Max HeyraudWe caught up with Mathman ahead of his all-night-long set at Tengu with LOST to chat about extended sets, pirate radio, his debut album SK83, the concept of legacy, and more.
Dublin-born Mathman has been a steadfast devotee of Ireland’s bass music scene for most of his life. His career spans the diverse shades of the UK sound, but at its core runs a distinctly Irish and Dublin influence, a thread that defines his work. From his formative years on pirate radio to becoming a cornerstone of Dublin’s underground club scene, Mathman has graced some of the city’s most iconic venues, from theatres to gritty basements. In every setting, he’s worn his heart on his sleeve for underground culture, always with a profound devotion to his hometown—a devotion he’s far from shy about expressing, and with good reason.
Dublin, for all its beauty, faces undeniable challenges, particularly in its club culture. Many of the venues Mathman once frequented have disappeared, leaving the city in a constant cycle of reinvention. With each iteration, it feels as though another fragment of its soul is lost. Mathman is among the first to acknowledge these struggles, but through his music and near-poetic storytelling, he invokes an immense pride in Dublin. His music mirrors the city itself: gritty, fractured, and resistant to easy categorisation, yet brimming with character, swagger, and an unwavering refusal to conform.
His independently released album, SK83, is a love letter to Dublin. A conceptual narrative following “a young Dubliner” navigating love, loss, and raving, it’s as much a personal journey as it is a celebration of the city’s raw beauty. The album underscores Mathman’s position as a proud champion of Dublin, unapologetically forging his own path and receiving well-earned recognition along the way.
Mathman plays with LOST at Tengu tomorrow night for an all-night-long set. A rare moment to see the spotlight fully on him as he digs deep into the trenches of his record collection.
Happy New Year, mate! How are you feeling creatively in the early stages of 2025?
Happy New Year Max. You know what, I’m feeling pretty good to be honest. Last year took a lot out of me creatively, and rolling out your debut album as an independent artist can really feel like a slog sometimes. But I’m fully charged and excited for the year ahead.
Let’s start at the beginning. How did you first get introduced to dance music?
It would have been a group of older mates on my estate growing up in Clondalkin. They were about 4 or 5 years older than me. They used to make me mixtapes of the best tunes that were out. I would play those tapes non-stop. There were 2 or 3 lads in the group that took DJing and record collecting really seriously. Something within me made me naturally gravitate towards them from a very early age. The whole world of DJing and collecting vinyl just lit a passion inside me. By the time I was 14 I was doing my own gigs.
What DJs were you listening to in the early days?
I’ve always had quite a varied palette when it comes to music. There has always been a cross-section of a lot of different things going on all at once. At the very beginning, I was really into hardcore and breakbeat. It would’ve been a combination of mad euro-hardcore, gabber, and UK rave-inspired stuff. DJs/artists like Slipmatt, Nookie, Hixxy, Charly Lownoise & Mental Theo, Dune, and compilations like United Dance, Bonkers, Jungle Mania, and all that. Over time I gradually moved on from that as the scene kind of lost its way a bit. I had a big trance phase in my late teens—Oakenfold, Sasha, etc. As I matured I started to fall back in love with broken rhythms at all tempos, which led me down the bass music path in all its manifestations. LTJ Bukem was always a constant during that time, as were Chase & Status, the Stanton Warriors, and Goldie. Later it became Randall, London Elektricity, and people like Wilkinson and Sub Focus.
You were a big player in the Irish pirate radio scene. Do you think it helped to change the sounds that were played in clubs or raves at the time?
I honestly wouldn’t have said I was a big player at all, but it certainly had a huge impact on me. Well before the internet and social media, pirate radio and record shops were our conduits to the scene and community. Our information sources. Places and spaces where the culture and community were fostered. They were both so pivotal to the scene. Pirate radio would absolutely have played a huge part in the popularity of certain genres and what was played in the clubs. They both fed each other to be honest. If it was bangin’ on the pirates, it was bangin’ in the clubs.
You’re giving a production masterclass this Saturday with the AM PM crew in Racket Space. What are you going to be covering, and what about it are you looking forward to?
I think events like these are so crucial to the wider community and bringing people together. Sharing knowledge and stories is how things can be built. Big up to the AM PM crew for having the ambition to lean into that side of things and try to grow a community. Things like that really matter. I think on the day I’m gonna break down sessions of some of my tracks and then hopefully give people some advice on their own tracks. Some tips and tricks too. Ultimately just have a buzz with everyone, create some good vibes, and share some knowledge.
Later that night, you play all night long in Tengu with the LOST crew. How are you preparing to play an extended set? Do you have any memories of extended sets over the years that stick out to you?
