Stirling is a London, