Signal x Import/Export

Who they are

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  Mathew Jonson

  Vancouver, Canada · 4 bookings since May 2025

  “His music offers a rare fusion of populist intensities and nuanced musicality.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  His music offers a rare fusion of populist intensities and nuanced musicality. With a keen understanding for the needs of the dance floor and the universal laws of house and techno, he's thrown out the rule book time and time again, sneaking tricks learned from electro and even drum'n'bass into the clubs, and loading up his B-sides with tracks that do what they damned well please. (No kick drum? No problem.) His standards for sound and presentation are exacting. Both on stage and in the studio, Jonson's fealty to analog equipment and real-time playing; as opposed to mere layback-serves as a standard bearer for a kind of electronic music that goes way beyond the drag 'n' drop world of digital composition. Jonson has always been eager to get his hands dirty, and the music reflects that in gnarled bass sequences and long, intuitive lines. His sounds have serious teeth. Despite his quick ascent through the ranks of the techno elite, Jonson hasn't just stayed personally grounded. He's devoted much of his energy to supporting his own close musical family, in the groups Cobblestone Jazz, Midnight Operator and the Modern Deep Left Quartet, and with his Wagon Repair label. He studied classical piano as a kid, plus jazz drumming, and played drums in a marching band – thus laying both the melodic and the rhythmic cornerstones of his music today. Thanks to his father's work as a musician, he also got his hands on synthesizers at the age of 9. By the time he discovered hip-hop as a young teen, he was recreating its electro-based beats on his own rudimentary setup at home. Jonson gradually began honing in on his own sound, both in his productions and his DJ sets, inspired by a deeper, weirder sound that had begun filtering into the Victoria's techno parties. His first record, in 2001, was the first release on Itiswhatitis (a label Mathew bought from its original owner 11 years later). Another followed in 2002, and in 2003. That year, he also made his first appearance on Perlon, 'Alpine Rocket' – a track he recorded alongside Luciano during his first trip to Europe. And then, suddenly, Jonson was everywhere: Sub Static, Arbutus, Kompakt, M_nus – and every track an anthem. "I had all that music kind of saved up," says Jonson, "and then, just by chance, released it all at the same time. People criticized me for it, said that it wasn't a good idea. But it worked out for me. All the tracks did well. I wasn't saturating the market with bad music." He's right there. In 2005, Jonson co-founded Wagon Repair, and it's been a blur since, a nonstop series of tours and recordings, solo and with his band mates. Crucially, he moved to Berlin. His studio here is jaw-dropping, frankly: a semi-circle full of gear, from old workhorses like the 808 and 909 and SH-101 to unique beasts like their Cwejman and Roland System 100m modular system. Tate's Rhodes piano anchors one corner of the horseshoe, and everything feeds into a massive desk where tracks are mixed and recorded in real-time. His two hands have come up with some remarkable material. Having perfected his brand of earthshaking epic with tracks like 'Marionette' and ‘Decompression’, Jonson has increasingly turned his efforts towards more personal, introspective music. He never left the clubs behind though; his 2010 album, Agents of Time, featured a number of tracks that are as hip-winding wily as anything he's produced yet, full-on tracks like 'Girls Got Rhythm' and 'Thieves in Digital Land'. Equally physical was his 2011 drop on Hawtin's M_nus, 'Learning To Fly', and the well-received 'Automaton' on Crosstown Rebels. His 2013 album, On Her Blurry Pictures, too; here Jonson took advantage of the long player format to stretch out and indulge darker moods and slower tempos, but the core of the record remained rooted in a dancefloor context. In 2015, Mathew fulfilled his long-standing ambition of contributing to Fabric's esteemed mix series. Fabric84 is a recording of his set at the club's 15th birthday, during which he played a number of his classic tracks and unreleased edits. The energy of the occasion and the particular way Mathew performs his material blend perfectly, capturing a singular and very special set on CD. As well as continuing to tour his in-demand solo live show, which is consistently ranked amongst Resident Advisor's top 20, Mathew has recently remixed Paul St. Hilaire + Rhauder, The Martinez Brothers, Seth Troxler, and VCMG (to add to his past work including Moby, Cybotron, The Chemical Brothers, and Nelly Furtado). He released an album with Units and Measurements in 2016, and another as his new alias Freedom Engine entitled “A Box Full Of Magic” in 2019. Eighteen years on from his debut release, 'New Identity', Mathew's sound and reputation as an artist have developed, as you would expect for someone so richly and widely talented.
  Discography ↗
  Their RA profile lists Global Underground, Ministry Of Sound, fabric Records, Mute Records and 6 more.

