Brighton based Matty S has been collecting & playing records for over 20 years. His collection covers a spectrum of genres including Jazz, Disco, House, Brazilian, Zouk and Reggae. He has regular radio shows on @loose.fm

Matty is a member of @discotheque_tropicale, a collective, event series and record label created to celebrate and generate interest in a range of borderless music and culture from around the world. The Discothèque Tropicale label will focus on licensed reissues and edits largely centred around music from the Southern French Antilles and the Zouk genre in particular.

Check his Matty’s mixes 👉 www.soundcloud.com/mattys

Show some love, follow 👉 @matty_s_vinyl

Each week we will be taking a dip into the crates and minds of some of the digging scenes most prolific collectors.

Got love for the wax?
Send us a DM with your stash to get featured.

Favourite record labels of all time?

“When it comes to reissues and uncovering lost gems, I think it has to be Mr. Bongo in Brighton. They have been consistently doing their thing for over 30 years and are still one of the best in the business.
I also need to mention the Prescription label which was set up by Ron Trent & Chez Damier in the early 90’s. In my opinion it’s responsible for some of the best and timeless House music and I own most of the catalogue!”

Name one institution that changed your life musically… and why?

“When I was about 16, I got offered a job at Crazy Beat Records in Essex when meeting the owner Gary Dennis after a long day of digging in the store. At the time I was mainly collecting House records but working at Crazy Beat exposed me to so many other genres like Jazz, Funk, Disco and Reggae. This led to me gaining a lot of knowledge and discovering so much new music.”

Where is your digging mecca (city / country) and why?

“I normally visit Berlin a few times a year, it’s one of my favourite places. It feels like there is always a record store close by wherever you are in the city and they are normally really good too. On my most recent trip I stumbled across Vinyl-a-GoGo near Boxhagener Platz in Friedrichshain which has a great selection of African records. I picked up a great Kenyan Soukous LP.”

Name a song to soundtrack the sunshine….

“Mendes & Mendes – Mitamiyo. The composers are from Cape Verde where they are used to plenty of sunshine!”

What is it about vinyl that makes you dig it?

“There is something special about discovering new genres or labels and being able to delve into them. When you dig a record which has been on the wants list for a long time, it’s such a buzz. It’s true that Discogs has taken some of the fun away but at the same time it’s made records a lot more accessible across the world. When I hear a track which I own I instantly visualise the sleeve or label and where abouts it sits on my record shelf; you are building a more personal connection with the music.”