Mathew Jonson

Mathew Jonson is a phenomenon in electronic music. For nearly 40 years he has forged a sound instantly recognisable on the dance floor – often copied but impossible to imitate. Raw, analogue, and alive, he is a master of real-time performance who shapes drum machines and synthesisers into unforgettable journeys, making every show a one-off experience. From underground clubs to sold-out concert halls and collaborations with orchestras, Jonson’s name guarantees a performance of rare intensity and musicality.

His career took off in the early 2000s with influential releases on Perlon, Kompakt, M_nus, Cocoon, and ITISWHATITIS Recordings, a label where he released his very first record in 2001 and which he later acquired. Anthems like "Marionette" and "Decompression" established him as a producer of rare vision, while his live sets quickly became must-see events, consistently ranked among Resident Advisor’s top acts. During this period he was voted Best International Producer twice in Germany’s Groove Magazine, a testament to his impact on the European techno landscape, and went on to appear on the covers of DJ Mag, Groove, Synmag, and other leading publications. Unlike many, Jonson avoids the use of samples for melodic content, instead writing, performing, mixing and producing everything himself – even contributing his own voice and percussion – giving his music a depth and identity that is entirely his own.

Jonson’s discography spans era-defining singles and albums across labels like Crosstown Rebels and Fabric, where his "Fabric 84" mix captured the spirit of his live sets with unreleased edits and classics performed in real time. His two solo studio albums, "Agents Of Time" (2010, Wagon Repair) and "Her Blurry Pictures" (2013, Crosstown Rebels), expanded his scope even further – balancing intricate dance floor energy with explorations of deeper, more introspective sounds. He is currently working on his third studio album, a collaborative project featuring many artists living in Lisbon, where he now resides. His remix work is equally renowned, covering a wide spectrum of electronic music’s most influential figures. He has reimagined The Chemical Brothers ("Believe", "The Boxer"), Moby ("Slipping Away"), Cybotron ("Clear"), Kevin Saunderson ("Good Life"), Plastikman ("Plastique"), VCMG – Vince Clarke & Martin Gore ("Single Blip"), Goldie ("Redemption"), Josh Wink ("Higher State of Consciousness"), The Martinez Brothers ("No Pop"), Rone ("Nouveau Monde"), Joseph Capriati ("Love Changed Me"), Stephan Bodzin ("Tron"), and Alan Fitzpatrick ("Something Wonderful"), as well as crossover work with Nelly Furtado. These remixes underline his rare ability to bridge underground innovation with mainstream resonance.

He has also expanded beyond the club and festival circuit, collaborating with the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra and performing a sold-out show at the Berlin Philharmonie with Cobblestone Jazz. With that group, Jonson recorded two albums for the iconic !K7 label, further cementing their reputation as one of electronic music’s most respected live acts. Another landmark moment came with "Cinemix": a world premiere performance of a newly composed soundtrack for the silent film "Faust", created live by Jonson alongside Tyger Dhula, Danuel Tate, and Hrdvsion.

Beyond performance, Jonson has continued to innovate. In 2019 he launched Freedom Engine and its debut album "A Box Full Of Magic", followed by the creation of the Freedom Engine Academy – an educational platform built with handpicked mentors to pass on knowledge and foster collaboration. Now preparing to launch its 5th annual edition in 2026, the Academy has become a vital space for nurturing the next generation of electronic musicians.

Now, 25 years since his debut "New Identity" and nearly 40 years since first making electronic music, Jonson is preparing to celebrate a milestone anniversary in his career. Represented in Europe by LittleBig, his current projects include Freedom Engine, his collaboration with Âme, and his ongoing solo work as Mathew Jonson. A pioneer, a mentor, and an artist in constant motion, Mathew Jonson continues to shape the future of electronic music with every performance and release.

FREEDOM ENGINE

Mathew Jonson lives and works in Berlin. He has been experimenting with electronic music since 1986 and now presents a new album as ‘Freedom Engine’, released on Dekmantel in October 2019.

Worthwhile albums tend to be as much about the process of making them as they are about the end products themselves. One can almost hear formal, technical, even philosophical questions being asked and answered on them in order to arrive at something personally and politically new for the artist. “A Box Full of Magic,” at once sprawling, cosmic, and psychedelic in the best of ways, follows in this album-making tradition.

It is a record steeped in off kilter percussive time, live recording, occasionally summer cloud-paced tempos, and lush, emotional, melodic instrumentation. “A Sunrise On the Front,” the final track of the record (and a composition crushing in its beauty), encapsulates much of this: recorded live on a Rhodes, the melody gives voice to the paradoxical sense of hope even during the pathology of war. Such conceptual ambition fits perfectly well within the capacious vision of Mathew Jonson’s Freedom Engine, a project whose very name seems to explore and allow for the conceptual paradox and complexity of approaching freedom through the engine of technology.

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