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Breaking it down with Matt Jam Lamont
House | Monday 22nd December 2014 | Osh
Matt Jam Lamont Interview
LO: Who is Matt Jam Lamont, to his mother, to his fans and to himself?
MJL: [laughs] that’s a question that I can’t answer… I don’t know how to answer that
question without being.. it’s hard to talk about yourself in that kind of vein. I can only
presume who I am to other people, I suppose. I don’t know It’s a hard question, I suppose I
get asked this question a lot and I still can’t answer it. You know I presume they see me as a
producer, DJ, that has been at the forefront and beginning of a scene back in the early 90s..
underground house turned into garage which turned into speed garage, call it what you like
by the media. but I don’t know Matt Jam Lamont, the DJ. Started DJing back in the early 90s,
came from Luton to London to find my feet, to find my place in the music scene, and I was
lucky enough to do that. Was at the forefront of the British, UK sound of House and Garage.
LO: How do you think garage music and music in general has changed since you started your
career in the 90s?
MJL: God [pauses]..everything changes, I suppose that it was my time in 1991/1992 and then
it was someone else’s. You know, every year new people come through. Every year people
adapt a certain sound and make it their own. Like garage, garage went through certain
developments, making progression from the US sound into a UK sound and then certain
people came along and made that sound change through time. So in the change, I would
presume that when we had it we took our influences from the US and over the years it has
changed from US 4/4 sound to people like Wookie coming in and developing it into kind of
bass, with MJ Cole making it very musical like we did back in the day as well. And then the
sound changed once again and it’s like a tree, so many branches came off garage. We then
had the MC influences, coming into the early 2000s. The kids had to have their say, so if we
take it to today, I suppose you have people, especially from last year, you have Disclosure
developing the sound. They’ve said in their interviews that their influences come from the
garage sound and the house sound, and they have created their own. You’ve got people today,
like Chris Lorenzo their called Cause and Effect from Birmingham, creating their own kind
of sound with the influences of house and garage. You got a young guy called Predator from
Boy Better Know, who is making a lot of 2 step garage, house, and he has developed that into
his own as well.
LO: He’s doing a gig tomorrow at Fabric Live!
MJL: Yeah, he’s brilliant! I’m into his sound, I have to say at this moment that he is my
favourite producer.
LO: That was my next question, we are seeing a resurgence of UK garage and its influences
on sound so I wanted to get your take on it, what do you think?
MJ: I love it! I love it! I play new music, I play new music, I play old school music but the
majority of my sets is new music. So I have to and I want to play everyone who is coming
through. I don’t want to be stagnant and stay playing the same thing all the time because
that’s just not me. So with the likes of Predator coming through, DJ Q now making more of a
garage thing as well, I kind of like his sound as well. Hers new school people like Low
Steppa, like I said Cause and Effect really like their kind of sound as well. Shadow Child,
there’s all these people coming through, most of them have been around for quite a while but
they’ve just changed their name, developed another name for another sound. But, I would say
those kind of people are the ones that I’m into at the moment and I’m playing a lot of their
stuff. A guy called Friends Within as well.. there’s a lot of stuff about. Coming back with that
house and garage influence. So when people say to me I can’t find any music, I just kind of
laugh because it’s not true. If you are happy playing old school don’t make excuses that you
can’t find new music. There’s too much new music out there.
LO: Right! And it’s so fast, quick and accessible
MJL: Exactly! It’s falling on your lap all the time. So don’t use it as an excuse because you
want to play the same stuff all the time. But yeah there’s a lot of good stuff out and there will
continue to be good stuff out there.
LO: So which artists do you respect and admire?
MJL: Boy, that’s a hard one… I respect everyone who makes music because [pauses]
especially today because, you know, you’re making music to progress some other sides
because unless you’ve got good money behind you, you’re not gonna make a lot of money
out of it. You’re using your music as a promotion. So if you’ve got the time and the energy to
go to the studio and spend all that time to produce tracks to branch other things off it, then I
respect you for it. Because you’re not making no money out of selling that stuff and some
young kids through the block… I’m not gonna mention no names but an artist that’s on my
label thought he was literally going to buy a car out of releasing digital projects. You don’t
make that kind of money like we did back in the day.
LO: It’s not that time anymore, at all
MJL: No no no, things change and you’ve got to adapt to what’s going on today. I’ve
mentioned who I kind of like and the stuff their doing. I respect everyone who is in music and
who is trying something different, trying to push the barriers because that’s what music is
obviously about.
