Matt Hardwick

Matt Hardwick is a UK trance DJ and producer associated with the Gatecrasher club scene. He builds his career around club and festival performances, and his work sits within trance, including vocal trance and uplifting trance.

Club work and Gatecrasher

Hardwick is closely linked with Gatecrasher in Sheffield, where he holds a weekly residency for ten years. That association becomes a major part of his profile and takes him from local club culture to international bookings. He performs at large-scale Gatecrasher events, including a sell-out New Year’s Eve show at Don Valley Stadium in front of 28,000 people and events at the NEC for 15,000 people.

He ends his Gatecrasher residency in late 2004, saying the resident role limits his development as a DJ in his own right, but he continues to be booked by the club. He also appears regularly for Godskitchen, Ministry of Sound, Slinky, Passion and The Gallery.

Radio 1 and DJ recognition

Hardwick records his first BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix in 2002, and it gains strong support from clubbers and promoters. A second Essential Mix follows in 2005 and is shortlisted for Essential Mix of the Year, finishing behind Sasha. He is voted number 48 in the DJ Mag Top 100 Poll in 2007, rising 16 places from the previous year.

International touring and festivals

He tours across Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, North America and South America. Festival appearances include Godskitchen Global Gathering, Creamfields Homelands, Escape in the Park, South West 4 and Gatecrasher Summer Sound System.

Production and collaborations

As a producer, Hardwick releases early singles with Smith & Pledger, including Day One and Connected. He also works with John Askew on Slave to the Machine, a club track supported by Tiësto, Paul Oakenfold, Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten and Judge Jules, and included on more than 50 compilations worldwide.

With John Askew, he launches the double-CD compilation series Live As for Discover World in 2006. The series presents mixed live sets and is framed as a less polished, more direct club compilation format.

In 2007 he remixes Gulf - Impossible, and later works with Mark Pledger on Falling Tides, released on Anjunabeats. His remix of Gulf - Impossible is also selected for a Motorola campaign linked to the David Beckham Razr phone.

Gatecrasher Immortal

Hardwick contributes an underground mix to Gatecrasher Immortal, a retrospective album issued after the fire at the superclub. The album receives critical acclaim and sells 100,000 copies.