No party is complete without a hot DJ. And there’s one particular sound wiz who has emerged recently on the social scene. He goes by the name DJ Matt Camps.

Showcasing versatility in his mixes, Matthew Campbell has always been passionate about music. He told Flair, “I’ve always been curious about it. I started with Virtual DJ and just began exploring and getting better.” After entering his first DJ competition, his creativity blossomed and bloomed. Additionally, he used to play a lot of games that incorporated music while he played, so he would make his own mixes specific for the programme because he could not find what he wanted. Those baby steps led him to create mixes of his own to listen to. Eventually, he started sharing them with others, and people actually liked them.

Since 2015, he has gone by DJ Matt Camps. Specialising in the wuk up hits of soca, he attributes this association to his mixes, which began in 2017. “That’s what I built my brand on. People look forward to it and it’s highly anticipated,” he added. Although his strength is highlighted in the pulsating beats of the Caribbean, he does play dancehall, hip hop and trap music.

So what’s his DJ style? According to Matt Camps, he likes to freestyle and go off the energy exuded from the party. He will pre-plan sets from time to time but finds that the process may not work out, based on the crowd and their requests. “I just try to keep the soca music mainstream and sometimes mix it with dancehall.” He also gave us insight into how he introduces new soca songs to partons. “I like to mix popular songs from the past with current music and watch the reactions. Eventually, patrons will learn the new soca.”

Flair kept the vibe going, asking DJ Matt Camps more questions:

1. Height: 6”1
2. What’s your favourite colour? It’s now red. It used to be blue, but it became red after a while.
3. What do you like to do for fun? I play a lot of video games. I like to go out. I go to the gym a lot.
4. What’s your favourite season? Easter and soca season. Easter is soca season.
5. Beach or pool? Pool. The breeze is too much at the beach and I can’t deal with the sand. Pool is more relaxing.
6. Casual or formal? That’s situational. I like dressing up for special occasions but nine times out of 10, I’m casual.
7. Brand of choice? Adidas. It’s good middle ground between fashionable and affordable.
8. Favourite physical feature on a woman? Honestly, I don’t have a type or a favourite feature.
9. Most adventurous thing you have done? Going to the Pelican Bar in the middle of the ocean in Black River, St Elizabeth.
11. What are three things you can’t do without? Laptop, headphones, cell phone.
12. Favourite local soca band? If I speak, I’ll get in trouble, but I respect what each band bring to the table.
13. What’s your top five soca songs? ‘Trending’ by Shal Marshall, ‘Doctor Mash Up’ by Machel Montano, ‘Wet it Up’ by Zeek, ‘Famalay’ by Skinny Fabulous, Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin and ‘Dance’ by Machel Montano x Jacob.
14. What was your favourite party to attend as a patron and as a DJ? The most enjoyable party I’ve been to as a patron was Caesar’s Army AmBush in 2018. As a DJ, Soca Therapy in April 2019 is my ultimate favourite.
15. Who is your favourite DJ? It’s a toss-up between DJ Puffy from Barbados or DJ Nicco from Jamaica.
16. How do you feel about the prevalence of soca in Jamaica? It’s definitely growing. A couple of years ago, you only had a few soca parties but now you have many events. It has grown exponentially and it will continue to grow.
17. You have a nine-to-five. How do you balance work and play? My workplace is pretty understanding and lenient. As long as I’m transparent and make up back my hours, they don’t have a problem giving me the leeway.
18. Have you travelled overseas to play soca? No, but I’ve been booked in Portland twice, so that was nice. I would definitely love to travel to other carnivals in the Caribbean and further like Trinidad, Barbados, Miami, Caribana and Nothing Hill.
19. What can persons expect from DJ Matt Camp? Look out for more mixes. Soca Camp 2020 is coming soon. Look out for Soca Camp the event next year. People can find my mixes on SoundCloud.

Story by Krysta Anderson
krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com
Photos by Kenyon Hemans
kenyon.hemans@gleanerjm.com