A Different Kind of Loud: Conversing with DMVU
The Colorado music scene has never been defined by a single sound, a single musician, or single venue. The scene is sculpted by artists willing to take risks, evolve alongside their audience, and pour pieces of themselves into every release. These artists become the soundtrack to our road trips through the mountains, the moments that connect us beneath festival lights, and the reason so many of us fell in love with this community in the first place. Beyond just providing the tunes, they help shape the culture that surrounds it.
For nearly a decade, Matthew Phillpot-Jones, better known as DMVU, has been one of those artists. His unmistakable blend of earth-shaking bass, cinematic textures, and deeply introspective songwriting has helped define Colorado's underground electronic scene while inspiring a generation of producers to push beyond genre boundaries and limitations. Yet behind the music, life was asking Matt to grow in ways the audience could not see.
Over the last few years, Matthew stepped away from touring to focus on his personal health, musical production, visual art, and reconnecting with something beautifully simple: creating for the joy of creating. Without the pressure of expectations or an audience to impress, he found his way back to the heart of why he started making music in the first place. Now, he's returning with a renewed sense of purpose, an overflowing catalog of new material, and a new perspective of his medium and craft.
Contrary to chasing momentum, this is a story about what happens when an artist gives themselves permission to slow down, grow, and rediscover why they fell in love with creating in the first place. As DMVU steps back onto the stage with fresh music and a new perspective, we sat down to talk about creativity, Colorado, healing, and why this next chapter feels like the most authentic one yet.
Alyssa Barnhill: After taking some time for yourself, how are you feeling about this next chapter of DMVU?
Matthew Phillpot-Jones: I'm feeling good about it. I'm feeling more comfortable writing music again. I'm feeling more and more comfortable creating visual art for the first time, that's kind of a new medium for me. I've been doing it enough that I'm starting to kind of get into like the swing of it, you know? I spent quite some time the past couple years kind of experimenting with all sorts of different mediums, sounds, and stuff. They weren't things I really was putting my whole heart into. I mean, obviously, I loved doing that and trying new things, but I've kind of returned to a place of writing music that I am really passionate about and music that really feels like it's just for me. There's no intended audience, there's no greater concept outside of just like, I feel like I'm writing what I need to write. So, it's got me quite excited for this next chapter.
Alyssa: What has you the most excited creatively right now?
Matthew: I've really re-ignited my passion for sampling. Sampling is how I got into making music in the first place. There is nothing more rewarding than digging and digging for hours and hours and hours to find a single, baby tiny little loop, or even an individual like one-shot sound in a song. I have absolutely been re-enthralled in the art of sample hunting. I've been finding the most obscure and like out-there things that I can find. Sampling weird stuff like old commercials from like radio shows, and not just that, but like sampling music that I've been listening to for my entire life, you know? That is something that feels very full circle to me.
“Everything the light touches is your kingdom.”
It feels very cathartic, because it's like it feels like it's been something that's been in front of me this entire time, and I somehow looked over it. And a part of me was just like, "Hey man, like why don't you just sample the music that you love the most?" And it's like, God damn, didn't know I could do that, but you know, here we are, and that’s got me deeply inspired.
Alyssa: Colorado has such a distinct landscape and culture. Are there any specific places here that still influence the way you think or produce music today?
Matthew: Yeah, so my house backs up to a greenbelt that stretches all the way to the mountains. I live 50 yards from Bear Creek, if that. Everything about the beautiful wilds of Colorado is deeply inspiring to me, but I mean even more so now, I have a little cat who spends five to six hours outside with me. She walks on a leash. She's not going out there loose, that's too sketchy. But, I spend 5 hours a day outside with her at this point, and it has been incredible for my mental health to just be like sitting around outside by the creek all day.
Are there better things I could be doing with my time? Maybe, but this feels like the right thing to do because it gives me a new-found sense of peacefulness. And that loops back to like something that's been right under my nose this entire time. And yeah, dude, like there's nothing better than finding inspiration through the place that I live, and not only that, but the place that is outside of my door. You know, like it's I legitimately might be one of the luckiest people in the world.
