Once Again / MATRAKK

In conversation with the French DJ & producer.

With Once Again, MATRAKK enters a phase of refinement rather than escalation. The EP captures a moment of recalibration, where groove, emotion, and melody take precedence over pressure and speed. Drawing from trance, hard house, and melodic techno, the project moves through optimism, nostalgia, and release, reflecting an artist reshaping his energy without losing its intensity. Once Again stands as both a continuation and a reset, a record that frames evolution as an emotional process rather than a stylistic shift.

“Once Again” marks a moment of recalibration for you. What internal change brought you to a point where refining your energy felt necessary?

I felt the need to return to a more groovy kind of music, something less fast. I really wanted to move my tracks toward a direction where emotion and musicality have more space. I’ve always had a lot of energy in my music, but I wanted to refine it by adding more groove. I think the mix between hard house and trance is an interesting crossover that I really want to explore.

You describe the EP as moving away from pressure toward precision and evolution. How did that shift influence the way you listen to yourself when you create?

Exactly. I’ve always worked by using emotion as a strong force in a track’s dynamic. Now I want to use it more to build atmospheres and transmit emotions. It’s a more introspective process, leaving space for each element. I try to use melodies almost like rhythms to drive the track, while keeping the emotional aspect in the foreground to convey strong emotions.

The EP draws from trance, hard house, and melodic techno, yet is rooted in optimism, nostalgia, and relief. How did these emotions guide your decisions more than genre did?

I think this comes from the way I interact with my audience. I have a pretty “binary” vision of energy management during a show. For me, it’s about finding the right balance between frustration and happiness. Trance has a progressive side that creates that feeling of tension, while hard house brings euphoria through energy and groove. I wanted to take these two strengths and combine them to find the right balance in terms of energy.

“Take Me To The Sky”, “You & Me,” and “Move On” form a progression of motion, memory, and release. When you look at them together, what story do they tell about the moment you’re in now?

I think these three tracks represent different interpretations of the energy vision I love. There are structures that take time to build tension, and euphoric melodies that transmit a powerful, good-vibe energy. I really felt the need to give my audience more positive emotions than before. I think the bet paid off, judging by the smiles I see at every show. Techno has always been known as an introspective, immersive music, and I wanted to create a style that keeps that sense of introspection and relief we all feel after a night out, but with a happier process.

Your journey from the hard-hitting intensity of “My Drums Hard” to a more melodic and reflective space has been significant. What elements of your early sound did you consciously choose to keep, and what needed to fall away?

As I said, melodies have always been central to my approach. My Drums Hard was one of the first tracks where I managed, without overthinking, to create a strong, raw, euphoric energy. In a way, the intention behind that track is the direction I’m returning to now, but with a different style.

Over the last five years, your work has spanned very different emotional and sonic spaces. How has this long arc of evolution shaped the way you understand yourself as a producer today?

It’s been very formative for me. I was lucky to experience different movements, from 2010s techno to later evolutions of trance, hard house and hard techno. Each of these styles has technical strengths that define its identity. Little by little, I took what interested me from each one to build my own universe, with the energy and dynamics I wanted.

Releases like Romance Under The Sun and UN POCO expanded your melodic and trance influences. What kind of artistic freedom did entering these sounds give you?

These projects were experiments I really wanted to try, and they were decisive for what came next. RUTS EP was a first test mixing trance and hard house, with trance-influenced drums and hard house sounds and melodies. The project was very well received despite a different artistic direction, and that encouraged me to push the experiment further and eventually arrive at my latest EP, Once Again.

Your performances now incorporate storytelling, from visuals to gestures like giving roses at shows. How do these physical elements deepen the emotional landscape of your sets?

For me, the most important thing in a show is connecting with the audience. That comes from a developed and coherent universe, which I express through visuals and imagery. Following the EP and its flower-centered artistic direction, we had the idea of giving out flowers. At first, it was something I planned to do just once. But I decided to repeat it when I realized it created a different kind of connection with the audience. In a way, the show doesn’t stop when my set ends, because some people go home with a souvenir of that moment we shared.

This new phase is described as being defined less by hardness and more by honesty. How has touring these tracks across Europe changed your relationship with the crowd?

Over the past few months, I’ve noticed a real shift in the energy of my audience. My intention was to see people leave my shows with a smile and good energy, and that goal has been fully achieved. I now experience an incredible energy at every show, with a kind, open audience that comes to let go and share something together. I really needed to recreate these moments of good vibes and collective sharing, especially in a society where people tend to close in on themselves and lose that sense of unity.

The EP is framed as both a continuation and a reset. Looking toward 2026, what directions or questions feel most present for you as you continue evolving your sound?

2025 felt like a pit stop for me, a moment to make some adjustments. 2026 will be a year of building momentum. I want to expand my audience to recreate these moments of sharing with as many people as possible, and to keep developing this spirit of connection. One of my main questions now is: how can I develop my universe and my relationship with my crowd in a way that keeps me as close to them as possible, and allows us to create these shared moments together?

Once Again / MATRAKK

Credits:

Artist: MATRAKK / @matrakk__
Interview: Mariia Glagoleva / @glagolevva
Editor: Anca Macavei / @ancamacavei

You may also like

Soundscapes vol.63 / Marcel Dettmann

Music | Soundscapes
Take a deep dive into Marcel Dettmann's home listening record collection. For our Soundscapes series the longstanding Berghain resident, BAD MANNERS and MDR label owner selected music from his defining teenage years during the late 80s and early 90s.

Quiet, Loud, Focused

Music | Spotlight
In conversation with Black Asteroid, dark industrial suffused techno producer, DJ and live performer. Touching base on fashion, inspirations, loud audiences and his full length album titled 'Thrust', that features singles in collaboration with Zola Jesus, Cold Cave and Rick Owens' muse Michele Lamy.

Withstood the test of time

Art&Culture | Interview
A talk with BabyNymph, a Russian producer and DJ based in Athens, on self-expression, bravery, originality, and pride. The need to enhance respect and equality is more topical than ever. June is just another excuse to celebrate the greatness of freedom. Happy Pride Month!
Her Blue Eyes / Devon Ross through Jason Renaud’s LensUnveiling the ‘Apocalypse’ / Sandra Mujinga