Time is not an issue for me when it comes to art," says Canadian techno superstar Mathew Jonson when asked what took so long for his debut album, Agents of Time to come out. "Things happen as they should and there is never a too late or too early. They happen when it is time." It's a healthy attitude to have for someone who's been responsible for some of the biggest-selling techno singles of the past decade, two critically acclaimed albums with Cobblestone Jazz, and who founded one of the most essential Canadian-owned electronic music labels on the scene, Wagon Repair.
Now residing in Berlin alongside the majority of this country's professional electronic acts, the wide-ranging Agents of Time adds another dimension to an already fruitful career. Perhaps this is why Jonson isn't putting so much pressure on this album to be a game-changer. Rather, this debut is more a reflection of the massive studio he's built up over the years, a collection of equipment that have become synonymous with his singular sound. "Most of the pieces were made in my Berlin studio so they have a similar colour," he says. "My music would be so different if I was stuck working on a computer."
That Berlin studio has left its distinct imprint on several other releases that have appeared on his Wagon Repair label, including the latest from Cobblestone Jazz (Mathew's improv-electronics band) and the debut album by Hrdvsion, who is Mathew's brother Nathan Jonson. "There are so many possibilities in there. Any dream can come true, you just have to imagine what you want and the tools are there to make it. I don't share it with many people as it's a very personal space, but of course the guys in my band and also my brother get to use it whenever they like."
Now residing in Berlin alongside the majority of this country's professional electronic acts, the wide-ranging Agents of Time adds another dimension to an already fruitful career. Perhaps this is why Jonson isn't putting so much pressure on this album to be a game-changer. Rather, this debut is more a reflection of the massive studio he's built up over the years, a collection of equipment that have become synonymous with his singular sound. "Most of the pieces were made in my Berlin studio so they have a similar colour," he says. "My music would be so different if I was stuck working on a computer."
That Berlin studio has left its distinct imprint on several other releases that have appeared on his Wagon Repair label, including the latest from Cobblestone Jazz (Mathew's improv-electronics band) and the debut album by Hrdvsion, who is Mathew's brother Nathan Jonson. "There are so many possibilities in there. Any dream can come true, you just have to imagine what you want and the tools are there to make it. I don't share it with many people as it's a very personal space, but of course the guys in my band and also my brother get to use it whenever they like."