Alyssa: Spending time returning to base is so fulfilling. Your kitty sounds so cute. When people come to a DMVU show in the near future, what kind of experience are you hoping they leave with?
Matthew: Um, I've finally hit this point where I'm kind of sick of doing like separate sets, where I will do a "down-tempo set" and then do sets that are like all bangers. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that, but I am finally getting to the point where I am kind of like implementing both.
I feel it's a little more appropriate to get across everything I want to say in one attempt, as opposed to being like, "Hey, I'm going to come through and do a set of bangers, and then hopefully they'll book me again, and I can play a down-tempo set next time." It's just— it it doesn't work that way, sadly enough. So, I think I've really kind of switched my vision to focusing on how can I convey both of these ideas in the time that I'm given, as opposed to separating them?
And you know, it takes a little little work, a little finagling, because not all bangers fit with all chill stuff, but there's definitely pieces there that can kind of fit together, and that has been my main focus for the time being. Also, way more original music. I was playing rough before, like probably 50% original material in my sets, and I've switched to playing damn near almost all originals at this point. I just have a thick back catalog, and on top of that, I'm writing loads of new music. So, it's hard to fit everything in that I would like to. So, yeah, definitely expect a little more of a journey.
Matthew and an undisclosed predator species.
Alyssa: Your music has evolved from heavy dance floor-focused to deeply cinematic and introspective albums. What inspired that shift, and how has your relationship with music changed throughout that journey?
Matthew: Um, yeah, ironically enough, I was writing chill music before I was ever writing like banger stuff. And it really is just— it's…look what time hath wrought. [laughs] It's one of those things where I was writing bangers because I was spending a lot of time on the dance floor in clubs and out and about. I was writing what was a reflection of my experience. And that is what I'm still doing. Now that I am sober and I'm spending a lot more time outdoors and kind of in silence with myself, I feel like naturally my art is going to reflect that whether I want it to or not. So, it's almost not even a choice.
I still write bangers. Mind you, they're a little more experimental than like what I used to write. But, it's just I think this is something that comes with age. I would find it weird if I never changed the type of music I wrote, because that would mean me as a person never changed. That's kind of a scary thought.
Alyssa: Yes. You’re right. Your older albums often feel more like complete emotional narratives than collections of tracks. When you're writing a full-length project, do you begin with a story or concept in mind, or does that narrative reveal itself during the creative process?”
Matthew: “I definitely never go into an album with a plan. [laughs] Sometimes I lie to myself and pretend I have a plan. But for the most part, when I'm writing an album, I will write a handful of songs, and then I'll be like, "Holy shit, this could be an album.”
And that's just how the writing process goes, you know? You kind of get on a similar vibe when writing. So then, if I write for a week, the tracks I write in that time period are going to be pretty cohesive. And if I feel an album coming on at that point, that's when I'm like, "Okay, time to kind of pull a theme from somewhere, and like try and understand what I feel like the music is conveying, and kind of run with that." I've put out albums where I didn't know I had an album until like 10 songs in. And I was like, "Damn, okay, this is like revealing itself to me."
But yeah, the album I'm currently working on is…I don't want to say my first concept album, but my first uh correctly done concept album. So, I'm very excited for it. I've already written seven tracks, and I've made the album art, and I might even have a name, but I usually don't name things until the project is done. So, we'll just say there's a working title.” But I'm very excited for people to hear it. This one is also music that everyone will be hearing at my upcoming shows. So, do not fear, everyone will get a taste.
DMVU’s upcoming headlining event at Cervantes Ballroom.
As fans, we often celebrate the next big thing, but it's just as important to continue supporting the artists who helped build the communities we cherish. They deserve the space to grow, to change, and to return with new stories to tell. So when DMVU comes through your city, show up. Listen with an open heart. Dance a little harder. Support the musicians who continue to pour themselves into their art, because those are the artists who shape the future of our scene while honoring the foundation it was built on. The next chapter of DMVU is a reminder that growth is worth celebrating, and that some of the most meaningful music comes from artists who have taken the time to slow down rediscover why they create in the first place.
Discover the next act of DMVU at Cervantes Denver on Aug 6, 2026 with Luzcid.
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