Matt Darey started out in the UK rave scene and his first (self released) production was the track ‘Obsession’ which was created as part of his University project ‘The Marketing of a Rave Record’. After leaving university Darey and his school friend Jamie White secured a major record deal with Sire (Sire’s Seymour Stien had happened to call the office of small indie label when their demo tape was being played in the background).
Ultimately the pair didn’t ever release anything for the label and when the money had run out Darey – under the alias Li Kwan Project - a double-A side release signed for 400 pounds. The flipside was a relatively minor handbag track ‘I Need A Man’ but the lead track proved to be one of the most influential early trance tracks. ‘Point Zero’s sweeping arpeggios, squawking acid and bubbling bass line are now clearly recognizable as the key elements of the mid-nineties trance championed by the likes of Paul Oakenfold. But when it was released in 1994 it was unlike any other production. It drew upon the Goa sound that was laying the foundations of the trance genre but picked up those elements and took them to another level. Oakenfold was unsurprisingly a major fan and with his support it became one of the foundation stones of the newly emerging trance genre.
Though Darey followed up with a number of releases it wasn’t until three years later with the ‘Distant Voices’ E.P. under the alias Lost Tribe (a collaboration with Hooj Choon’s Red Jerry) that he was to have such a strong impact again. In ‘Gamemaster’ - the stand out track from the E.P. - Darey picked up where he had left off with ‘Point Zero’: swirling arpeggios, spacey vocals and a driving synth lead created a similarly ethereal feel to ‘Point Zero’ but there was also a new edge that was both more melodic driving at the same time.
The following year Darey’s remix of the old Westbam track ‘Wizards of the Sonic’ began to turn heads but it was his remix of Binary Finary’s ‘1998’ that really thrust him centre stage. The remix of ‘1998’ set the blue print for the big euphoric trance sound that propelled trance to its peak years in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. The impact of the remix was such that Darey became one of the most in demand remixers on the trance scene. Riding this wave of success Darey mixed the first of his three ‘Euphoria’ compilations.
Later Years: 2000 to present
The three ‘Euphoria’ compilations Darey mixed collectively sold a million copies and established his profile beyond the club dance floor. This gave Darey the springboard for the further commercial success that has to date seen him sell over a million singles.
Though his remixes brought him club success it was his move to more radio friendly vocal trance that gave Darey mainstream success. In 2000 he released the vocal trance track ‘Beautiful’ featuring his then girlfriend Marcella Woods who had also appeared on 1999’s ‘Liberation (Fly Like An Angel)’. ‘Beautiful’ was a cross over hit for Darey but rather than following up immediately he took two years out to travel around the world. In 2002 he released ‘U Shine On’ and a re-release of ‘Beautiful’, both of which enjoyed further chart success.
Throughout the mid 2000’s Darey fluctuated between remixes of old tunes (‘Point Zero 2004’), dance floor trance (‘Wanna Be An Angel’) and progressive ‘Sum Of All Fears’).
Though the period was comparatively successful (including a US album release ‘Up Front Trance’) Darey had lost the clear direction and distinct sound that had set him apart in the 1990’s. But towards the end of the 2000’s Darey began to move away from mainstream trance and carve out a sound once again put blue water between himself and the rest of the pack. In 2007 he released the debut EP of his live project Urban Astronauts. Urban Astronauts combines guitar riffs, rock vocals and dance beat to create a sound that is both contemporary and distinct.
Darey’s weekly radio show ‘Nocturnal’ also shows his increasingly musical eclecticism and his DJ sets are now often as likely to feature raw electro as they are euphoric trance. Darey’s nocturnal Podcast was nominated for the best podcast at the 2008 Miami Winter Music Conference and for the Best Radio Mix Show DJ at the 2009 International Dance Music Awards. In 2009 he set up the 'Nocturnal Global' label to release his own productions and collaborations.
