Welcome To The Realm Of Gorgon City: 'Olympia' [Interview]

Dance music has always had the ability to transcend the club, bypassing borders and bringing whoever from wherever together. Gorgon City’s Matt and Kye joined forces almost 10 years ago and have been moving people ever since.

Photo courtesy of Will Robson-Scott

A month ago, New Wave Magazine was lucky enough to catch up with the mythological duo in the run-up to the release of their most accomplished album yet: ‘Olympia’. Due to the current circumstances, friends Matt and Kye had been separated across the Atlantic for over a year, only recently being reunited to play a couple of shows on the East Coast (one of them being at the legendary ‘CLUB SPACE’ in Miami).

Some big dates are coming up for the guys across 25 live performances (starting from the 17th September) and we hope to see this year out with the incredible energy that Gorgon City brings to the dancefloor.

Kye and Matt met through being fans of each other’s music, from working on solo projects to then one day deciding to collaborate, they realised it was ‘a lot of fun’. A decade of hard work followed, where they cultivated a dedicated crowd of ravers who follow them around the world and never let them down.

In love with mythology and taking people on a journey, the two producers spoke with us about their time in lockdown, curating new sounds, finding ways to collaborate, remixing, navigating time zones and informed us who really is the Mayor of Gorgon City.

‘This is the first time we haven’t been on tour for like, 8 years’ (Matt)

Entering 'Olympia' is like peering into the consciousness of Gorgon City, the pandemic allowing them both to be ‘more experimental’ (Kye) with the album’s sound and after releasing 8 singles, you’d think that most of their new music would be out there already. Coming in at 18 tracks, ‘Olympia’ spoils us with unique sounds, reinvented production and a departure from the classic Gorgon City vibe. Even though Matt and Kye had been working on the album tirelessly before COVID hit, they both admitted that their separation uniquely influenced it. Taking some much needed rest from the constant movement of tour life, the lads have still managed to remain busy with live streams, producing more tracks, spending time with family as well, as working on growing the next generation of talent through their music label: ‘REALM’.

When talking ‘Olympia’, Matt remarked ‘we wanted to make sure people could experience it properly and see it live. We finally had time to actually finish stuff properly.’ He continued saying that for them both not being together allowed them to ‘contemplate and work on songs and finesse them more.’

‘It turned from a 12 track album to 18 tracks’. (Kye)

Kye reflected that ‘having extra time, we actually changed the album quite a bit… it turned from a 12 track album to 18 tracks.’ ‘The album was 70% done before COVID’ (Matt), ‘We’ve never had more than two weeks at home. It was always non-stop. That was the one good thing that came out of it was just a bit of time to like, take a step back and reflect on everything you’ve done and what we want to do in the future.’ (Matt) When we asked ‘why Olympia?’ Kye replied that ‘Just having a place… so it feels like when you’re listening to the music or at a show… you feel like you’re being taken somewhere.’

Taking their time with something hasn’t exactly been Gorgon City’s M.O. over the years, since being on tour constantly doesn't allow you much time to relax, let alone create and work on new music. Being forced to slow down has been a ‘blessing in disguise’ for Matt and Kye, who used to take the saying 'no days off' pretty literally. The stage has been their home for much of their careers and in early 2020 like many others they had to actually stay at home, their actual homes. During this time collaboration was key, especially with the time difference: ‘maybe Kye would work on something and I would work on something else depending. Then I would send it to him and then go to bed and then he would start working on it. Then I'd wake up and see the changes’. (Matt)

When we asked Matt and Kye what show they were most looking forward to, they both agreed that Printworks would be the one. The final date of the tour and a couple of weeks before the end of 2021, seeing a home crowd will be quite the welcome back for Gorgon City. ‘It’s probably my favourite venue in the world.’ (Kye). Having sold 5000 tickets in 4 minutes, it’s clear that they are also a favourite with their home crowd.

There was much more to celebrate during lockdown, Matt became a father. ‘It’s been a blessing in disguise for me, I’ve been able to be there like a lot more and see her grow... most can only take a month off or so and I’ve had like a year.’ The North London native quipped.

As we were closing the interview we were keen to know about Kye's experience in Chicago that allowed him to experience the city’s ‘DNA’ whilst ‘recharging’. House Music being integral to the city’s history we felt it was an appropriate location for 50% of Gorgon City while 'Olympia' was gearing up for its welcome into the world. Asking the duo on tracks they’re most looking forward to playing Kye replied that ‘Oxygen’ is ‘something different from us’ and on remixing songs, the producer had some wise words: ‘it’s similar to writing original tracks. The first idea is always right for the track. I think it’s always important not to overthink it. There’s no wrong way of making a track or a remix I guess you just have to keep true to yourself and see what happens.’

Lastly we asked, who is the Mayor of Gorgon City? Kye replied:

‘The people, the listener.’

Gorgon City’s third studio album is certainly a triumph for London’s favourite electronic duo. Overcoming isolation, separation and a few nappies thrown in, New Wave Magazine are proud to have been part of the journey and get our passports stamped at 'Olympia', our congratulations to Matt and his partner with their new arrival and Gorgon City for an incredible body of work.

Stream 'Olympia' now. Order Gorgon City music and merch here.