location: London
Links
http://soundcloud.com/matt-tolfrey
https://twitter.com/therealtolfrey
http://www.beatport.com/artist/matt-tolf…
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Press: [email protected]
Booking: [email protected]
Available Also On
Spotify
Rdio
Deezer
Zvooq
Myspace
Rhapsody
MOG