Matthew Dear

Born in Texas and raised in Michigan, Matthew Dear is a pioneering force in electronic music, straddling the boundaries of techno, pop, and avant-garde sound design. Launching his career in the late 1990s, Dear co-founded the Ghostly International label, which quickly became a hub for innovative electronic music. His early singles, such as "Hands Up for Detroit," gained acclaim within Detroit’s techno underground, while albums like *Leave Luck to Heaven* (2003) and *Asa Breed* (2007) revealed a talent for blending haunting vocals and pop sensibilities with experimental production.

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Dear released music under his own name as well as aliases including Audion, False, and Jabberjaw, exploring everything from floor-filling techno to immersive art-pop. Notably, his 2010 record *Black City* pushed genre boundaries and garnered praise for its brooding, meticulously crafted soundscapes. His live performances, both solo and with a band, fuse dancefloor energy with the unpredictability of live instrumentation.

Alongside his output as a musician, Dear has acted as a tastemaker, DJ, producer, and remixer, working with artists such as Hot Chip, The xx, and Depeche Mode. Constantly evolving, he remains a defining figure in electronic music, unafraid to bridge the physical energy of dance music with the introspective lyricism of indie pop.