Matt Fax is the stage name of David Ciekanski (born 14 December 1996), a French electronic music DJ and record producer. He is known for producing a blend of progressive house, trance, and techno, and has released music on prominent labels including Anjunabeats, Armada Music, Black Hole Recordings, Enhanced Music, mau5trap, and Zerothree.
Background and Early Career
Ciekanski was introduced to music at an early age through rock bands such as Queen, Scorpions, and AC/DC. His interest in electronic music was sparked by discovering Tiësto and Joachim Garraud. He began producing and releasing tracks at age 13 under the alias David R., later changing to Mike Duz before adopting the name Matt Fax in 2012. His first release under the Matt Fax alias was on 9 May 2012 on Balkan Connection.
Career Highlights
- In 2013, at age 16, he signed with Enhanced Music and released his first EP Late Night/Broadway under the Colorize sub-label. He was invited as a guest mixer on Above & Beyond's radio show Group Therapy, becoming the youngest guest mixer on the show.
- In 2015–2016, he released several EPs and singles including "Going Down/Hyperspace," "Careless/Huntdown," and "Horizon/Blimp," receiving support from Armin van Buuren, Above & Beyond, and Gareth Emery.
- His debut album Contrast was released on 6 October 2017 on Colorize and was streamed over 1 million times within a month on Spotify.
- In 2018, he launched the progressive house alias Matters and collaborated with Grammy-nominated producer BT on "The Noetic," released on Armin van Buuren's label A State of Trance.
- His second studio album, Progressions, was released on 24 April 2020.
- His track "To the Ground" (2019) was rated 9.0/10 by DJ Mag and was used in advertising campaigns for Jaguar and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Musical Style and Influences
Matt Fax's music blends progressive house, trance, and techno. He has been compared to Eric Prydz and deadmau5, and cites Jon Hopkins, Boards of Canada, and Radiohead as inspirations.