LO: You worked with Alesha Dixon of Misteeq, her career has taken off since then, did you
see the potential in her back then?
MJL: It was quite funny because I did that with a guy called DJ Faith [aka] Gavin Mills, who
I have to say has been one of the best ever persons I’ve worked with, I know I did Tuff Jam
and other things but working with Gavin was just one of the best things. Because obviously
we were responsible for Misteeq to have their first ever single. But Alesha, we needed some
extra vocals at the beginning [sings] ‘it’s the remix Misteeq tell me Why’. They, their
management sent down Alesha and I have to say Alesha Dixon is exactly the same person.
Before this track came out, remember there was no Misteeq they had a single, they had an
R&B track and they wanted a garage mix. Me and DJ Face did it but they sent Alesha down,
she is the same person today as she was back then. She hasn’t changed, fame changes people
but it hasn’t changed her. She’s still got the same crazy laugh, same crazy madness, and time
for everyone. She’s just brilliant! So did we see it in her? I think when she left and then we
finally got to meet the girls, we did say if anyone, this girl band never made it but there is one
person that will make it and that’s her. And that was just because of her personality, she was
always gonna do well so I’m happy for her. I actually saw her, I DJ’d at the MTV EMA
Awards in Glasgow a few months ago, and I saw her then. And do you know what it’s kind
of pleasing to see someone still doing well whether it’s TV or whatever.
LO: She’s branched out…
MJL: Yeah! Not for trying too hard, it’s just that everybody is just drawn to her, even Simon
Cowell! So good on her, she was always gonna do well from day dot, whether or not it was
music or whatever she chose to do, she would have been successful. I sound like a proud
father now [laughs].
LO: I guess you have started to answer my next question which is, who has been your
favourite artist or producer that you’ve worked with over the years?
MJL: Yeah, Gavin Mills. I think because, don’t get me wrong all the things I did in Tuff Jam
were fantastic, at the forefront of the scene. Every producer, remixer, whatever seems to want
a chart hit. You want that chart hit. So if I have to look at, sit back and look at all the things
we’ve done, the remixes. Usher, En Vogue, all these things that I have been involved with,
with Karl or Gavin or whatever. I have to look at the one that pushed a barrier, pushed a
sound and got into the charts, responsible for getting the girls an album deal as well it would
have to be Misteeq –Why. So the person that I worked on with that was Gavin so if I have to
look at that project. But not forgetting my time in Tuff Jam because I had a brilliant time with
Karl, we made some fantastic music, fantastic remixes and made people see garage of
whatever people called it back in the day, underground house, speed garage, whatever… they
made them see it in a different light because even the Americans were playing stuff. I
remember when we did Usher- You Make Me Wanna, that remix, they were playing that
version on the American radio.
LO: That was a great remix! One of my favourites to this day!
MJL: Thank you, it’s one of my favourites as well! I go on YouTube and I still hear it and I
still can’t believe we got to remix his first ever single. Gavin Mills was the engineer on that
as well. So if I had to pick one out of the many, and you lot always ask me to pick one, that’s
the one. Misteeq, and Usher for different reasons. I have to say for him being who he ended
up being and the way that remix came out as well. For his first every single to go to number 1
worldwide, in 70 something different countries. Being involved in that was great but Misteeq
– Why, I would think.
LO: Good choice, I was wondering what do you listen t on your days off, when you’re just
chilling? What’s your soundtrack?
MJL: There’s two things. One, if I am in my car, because I’m involved in music all the time,
I never listen to music. I listen to Talk Sport! [laughs]. Talk Sport and that’s it, that’s all I
listen to! But if I’ve got my girlfriend in the car, and I’m thankful that my girlfriend is into
that music because if she’s in the car we listen to Rare Groove. Old classic rare groove, I’m
talking about proper rare groove not the commercial stuff, even though I love that stuff as
well. Don’t get me wrong because you know it’s the commercial stuff that pops because it’s
popular. People have to distinguish between commercial and popular. So proper rare groove
stuff and even her 10 year old little boy is into it as well.
LO: That’s the way you do it! That’s the way my mum got me into it as well, passing it
down.
MJL: Exactly! That’s how my parents got me as well. So Talk Sport on my own, and when
I’m with my girl, my girlfriend, we listen to rare groove. And the good thing is we both have
all the music that we want, on her phone, my phone, my car whatever. So that’s my chill zone
if I have to listen to things.