Matt Darey's ex-girlfriend features as vocalist on many of Darey's tracks including 'Beautiful', 'U Shine On' and 'Liberation'.
Matt Darey started out in the UK rave scene and his first (self released) production was the track ‘Obsession’ which was created as part of his University project ‘The Marketing of a Rave Record’. After leaving university Darey and his school friend Jamie White secured a major record deal with Sire (Sire’s Seymour Stien had happened to call the office of small indie label when their demo tape was being played in the background). Ultimately the pair didn’t ever release anything for the label and when the money had run out Darey – under the alias Li Kwan Project - a double-A side release signed for 400 pounds. The flipside was a relatively minor handbag track ‘I Need A Man’ but the lead track proved to be one of the most influential early trance tracks. ‘Point Zero’s sweeping arpeggios, squawking acid and bubbling bass line are now clearly recognizable as the key elements of the mid-nineties trance championed by the likes of Paul Oakenfold. But when it was released in 1994 it was unlike any other production. It drew upon the Goa sound that was laying the foundations of the trance genre but picked up those elements and took them to another level. Oakenfold was unsurprisingly a major fan and with his support it became one of the foundation stones of the newly emerging trance genre.
Though Darey followed up with a number of releases it wasn’t until three years later with the ‘Distant Voices’ E.P. under the alias Lost Tribe (a collaboration with Hooj Choon’s Red Jerry) that he was to have such a strong impact again. In ‘Gamemaster’ - the stand out track from the E.P. - Darey picked up where he had left off with ‘Point Zero’: swirling arpeggios, spacey vocals and a driving synth lead created a similarly ethereal feel to ‘Point Zero’ but there was also a new edge that was both more melodic driving at the same time. The following year Darey’s remix of the old Westbam track ‘Wizards of the Sonic’ began to turn heads but it was his remix of Binary Finary’s ‘1998’ that really thrust him centre stage. The remix of ‘1998’ set the blue print for the big euphoric trance sound that propelled trance to its peak years in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. The impact of the remix was such that Darey became one of the most in demand remixers on the trance scene. Riding this wave of success Darey mixed the first of his three ‘Euphoria’ compilations.
The three ‘Euphoria’ compilations Darey mixed collectively sold a million copies and established his profile beyond the club dance floor. This gave Darey the springboard for the further commercial success that has to date seen him sell over a million singles. Though his remixes brought him club success it was his move to more radio friendly vocal trance that gave Darey mainstream success. In 2000 he released the vocal trance track ‘Beautiful’ featuring his then girlfriend Marcella Woods who had also appeared on 1999’s ‘Liberation (Fly Like An Angel)’. ‘Beautiful’ was a cross over hit for Darey but rather than following up immediately he took two years out to travel around the world. In 2002 he released ‘U Shine On’ and a re-release of ‘Beautiful’, both of which enjoyed further chart success.
Throughout the mid 2000’s Darey fluctuated between remixes of old tunes (‘Point Zero 2004’), dance floor trance (‘Wanna Be An Angel’) and progressive ‘Sum Of All Fears’). Though the period was comparatively successful (including a US album release ‘Up Front Trance’) Darey had lost the clear direction and distinct sound that had set him apart in the 1990’s. But towards the end of the 2000’s Darey began to move away from mainstream trance and carve out a sound once again put blue water between himself and the rest of the pack. In 2007 he released the debut EP of his live project Urban Astronauts. Urban Astronauts combines guitar riffs, rock vocals and dance beat to create a sound that is both contemporary and distinct. Darey’s weekly radio show ‘Nocturnal’ also shows his increasingly musical eclecticism and his DJ sets are now often as likely to feature raw electro as they are euphoric trance. Darey’s nocturnal Podcast was nominated for the best podcast at the 2008 Miami Winter Music Conference and for the Best Radio Mix Show DJ at the 2009 International Dance Music Awards. In 2009 he set up the 'Nocturnal Global' label to release his own productions and collaborations.