Into the Third Space With DJ Matthew Fit

In the world of dance music, it’s called the third space: the new territory that emerges from the blend of two records coming together. For local DJ Matthew Fit, this third space was Kalamazoo, the place where he grew up — halfway between the birthplace of house music (Chicago) and the birthplace of techno (Detroit).

“When you’re listening to a good DJ, you know the formula but you still don’t quite know what’s going to happen next.”

“I’ve always just been endlessly entertained by the mix,” Fit says. “I think that’s ultimately what you’re always chasing, whether you’re out dancing … or when I’m playing, is to have the blends have the right reaction that people get lost dancing.”

Fit was a freshman in college when he connected to dance music. “I would go to some punk shows, I went to some rock shows … but it never really felt like it was my thing for whatever reason,” Fit says. “I always enjoyed it, I always liked music, but I kept feeling like I was searching.” What Fit was searching for was the 1995 movie Hackers — more specifically, the dance/house/techno-laden soundtrack. From there, the magic of Kalamazoo’s location did the rest, giving Fit the opportunity to experience shows from both hemispheres of the dance music world, supported by a bustling tape culture.

“I’ve always just been endlessly entertained by the mix.”

“When you’re listening to a good DJ, you know the formula but you still don’t quite know what’s going to happen next,” Fit says. “That’s when it’s the most fun for me — when it has a bit of a hypnotic element.”

Fit performed from 1999 to 2005 before taking a seven year break, during which he ended up in Salt Lake City. After falling in love with Utah’s outdoor recreation, Fit found himself traveling to parties out of state because SLC didn’t have the genres he wanted. He was getting back into the music that had shaped his young adulthood, but the scene was tiny compared to what he knew. A Google search in 2013 revealed one name in particular: Jesse Walker, founder of New City Movement and pioneer of the underground dance music scene in SLC. “I wanted to bring the Midwest house and techno scene to Salt Lake,” Fit says.

“Unknowingly, I sent him a message that I think he’s got 100 times before of like, ‘Hey, I used to DJ in these other cities, and I live here now,’” Fit says. “I wanted to bring the Midwest house and techno scene to Salt Lake.”

Walker took Fit under his wing, and the two began connecting at local events — as Fit says, “support gets support.” Fit started opening for Walker at shows, first playing at Walker’s iconic annual Bunny Hop charity event in 2015. The two began working together more and more, organizing events that would include not only local talent, but expose SLC to other performers from places like New York, Portland, San Francisco and Berlin, as well as connect SLC to the Black, Brown and queer roots of dance music.

“Being able to pass the music on to anyone that’s up and coming is always awesome.”

“Salt Lake can be isolating in terms of your connectedness to the bigger cities,” Fit says. “It really motivated me to dig into the roots of the music.” Fit describes intentionally building relationships within the dance music community to combat this isolation; hosting out of town performers, learning stories from them and doing his homework by reading. Learning about dance music’s history has inspired Fit to “really dig for records.”

“I think there’s more storytelling that goes on in my DJ sets now than when I was starting off — early, I was just trying to make everyone dance,” Fit says. “I like the magic that really happens when you’re blending house and techno. I think there’s a lot of really cool space for the music in that.”

“There’s something really magical about playing a track that is 30 years old that is making people dance right now.”

These relationships are at the core of Fit’s musical identity. Fit says he always ends up having community on the mind, first as a new performer breaking into the scene and now having the “rewarding” chance to mentor newer DJs.

“I’ve always been able to take a lot from the folks that came before me, so I think being able to pass the music on, the ethics on, the roots of the music on to anyone that’s up and coming is always awesome,” Fit says. “Make sure you’re doing a part to learn the roots and to dig for music in ways that will let you see it through the years, because there’s something really magical about playing a track that is 30 years old that is making people dance right now.”

Salt Lake is definitely dancing. Fit has been a pillar of the local scene for over a decade now: he describes the scene breaking away from the homogeneity of the early days. A new diversity of promoters has allowed for more niches within the scene, with groups such as Social Disco Club, Fervor, ¡DYKED!, the SISTER Collective and the SLC Synth Alliance working to support this growing underground culture.

“I like the magic that really happens when you’re blending house and techno.”

“Salt Lake is at its greatest when there’s collaboration happening,” Fit says. “A lot of that I learned from Jesse. The way he treated me was that [idea of] like, it’s small here. We all are at our best when we’re able to help each other.”

That support made the difference in the face of a proposed city ordinance that threatened this blossoming culture. Despite the challenge, Fit describes it as a “really cool moment for Salt Lake”: Thanks to a unified message, the ordinance is no longer being considered as of right now. “Promoters across Salt Lake all came together,” Fit says. “We communicated about common shared values and were able to express those in a very respectful way to the city council.”

“Continuing to grow and making sure we’re supporting each other is what I hope for.”

As Fit crosses a decade of performing in SLC, things are shifting: He isn’t performing as often as he did when he was younger (that doesn’t mean he has stopped, though!), he’s embraced mentorship roles and most exciting, he’s working on releasing original music and collaborating globally (which you can support on his Bandcamp and hear his latest set on a Portugal-based release).

Fit says he hopes to see more venues, including bars, embrace the dance scene consistently as he thinks there’s more people interested than venues — a good problem to have, and a far cry from the early days of the scene. “I remain optimistic about the future,” he says. “Continuing to grow and making sure we’re supporting each other is what I hope for.”

Fit himself will be playing at House of Mother on December 13, presenting an open format set at The Green Room on December 19 and a live set of original music coming this spring somewhere in the SLC underground.

“Salt Lake is at its greatest when there’s collaboration happening.”

“I’d really like to find a bar where I could do a Saturday or Sunday day party. I think there’s enough people that are old enough that are looking for that,” Fit says with a laugh. “I’m happy to have the young kids throw the raves, and I’ll still go play them, but I’m wanting to do less production.”

Stay connected with Fit on Instagram @matthew__fit or through New City Movement’s Instagram @newcitymovement. Listen to more of Fit’s work on SoundCloud at @matthew-fit.

Read more about the local electronic music scene:
Meredith Marks Spins Her Way in Salt Lake
Localized: DJ VI:BRA