  often with Berghain, PARAMIDA, So-Fi, none of them here that night

• Ryan Crosson

  Detroit · 8 bookings since Aug 2023

  “A Motor City, Berlin, London hybrid, Ryan Crosson is a complex artistic creature.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  A Motor City, Berlin, London hybrid, Ryan Crosson is a complex artistic creature. Equal parts energetic, down to earth Detroit native and ultra-refined, musical aesthete, Ryan has one ear to the club and one ear far, far beyond. Known the world over for shape shifting, shoulder shaking tracks on groundbreaking labels including Wagon Repair, M_nus, Spectral Sound, and his own Visionquest, Ryan’s production and sampling practices depart from the worlds of house or techno by referencing musique concrète, Downtown New York funk, and East African jazz. Born and raised on a steady diet of post-apocalyptic landscapes, dark warehouses, and the sounds of Plastikman, Matthew Dear, Magda, and Villalobos, Ryan’s DJ sets expand the horizon of possibility without sacrificing dance music’s core element of sweaty, hedonistic fun. His unique musical vocabulary and tireless dedication ensure him a place in the dynasty of forward-thinking techno transplants.   Alongside Lee Curtiss and Shaun Reeves, Ryan is responsible for running Visionquest Records, one of dance music’s most cherished and eclectic imprints. Ryan and his partners in Visionquest have honed a whole new landscape of lush, organic techno and esoteric leftfield electronica. In 2014, Ryan helped oversee the construction of Visionquest’s newest ventures —their digital arm and sub-label Brachtune, as well as Visionquest Special Editions, a vinyl only imprint that leans towards the kind of after-hours, dubby tracks that will remind long-time friends and fans of Ryan’s early morning sets in the notorious “Tesh Club” basement. An enthusiastic and hardworking DJ, Ryan crisscrosses the World both as a solo act and as part of the Visionquest trio. In past years he's been a regular at such clubs as Fabric, DC10, Cityfox and his personal favorite Club der Visionaere in Berlin. A recent move back to the States finds him settling in Brooklyn, New York with a mind to head back into the studio for multiple long term projects. In addition to EPs on Hallucienda, Visionquest and Roche Madame a second album with long time friend and partner Cesar Merveille is in the works. The new album will see the pair continuing to mesh live classical and jazz musicians with modular and analog based electronics to create a unique twist on contemporary electronic music.
  SoundCloud ↗Discography ↗
  Their RA profile lists M-nus, Spectral Sound, Trapez Limited, Telegraph Records and 6 more.

  Recently at H0L0, Dada, Jolene Sound Room Brooklyn · often with Haley's Kitchen, Jimbo James, Physical Therapy, none of them here that night

• Shaun Reeves

  Michigan · 7 bookings since Aug 2023

  “Shaun Reeves is an internationally-acclaimed DJ, producer and label owner.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  Shaun Reeves is an internationally-acclaimed DJ, producer and label owner. A founding member of the trailblazing group Visionquest, his influence reaches far beyond the cities he has called home and stretches around the globe. Growing up in Michigan and brought up musically on a diet of house and techno in nearby Detroit, Shaun moved to the city in his late teens and began organizing small club nights and loft parties with his friends. Upon getting involved in the Detroit Scene, Shaun was immediately influenced heavily by the more minimal sounds from djs/artists such as Daniel Bell, Magda and especially from Zip and the Perlon label. This influence and a search for new inspiration led Shaun to take a summer holiday to Berlin in 2004 that turned into 10 years living in the city. In this time his deft touch as a DJ won him fans on dance floors from Panorama Bar to Fabric, DC10, Robert Johnson and countless other highly influential underground clubs. Combined with his time on the road with Visionquest, Shaun Reeves has covered much of the globe over the past decade, enthralling audiences on both sides of the Atlantic with his own highly distinctive mixture of American house, both classic and contemporary, and the deepest, most cutting edge aspects of post-minimal techno and tech-house. . In tandem with his DJing, Shaun Reeves has maintained a consistent level of production work, releasing on labels such as Wolf + Lamb, Raum...Musik, Catwash, No. 19 Music and his own Visionquest imprint. The artist is also an in- demand remixer, contributing remixes for Visionquest/ David Lynch, Tracy Thorn, Dop, Dinky (Sven Väth’s label Cocoon). Today, Shaun Reeves is determined to focus on his solo career and wishes to explore new possibilities in terms of musical creation. With plans afoot for a slew of high-quality releases, which embody his leftfield yet accessible take on house and techno, his release schedule for the coming year is already looking busier than ever.
  SoundCloud ↗Discography ↗
  Their RA profile lists Simple Records, Crosstown Rebels, raum...musik, Catwash Records and 6 more.

  Recently at H0L0, Apollo Studio · often with Topper, Stretch, Greg Paulus, none of them here that night

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  J. Richards

  New York City · 89 bookings since Sep 2023

  “His principle medium is the vinyl format, and his tastes range widely from 90s/00s house and progressive to trance and choice tech house nuggets, with a healthy dash of acid, electro, minimal and techno also in the mix.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  His principle medium is the vinyl format, and his tastes range widely from 90s/00s house and progressive to trance and choice tech house nuggets, with a healthy dash of acid, electro, minimal and techno also in the mix. He has played for party series Resolute, Golden Record and Import/Export amongst others. He is a fixture on the NYC club circuit at such venues as Outer Heaven, Mansions, Elsewhere, h0L0, and is founder of the NYC club Signal. Internationally, he and has been booked for the Trotamundo Festival and established European institutions such as Club der Visionäre and Kater Blau in Berlin, and The Lion & Lamb in London. His first release on vinyl for the Kharkiv, Ukraine-based label Tvir will be available in the summer of 2025.

  Recently at Signal, The Onyx Room at House of Yes, Outer Heaven · often with Kurilo, Gian-Paul, Karine, none of them here that night

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  Kiyoshi

  New York City · 99 bookings since Sep 2023

  SoundCloud ↗
  Hard Rock on 11, Alternative Rock on 13, Hip Hop on 1 and Indie Rock on 1. styles on their catalogued releases

  Released on Co. (1), Invitation (1) and Mad Star Records (1). labels on their catalogued releases

  Recently at Signal, Apollo Studio, Mansions · often with Armii1n, Omer Mil, CAMILLA, none of them here that night