King Unique Interview: Matt Thomas on Studio Chaos, Merch, and the UK Scene

The Commodification of King Unique

In an era where electronic music artists are increasingly expected to transform themselves into commercial lifestyle brands, Matt Thomas decided to push the concept to its logical, absurd conclusion. The result was “King Unique in a Can”—a limited-run collectible figure handmade by Kath at Usagiz that instantly sold out to fans worldwide. Far from a standard marketing gimmick, the project was conceived as a sharp satirical commentary on the modern music economy.

The whole point of KUIAC (besides being cool) was to make a little joke about the way we’re all whoring ourselves out with clothing and bags and mouse mats, turning ourselves into little brands. So I thought well let’s do this properly then, go the whole hog: sell myself, in a can, the ultimate commodification.

The miniature replicas under strict instructions not to perform any music without official consent, though Thomas jokes that any original material they happen to write remains fully vested in his own copyright. For those looking to secure the ultimate piece of underground memorabilia, the official store remains active at http://kingunique.bigcartel.com. The demand for the figure caught Thomas off guard, completely overshadowing the original punchline with raw collector demand.

As it turned out, the joke is completely lost beneath the raw surging need to own one that over powers people who see it in person. Seriously, you can have my own personal King Unique in a can after you dig up my coffin and pull him out of my hands.

Reclaiming Passion Through Studio Chaos

The current purple patch in the King Unique release schedule—stretching from the chart-topping success of the Some Break The Shell EP to a critically acclaimed rework of Yohkoh on Sudbeat—is the direct result of a radical artistic reset. By 2011, the burden of maintaining a legacy project had frozen the production process. Stepping away entirely from the promotional machinery and industry expectations allowed Thomas to completely reset his relationship with club culture.

Somehow by 2011 ‘being King Unique’ just became a writhing knotted mass of rules and assumptions about things that I could and couldn’t do. It finally began to almost prevent me from making music so I just stopped. And most importantly I let the stopping be unconditional. It relit after about 6 months of ignoring the industry, ignoring promos, ignoring everything that made this a ‘job’. I simply listened to podcasts without preconceptions, allowed myself to embrace music I’d previously fended off, and went out clubbing.

Returning to the studio with a completely blank slate, Thomas abandoned conventional workflows in favour of radical experimentation. Rather than constructing tracks through traditional music theory or linear arrangements, the King Unique sound is born from deliberate instability, manipulating raw audio signals and effects units to bypass intellectual filters entirely.

I crave chaos and random chance when I make music. Wherever possible I avoid playing keyboards, I much prefer mangling audio and effects to create music so that I don’t even know what notes I’m working with and my ears can take charge. Often the first time I know what key a track is in is when it goes on Beatport, “Ah, D minor – who knew?” Keeping myself interested and challenged is the part about doing this that is just for me.

The True Toll of the Global Circuit

Having scaled the highest peaks of the commercial dance industry—topping the US Billboard charts, racking up eight Essential New Tunes, and remixing icons like U2 and The Killers—Thomas views the relentless pursuit of standard electronic music stardom with a detached, veteran perspective. While younger artists frequently view non-stop global touring as the ultimate prize, he is quick to highlight the invisible domestic and personal strain that accompanies a life lived in airport lounges.

I’ve done the 5 day studio/2 day gig lifestyle with major label deadlines hanging over you that had to be hit, week after week. It’s a great buzz, it really is, but it’s hard on the people around you. Being that much into your music is like going into a relationship and saying “Hi, I love you, you’re amazing, but I also have this monkey. And I fucking LOVE this monkey. He and I HAVE to spend time together. Probably more than I’ll spend with you in all honesty.”

Reflecting on his past partnership and the breakdown of his own marriage under the weight of industry demands, Thomas delivers an honest assessment of the romanticised “touring DJ” myth, urging the community to acknowledge the true costs of a life dedicated entirely to electronic music production.

No one talks about this but there’s a lot of divorced djs out there, so I can’t sing along with the ‘More is better! Chase your musical dreams!’ myth. It’s kind of irresponsible unless we acknowledge that every minute of our passion that we spend on this weird, insubstantial wordless conversation with ourselves that we call music is a minute we aren’t giving to someone who matters.

Witnessing the British Club Rebirth

Instead of chasing passing trends for the international circuit, Thomas is finding intense inspiration close to home. The dramatic resurgence of a self-confident, unpretentious UK club scene has injected fresh energy into his outlook, as a new generation of promoters and clubbers reassert the driving, foundational energy of house music within progressive spaces.

I’m really fucking excited about the rebirth of the UK as a self-confident club scene. It’s so uplifting seeing what’s going on here now, all these dudes in their 20s putting on huge house nights. They’re discovering and reinventing all this stuff and, in the best way possible, they couldn’t give a fuck about what’s gone before. They’re hearing their music on places like Rinse FM podcasts and talking up a fucking storm on twitter. There are glorious carefree fusions of genres all over the place.

This renewed UK vitality perfectly matches King Unique’s busy agenda. Alongside an upcoming remix package for Some Break The Shell on microCastle and heavy collaborative projects with John Digweed, Nick Muir, and Jamie Stevens, Thomas is preparing for key bank holiday club dates, including a highly anticipated appearance at Room2Move in London.

With prospective tour routes taking shape across India and Argentina before the end of the year, Matt Thomas continues to prove that longevity in the underground depends entirely on knowing when to let go of the rules and let the music take complete control.