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It's hard enough amongst an increasingly torrid tide of competition to have success with one moniker, let alone three.  But in releasing consistently on point avant pop under his own name; abstract darkness as False and big room minimal as Audion, Texan Matthew Dear puts himself on a par with Carl Craig and Richie Hawtin in terms of multi-monikered achievers.

Reverting to his given name for the first time since 2007's Asa Breed, this month (August 16^th on Ghostly International) sees Dear release 'Black City' - an ode of shorts to his hometown, New York.  In the dark and brooding vocals, complex arrangements and juxtaposition of summery pop, twisted electro and housier fare, 'Black City' has all the traits you'd expect of metropolitan life:  bristling atmospheres, bright neon lights and an underlying tension.

The album is a slower, sexier and more fractured affair than its predecessor, and is one which surely bares the hallmarks of what Dear listened to whilst  writing and recording it: there are shades of Bowie, hints of 80s dark wave Gary Newman stuff and a bag load of other influences to boot.  Dear's own vocals are back, more prominent than ever before and have him musing on love, life, losses and... monkeys.  The words and the sounds draw you in so compellingly from start to finish that it's now hard not to consider Matthew Dear as able a singer songwriter as he is a DJ and producer.

How has life changed since your last Matthew Dear album in 2007 and what, if any, effect has that had on you as a musician?
I've engulfed myself within touring and built a bigger studio since Asa Breed. Travelling definitely added more stories for the fire, which in turn became part of the songs on Black City.

Do you set specific time aside to work under each of your monikers - do you have specific mind states for each or are they all just mixed in together?
In the past, I didn't have to, but lately I've been focusing more on the stuff under my own name. It seems I have to set more time aside for the house and techno nowadays. My mind tends to gravitate towards songs these days. I usually work on techno in hotels while on the road.

What drives your creativity mostly; what gets you up and writing new music day after day?
Strong coffee.

I have to build my albums backwards. I spend all my time making new music, and when it's time for a new album, I sort through what has collected and piece the album together...I've read you say the music you make relates to what you have on your iPod at any a given time - does anything in particular drive that? Is it a conscious choice to listen to x and y or driven by events in your life or...?
It's not a random thing by any means. What I had meant was that I listen to very specific playlists at specific points in my life. I tend to listen to only a few artists over and over again until I tire of them. It usually shifts every 12 months into different categories. For Asa Breed, I was listening to a lot of afro-beat and juju music. Throughout Black City though, I was listening to darker synth based music. Gary Numan, Dead Can Dance, Bauhaus.

Following on from that, what is it about the music that you like that makes you like it (if you know what I mean)? What excites/engages you in terms of sound?
I like things to sound simple, but a bit askew. I like one tone or sound to be out of this world, but not the entire song. It's very simple to over think things with electronic music. There is a purity to production that must remain.

So, Black City... how reflective of your feelings toward New York is it, and in what ways?
The weight of the city is prevalent while living there. It's really more about the architectural and physical presence of the place more than the culture or scenes. I think the concrete mass and troves of humanity can seep into one's psyche while living there. It's impossible to ignore.

  Did you know what you wanted the album to sound like when you started or did it grow organically as you progressed with it?
I have to build my albums backwards. I spend all my time making new music, and when it's time for a new album, I sort through what has collected and piece the album together. I knew "Little People (Black City)" was a cornerstone for the album's sound, and picked songs that fit into that feeling. The album kept changing up until the last weeks before deadline.

Was ASA Breed anywhere in your mind when you wrote this album? Is it a conscious development of that record in any way or...?
I only went back to Asa Breed after Black City was finished. I have a tendency to ignore my music once it has been released. I'm not interested in listening to my past, because it is always time to work on new songs.

How do you start when writing a track? Do you think 'right I have this emotion/feeling and I need to get that onto record' or do you just start and see where the music takes you?
Usually I sit down, turn on my machines and just go for it. Sometimes though on the road I'll have a technical idea, and save it for the first time I go back to the studio. For instance, on a recent flight I was thinking about programming a 1/16 note repeating hi-hat on a key, and make its decay time dependent upon the pressure of the key. This isn't rocket science, but it's something I'd never done.

What are the important things to you when making music? Lyrics, structures, emotions, instruments or just the finished product?
There has to be feeling in the song. You can't fake the moment that defines a song. Sometimes it doesn't work out, so I have to just leave that song for later.

Do you ever have to balance making the music you want to make with making music that you think people will like? Or is that maybe why you have the aliases?
Absolutely not. It's a blessing to have such creative control in our community of music. I can make whatever I like and don't have to worry about contracts, or limitations.

Will you tour the album live? Was it written with that in mind? Which parts will you play and who else will be involved?
I have a band that tours these albums. It's the same band from the Asa Breed tour, with one new addition. The album wasn't written with live performance in mind, but it's fun to approach it after the fact. We deconstruct the album into pieces like drums, bass, and synths, and re-build it for the stage.
   
Music creation has always been about trial and error for me, and not limiting one's self to a specific genre...
Can you tell us a little about the videos and films accompanying the album? What made you decide to do that? Where you sort of writing a sound track to a film that hadn't been made when you wrote Black City?
The videos and films will come out slowly over the year. They will describe themselves, and are merely another way to convey meaning within the album. Some of my favourite musical memories are embedded with visual elements.

How does your Matthew Dear stuff go down in America where there's a more clear distinction between electronic and indie music? Is that still the case?
It's hard to tell. Everything is changing everywhere very fast. Each market receives the album differently. I think the UK has always been ahead of the curve in terms of genre bending. Or at least knowing you don't have to draw borders around music. It's a shame when some people can't listen to an album like Black City without also thinking, "But he's a DJ too, so we can't take it seriously".

Is the aim with the stuff under your own name maybe to make something lasting, something less disposable than a lot of dance floor 12"s can be or does that not bother you?
It's simply the way I've made music since I was 14 years old. Some days I write guitar music, other days dance-floor. Music creation has always been about trial and error for me, and not limiting one's self to a specific genre. There are very many different goals within music. A disposable techno song is an immediate fix. It pleases 10,000 people in about 2 weeks. Softer, more elaborate music may reach 10,000 people for a few years or more. Neither is better. They are each important to our ingestion of music. Sometimes you need it now, and sometimes you need it later.

You've talked about being submerged in a metropolis and the effect it has on your music, would you ever move away to the country? Or do you thrive on the hustle, intensity and so on of city life?
[Laughs] I always play with the idea of moving to the country. It's comes up in my mind at least once a day. I think the key is to have 2 places in life.... your retreat in the wilderness and your fortress in the city. I am not ready to hide in the trees, but I also don't want to sacrifice myself to a concrete world.

What's next for you?
Tour, tour, tour.

Dates
August 17 - Berlin @ Soulshower
August 19 - Barcelona @ Club 4
August 20 - Geneva @ Weetamix
August 21 - Sardinia @ Heaven
August 22 - We Love... Space Sundays - Ibiza
August 27 - Montpellier @ La Dune
August 28 - Jesolo @ Il Muretto
August 29 - Leeds @ Garden Party
August 29 - London @ Ministry of Sound

N. America Tour start in October/November.
UK/EU Tour start in December.

***Matthew Dear also records as Audion, False, Jabberjaw
www.matthewdear.com Ghostly Facebook  - Myspace - Tumblr