I’ve played plenty of 3-hour sets in my time, but I think this may be my first 4-hour. I’m hoping to share my own journey through bass music across the night, with all the genres that have meant so much to me over the years. 4 hours is a great opportunity to journey the set and feel it all out. The smash-and-grab feeling of 1-hour sets over the last few years can feel a bit shallow at times. Playing all night long will give me plenty of time and space to roll it out and let things breathe. Expect everything from 2step flexers, breakbeat, UKG warpers, and Drum n Bass bangers. In terms of memories? One of my best memories of an extended set was when I was at the Red Bull Music Academy in Tokyo in 2014. I saw Floating Points playing in a skyscraper overlooking the city and it was something very special.
I have to touch on your album, SK83, great record! How are you feeling post-release? You poured a lot of love into it, how did you find letting it go to the public?
Thank you man. I really appreciate that. To be honest, I’m glad it’s now out in the world. It was a true labour of love. I put my heart into it. I knew having such a narrative-heavy dance music album is something quite unusual and probably a bit of a challenge for people to get their head around. But it was very close to my heart and that’s how I wanted it delivered. Luckily, it got an incredible response both here and abroad, and I had a brilliant run of gigs (Chase & Status, Anachronica, Beyond the Pale, The Streets) through last year to help support it.
On a similar tip, I wanted to ask about your interaction with your own music on a personal level. A lot of your music is conceptual and thematic and naturally quite personal. How does this close-knit relationship with creativity affect you? Is it draining at all?
Again, thank you for noticing that. My music is incredibly personal. Sometimes I feel I can put too much of myself into it if I’m honest. But I know if I didn’t, it wouldn’t feel as real or as cathartic to me. In terms of the physical and emotional effects of creating, yeah it really can be draining. There are days you don’t even wanna look at the studio because you feel like you’ve nothing to give. It can be tough. However, I would generally make the distinction that that feeling relates more to my album work than it does my attitude to club tracks. Album work is incredibly personal and takes a lot more out of you. I believe all music is emotion, and when you actively and openly pour so much of yourself into your music, you can be left with little on the other side for a while. But in time it grows and you refill the batteries and the cycle begins all over again. It’s a crazy addiction.
Although the music is personal on SK83, it’s also a story, which isn’t essentially your story—a theme not often explored in electronic music, especially not club music. Where did that idea come from, and how did you tie it together?
Yeah, 100%. I’m delighted that you picked up on that and it translated from the album. Narrative-based electronic music albums aren’t that common. For me, the idea of an album isn’t just a collection of tracks—there’s got to be a story or subtext that lives within it. All the albums I love to this day had that. They last longer. Feel more real. I think the big difference in my attitude towards writing an album versus a club tune is that when I’m working on an album I’m actually writing songs. Songs have got to have a story or an underlying thought, and that can be harder to translate into music. Club tracks are less nuanced. More like straight-up bangers. Get the dancefloor rollin. I guess the overall idea behind SK83 was to tell my own story and share some of my experiences through my music. Although it was told thru the eyes of a young Dubliner, I feel a lot of the themes explored affect us all universally. Dealing with love and loss, navigating the complexities and challenges of adolescence, exploring all that’s new—all whilst being completely seduced by rave culture for the first time.
You hinted that the project is a prequel. Can you share any news about the follow-up?
Yeah, man. The Prequel is essentially part 1 of a 3-part project. SK83 will be a story that’s told over the course of 3 albums. The Prequel was essentially the foundation of the story arc. Part 2 will be out this year. It’s called SK83 (Here & Now). I’m currently just signing off on the album artwork as we speak. I’m excited to put the album out and continue the story.
You also have a remix pack forthcoming for the album. Any news on that? Would you ever consider taking this further than music and turning it into a book, play, or film?
Yeah, it’s actually only just out. SK83 (The Remix Collection) dropped just before Christmas. There are some absolute DONS on remix duties on this. Irish drum and bass royalty ‘Zero T,’ UK hardcore, breakbeat, and DNB legend ‘Settle Down,’ and amazing new Irish talents like Enno, Aksent & Charmur, XXX In Stereo, Stitch, and FIN. It was really important to me to have some of the next generation of Irish talent on there and they all absolutely smashed it. The idea of film is very exciting to me. I love that idea. You get full credit if it ever comes to life!
Let’s shift gears a bit. You recently appeared in DJ Mag. You said via Instagram, “I’ve been buying DJ Mag since I was a teenager, so it’s a big buzz to finally appear in it.” How did that come about, and how did it feel to have a full-circle moment like that?
Ah yeah, that was a real buzz. Never did I ever think as a teenager I’d be in a magazine so closely tied to, and important to, dance music culture as DJ Mag. It was only small, but it meant a lot. It all really came about off the back of SK83 being so well received and making some noise, so when the chance came around I was delighted.
You spoke a bit about the idea of legacy and the importance of legacy in the context of Irish dance music and its history in your interview with Eric Davidson. How would you like your legacy to be remembered in a dance music context?
The idea of legacy for me is really just about making a positive contribution to the music scene and culture, however big or small. Playing a small part in moving things forward and progressing ideas. That’s really important to me. If I can even do that in a small way, then I’m good.
