A Look at Space 92’s Former Alias, Matt Minimal
By now, nearly every techno fan has heard the name Space 92. Between futuristic tracks like “Planet X” and “The Door,” the French producer and DJ has found his way onto the radar of key tastemakers in the genre.
But once upon a time, Mathieu Mourareau — the mind behind Space 92 — went by a different moniker. That’s common enough in dance music, but Mourareau’s former project was no momentary flash in the pan. On the contrary, Matt Minimal was a big part of his life for a long time.
How long? Mourareau adopted the alias at only 16. Prior to that, he had been getting his feet under him as a producer with a copy of FL Studio and as a DJ on turntables and a Numark mixer. Once his productions were ready for the world, he needed a name. Matt Minimal seemed as good as any.
“When I first started this alias, I was fascinated by the sound of minimal,” Mourareau tells Beatportal. “And with this profile, I had the chance to travel all around the world and to make some really interesting parties and discover cultures with great nightclubs and beautiful people in a lot of countries.”
Mourareau toured the world on the back of indelible cuts like “#Hope” with Andrea Roma and “Rampant” with Fernanda Martins. All was not as he wanted it to be, however. Mourareau was starting to outgrow his project, triggering an existential crisis of sorts.
“When I started my first project, I was a kid, literally,” Mourareau tells 6AM. “I wasn’t even old enough to drink alcohol in the venues I played in! I’ve grown up and matured since then, and so did my tastes, skills, and preferences.”
By no means did he make the switch overnight. “It took me ten years to make this transition; I was very close to calling it quits, even,” Mourareau continues. “Ironically, it was the pandemic that allowed me to break through and be heard. I’d never performed as Space 92 in front of a crowd — and all of a sudden, I was topping the charts.”
And that he did. Mourareau has never looked back since he rebranded as Space 92, and why would he? Since launching the project, he’s vaulted into the conversation around techno. Space 92’s star is on the rise, with Mourareau leading its trajectory.
It’s safe to say that his work as Matt Minimal will always remain close to his heart, however. Who knows — maybe he’ll resurrect the project at some point.
