Your Name: Theology aka Matthew J. Bentley
Your location(country,city): USA, St. Paul
Dimitri: Can you mention your biggest music career achievements in 2017?
Theology: Getting played by Above & Beyond. They helped save my life so having them play one of the collabs I made with Profetik was the culmination of my music career and life.
Dimitri: Can you mention your biggest personal life achievements in 2017 that make you extremely proud?
Theology: I paid off my student loans in 7 months, but that's beside the point. I got signed to 3 big labels in trance this year. It was extremely unexpected and I'm completely honored to be a part of these labels.
1) Best Track from other artists:
Tom Fall - "Kaamos (Original Mix)"
I like this song because it has a banging bassline, perfectly processed saws, and I think that the emotion of Kaamos and not seeing the sun is perfectly presented here.
2) Your top 3 2017 personal productions
1. Theølogy - "Xeno (Original Mix)" [ØHM Music] (Release Date TBD 2018)
I made this one entirely on my own, so it gets the top spot. Just wait until you hear it. It's intense.
2. Profetik & Theølogy - "Soul Dreamer (Original Mix)" [Freegrant Music]
I wrote the bassline and melody for this one. Profetik arranged it and wrote the chords. A&B supported this, so it makes the list.
3. Theølogy - Progress (Original Mix) [Preterist Recordings]
This is one of the first "Future Trance" tracks I made. Future Trance is a genre I am pioneering that is sort of like Flume meets Above & Beyond meets Seven Lions meets Andrew Bayer. It's slower trance (About 90-100BPM) but with just as much emotion as the 128 stuff.
3) Best Artist (Dj & producer):
It's a tie for me between Profetik and SNR. I really like Profetik for his overall emotion in music, but I love SNR because he lets hard, dirty basslines live and thrive. I make these kinds of basslines myself, and I'm sick of those kinds of basslines dying, thus I am obsessed with anyone who makes them.
4) Best Remix from other artist:
Theølogy - "FYIGISTO (Jon Fast Remix)"
When I opened for Sunny Lax and Genix this year, I played mostly my own tracks except for this one. This remix is so well done I can't even say enough. I played it instead of my original mix!
5) Best Remix that you have produced?
Koji Kondo - "Lost Woods [A Link to the Past] (Theølogy's Drug Rug EDM Remix) I don't just make one genre. I make it all. I think you're limited if you only make one genre and I don't know why any producer would limit themselves to that.
6) Best Remixer:
Jon Fast.
Everything I send him he turns into pure gold. You'll hear his remix of my track Xeno on ØHM Music in early 2018!
7) Best New Talent (Dj or producer):
8) Best Electronic Music Album:
The Only Road - Gabriel & Dresden.
It's a musical journey. Listen to this one, you won't regret it. If you can go 11 years without doing anything and then randomly come back and get signed to Anjunabeats, you are doing something right because it's statistically easier to escape from North Korea than it is to get signed to Anjunabeats. You have to be REALLY good and that's why Anjuna and this album are exceptionally and consistently great.
9) Best Electronic Music Compilation:
10) Best artwork/cover of an Album or Compilation:
I honestly don't really give a crap about artwork, but I really like the art for Fragments on ØHM Music because I love abandoned places (and sometimes produce by myself in abandoned places). Also, Profetik's remix is crazy good.
11) Best Lyrics in an Electronic Music track (it can be your production or from other artists)
David Thulin & Euphoric Nation - "Destiny (Feat. Spencer Lloyd)" [ØHM Music]
12) Best Vocalist/Singer featured on Electronic Music track:
Koven. Her vocals on Ilan Bluestone's "Another Lover" are haunting and perfect. I'm obsessed with them, and that's after not really absolutely loving any of Ilan's material since Snapdragon.
13) Best Electronic Music Label:
There is no best. They all fill different needs for me. I really like ØHM, Anjunabeats, Freegrant, and Azure Recordings. I think Azure especially is extremely underrated for the quality of music they put out. DJ Geri has a good ear for the exact kind of trance I like. I have skipped only one promo from them since I joined their list around a year and a half ago.
14) Best Electronic Music Video:
15) Best Online Social media for communication with your fans:
Instagram
16) Best music composition software:
Logic X, duh ;)
17) Best Club Event or Open Air Festival:
ABGT 250.
18) Best personal DJ Gig:
Sound of Heaven, Utrecht, NL.
This was my 3rd time playing in Holland and this crowd was something else. I debuted a lot of new music during this set and everyone responded exceptionally well to it.
19) Best Dj set of the year from other fellow DJ:
Euphoric Nation - Trance Paradise 350 Live at Rev Lounge. It was an Open to Close and the journey that Don took us on was magical.
20) Best country that you have played in 2017 and where did you met the best festival/event crowd:
Again, Sound of Heaven. Utrecht, Netherlands.
21) Best Radio show or Artist Vlog?:
22) Best Radio station:
Who listens to radio stations?
23) Best Online Record shop that you purchase your music:
iTunes. I'm sorry, but I hate beatport. Just because they have a monopoly they rip you off for music and don't even give the artist more money. It's terrible, thus, off principle, I avoid it at all costs.
24) Best music related website that you visit frequently:
edmsauce.
25) Best Smart phone or smart phone application:
Why is this a question on here? iPhone X.
26) Best Dj equipment (software or hardware):
Traktor. I will use Traktor and my Controllers over CDJs any day. You can do exceptionally more and it's way easier to achieve desired effects.
27) Best new sound or sample that has been used in Electronic Music this year perhaps introduced first by you?
I love the sound of a Fatum or SNR (or my own) Bassline. So any samples they use.
28) Best tip that you learnt this year for your DJing techniques or music composition:
Don't use hot cues on certain kinds of CDJs because it'll just go back to that hot cue in the song you JUST played. Why would this ever be a feature that ANY DJ would want to use, granted you never play the same track twice? Well done, Pioneer. Well done.
29) Best piece of advice you got in relation to your career in 2017:
Collabbing is the way to go. When you collab, the skills of both parties shine in a way they wouldn't have before.
30) Best hobby or activity that you spent a lot of time in 2017:
Video games or watching One Tree Hill with my girlfriend, Maddy ;)
31) Best holiday destination for 2017 either to relax or to perform in a club or festival:
The Netherlands is my favorite country, so... The Netherlands.
32) Best Electronic Music magazines in printed form not online:
It's 2017 almost 2018. I don't read magazines.
33) Best Movie of the year that may inspire you to compose a track:
Movies aren't really my thing. I had really conservative Christian parents that didn't really let me watch movies growing up so I became a nerd instead.
34) Best online/PC/video game of the year that you have played this year?
NOW we're talking. I LOVED Zelda Breath of the Wild, but also older stuff too. I started playing Final Fantasy VI This year and it inspired me to remix "Awakening"
35) Best soundtrack for video game of the year:
Sorry, but Final Fantasy VI (since it's new to me this year)
36) Best electronic music related joke you heard this year and make you still laugh:
I didn't hear it this year, but CVNT5 is still the greatest thing since sliced bread. Especially when they pooped in Marshmello's bucket. Oh man I died.
37) The saddest electronic music news you heard this year and still makes u cry:
Dimitri: Finally, please tell our readers your plans with your future releases, tracks, albums, collaborations, DJ gigs.
Theology: Releases coming on Azure, ØHM, Elliptical Sun, and my own label, Preterist Recordings. 2018 is the year for Future Trance. I am planning on releasing a track every month on PR. Stay tuned!
Thanks to Omair Mirza at ØHM Music for arranging this interview
Additional info:
@theologymusic on Instagram ;)