By: JERMAINE CRUICKSHANK
At only 17, Mathew Wilcox is focused, with an ear for sound and a clear vision of what he wants to accomplish. A student of the International School of Port of Spain, he has always been interested in how things work, and that curiosity naturally pulled him toward the DJ world and its intricate setup. As he began going to parties and watching DJs set the tone and control the vibe, he found himself captivated. “The art of DJ’ing piqued my interest. So, I decided to do something and try to learn it for myself,” he says. That decision came at 16 and it marked the beginning of a journey that is already building momentum.
He credits his parents for being supportive of what he wants to do, standing with him every step of the way. While he plans to study medicine and become a doctor, he also intends to keep crowds rocking to his mixes and beats. Recently, he was afforded the pleasure of playing at HARD FETE , which is produced by Bunji Garlin and Faye Ann Lyons, for Carnival. An opportunity he credits to Bunji Garlin and Fay-Ann Lyons who are also his neighbors for giving him his first hand at playing at a real live fete. He handled himself well and described the moment as surreal. “Having support from such legends such as Bunji and Fay-Ann is really encouraging and means a lot to me. To know I have two giants in the music industry helping me to grow and find my place is just incredible.”
When it comes to inspiration, Mathew looks both internationally and locally. One of his favourite international DJs is Carl Cox, whose legendary 10-hour sets and ability to control a crowd continue to inspire him. Locally, he names Travis World and DJ Private Ryan as major influences — not just because of their DJ’ing abilities, but also because of their strength in music production, an area he is very interested in and hopes to explore more deeply. His favourite type of music to mix is soca and trinibad, and one day he sees himself playing in fetes across the country and eventually internationally.
Balancing school and DJ’ing requires discipline and sacrifice, especially since practicing can be time-consuming. For Mathew, it’s about setting strict deadlines accomplishing what he needs to for school first, that’s the priority, then focusing on DJ’ing.
With that mindset and growing experience behind the decks, he is steadily carving out his place in the entertainment scene. Fans can follow his journey and listen to his mixes on YouTube at “selectahmatt868” and on Instagram at “selectah.matt” to keep up with his latest releases.
