Mateo & Matos

Last Night a DJ Saved My Life

 

When I flick through my record boxes, especially the early years, there’s a few names that come up time and time again. Matteo & Matos are right up there, especially their Glasgow Underground releases (I was on the promo list from the start - but not now - that’s another story!). Their brand of chunky deep house grabbed the masses and the private duo shot to deep house fame. But finding anything of note about them is hard going - even close friend Rissa Garcia’s relationship with them hasn’t been able to be leveraged (yet), so in the meantime I thought I’d do my research into the regardless.

 

Mateo & Matos are two DJs and house music producers John "Roc" Mateo and Eddie "E-Z" Matos from New York City, United States.

 

Both heavily influenced by late 1970s disco. John Mateo started by broadcasting sets over his CB radio in 1985.

 

In 1986, they met Larry Levan. Larry who was playing at clubs such as the loft and the Garage, exposing them to a whole new sound. In the mid to late 80's, DJing took over their lives and they played everywhere from clubs such as house nation to street summer parties.

 

In late 1989, they moved into production when they set up final cut records with a business partner. In 1993, having enjoyed success with the label, they began working for other independent labels in New York. Also about this time they started to DJ abroad, traveling the world. Now gow millennium, they have decided to work with only a few selected labels. They have also set up a new label, united underground house sounds.

 

It was through this self-produced CB Radio show that Eddie Matos first made contact with John Mateo. They became friends and shortly afterward became a production/DJ partnership, inspired by listening to Larry Levan, Tony Humphries, Shep Pettibone and Little Louie Vega, who they were introduced to Vega in 1985 and went on to learn about studio production and engineering from him, and by 1989, they were working on their own productions. Between 86 and 89 Mateo & Matos performed at clubs and block parties in the tri-state area of New York. After several releases on their own Final Cut Records label, they went on to record for Oxygen Music Works, Henry Street, Nervous Records, Nite Grooves and Spiritual Life Music in the mid-1990s. Their debut album as producers, New York Rhythms, appeared on Glasgown Underground label in 1997, with a second volume appearing the following year. In 1999, these were followed by The Many Shades of Mateo & Matos.

 

Mateo & Matos have been producing and remixing since the mid 1980's and since then have released records on a host a major house labels including the likes of Nite Grooves, Henry Street, Distant, 4th Floor, Large, Spiritual Life Music and many more.