Matrix
Always Moving Forward
Photos by: Tobias Wang
Jaime Quinn, better known in drum and bass as Matrix, has come along way from when he first entered the scene in the early nineties as one half of Turbosound. A prominent dj and producer who has made successful productions under his alias Matrix for such big acts as Ed Rush & Optical and collaborations with DJ SS and more recently, Danny J. His unmatched ability to perfect different sounds has given listeners the pleasure to groove to the smooth melodic tunes such as his remix of Drifter’s “Close to Me” and yet get keyed up in his much harder, darker sounds which wear down your feet as they keep moving to the addictive beat.
I met Jaime in a downtown penthouse suite on a sunny Sunday afternoon. He seemed relaxed and quite calm for someone who has had as he puts it “one of his busiest years”. With the upcoming release of two albums, one with Futurebound titled 'Universal Truth' due next spring, as well as tracks on the new Ed Rush and Optical album. Matrix is truly a force with no intention of slowing down.
Having been in the business so long, Jaime knows the importance of moving along with change especially in the unforgiving industry of music. “You either move forward or get left behind”. This is apparent in his choice to release an album as opposed to his previous preferences of releasing LP’s and singles. “It’s all about doing albums these days. You could show a lot more of yourself putting together an album than you can a pair of twelves. The way the music industry is now, it’s all about getting your sound out there to get noticed .So you gotta be doing albums.”
Better known for his production ability, we should come to expect a lot more from Matrix in terms of bringing his talents as a dj to the forefront. “Over the last couple of years, I’ve been really trying to develop my skills music wise rather than in production”. For a man who has never really had a game plan he seems to be going in the right direction.
Beyond dnb, Matrix has achieved reputable success in the house music scene through collaborating with Danny Goldstein (DJ Danny J) on their Goldtrix project. Their single “Its Love Trippin” reached the top ten on the U.K. dance charts in 2002. Quinn credits his Goldtrix partner as a major influence in what he’s doing now. “He was like a really amazing keyboard player and kinda knew all the hard core music theory. I’ve learned so much from him.”
Breaking out from the crowd has never been an issue to Matrix. The sheer quality of his past work has always made him stand out from the pack and garnered him praise from drum and bass purists. With an album that has been six to seven years in the making, we should anticipate something fresh, new and totally different, yet completely consistent with the standards he has set in the past.
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look a like
In that top pic, Matrix looks just like a guy i used to work with
http://myspace-096.vo.llnwd.net/00217/69/08/217428096_l.jpg
Only pic I could find and he's the one in the mask....