LO: I’m getting you to choose one again, if you could go back in time and eradicate one song
from the history of music what would it be?
MJL: what’s the song that did my head in? [pauses] no, can’t say that one… I was going to
say this song right, only because I was with my parents in St. Lucia once and it was number 1
just forever and it was all they played in the clubs, in the houses there. Remember that Robin
Hood song Everything I Do? Only because when I was in St. Lucia that was getting played
on repeat, I’d go to a club, I’m thinking you’ve just played reggae now you’re playing
Everything I Do. It’s just like, because it’s number 1 everywhere. I would love to say a
garage track but I don’t think I should, because the guy who made it I’m very good friends
with and I just think I really don’t like that track every time I hear it in the club. Erm, that’s a
hard question.
LO: I know, people usually say something like The Cheeky Girls or something like that
which got played and played.
MJL: There’s been worse than The Cheeky Girls, there has been worse! The one I’ve given
would be the one because it was so painful, I was there for six weeks and imagine walking
around the corner and you hear the birds then all of a sudden you can hear it coming out of
someone’s house. It was painful, I must have heard it about 50 times a day.
LO: You know the words, you know the words involuntarily.
MJL: Yeah, I think it got to the point where I was putting cotton wool in my ears. But yeah I
would choose that one because even when I hear it now I just laugh.
LO; So my next question is of you could play a gig anywhere in the world, and we know that
you play in Ibiza for example, but anywhere, any spot or corner of the Earth - where would you
like to play?
MJL: It’s so obvious for me to say St. Lucia but I’m not going to, I go there quite a lot so not that
one. There are two places I’d love to play and I haven’t played yet. I haven’t been to Australia,
was meant to go once but a certain person I was with didn’t want to go. That’s too obvious but we
didn’t end up going so I would say Australia and Miami.
LO: Miami is cool!
MJL: Not Miami sorry Hawaii! That’s it, I’ve DJ’d in Miami, sorry, Hawaii. I know certain
people have DJ’d in Hawaii and I really want to go there DJ and find out what it is all about.
LO: DJing in paradise, I like it!
MJL: Yeah, if you think about it you haven’t got a picture in your head of a club in Hawaii.
Everywhere else you have a picture, don’t you? But Hawaii you just can’t picture club life. Loads
of people have DJ’d there I know Carl Cox did New Year’s Eve there a few years back and things
like that. But because I can’t picture it in my head I want to DJ there. We always want a buzz, we
always want something different and DJing in different clubs I don’t’ like the same old same old.
Don’t like the same old line ups or anything. So something like that would be quite challenging
and quite pleasing, hopefully anyway. So erm Australia/New Zealand for obvious reasons that I
haven’t been there but Hawaii because I can’t get it in my head. I need to get that in my head
before I retire one day.
LO: Finally, we at Guestlist know you are playing at the legendary Back to 1995 on Boxing
Day which is going to be massive…
MJL: Can’t wait!
LO: Have you got anything special planned, a little exclusive to tell the people what they can
expect?
MJL: Yeah it’s quite funny at Back to ‘95, because me and Karl did so many great tracks, if
I’m allowed to say that, they normally get played at Back to 1995 so if I’m paying the later
set, they all get rinsed [laughs] so I see the DJ looking at me going oh yeah just gonna steal
your tracks. So that’s cool that’s a compliment, that’s what they are there for, that’s great, I’m
happy. So for this one I’m digging out the mixing that me and Karl never put out or gave to
the major labels
LO: Wow, going into the vaults!
MJL: Yeah there’s a lot of them, there’s a lot. I did a vinyl gig and I haven’t played vinyl for
so long, I did one last week in Switzerland. So I had to go through my whole collection. I’ve
just moved house as well, so that was awkward. But I found my box, so from now until
boxing day I’m gonna be going through those and digging out the Tina Moore mixes that
never came out. Usher stuff that never came out, all of these things that never came out so it’s
gonna be quite interesting. I’m really looking forward to it actually, not for just that reason,
but that is what I think they should be looking for, exclusive dubs!
LO: And on that exclusive note, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to talk to me.
MJL: Thank you for having me, I’ve looked forward to this interview.
LO: You’ve been great thank you so much.
Click HERE for more info on Back To 95 Boxing Day Special
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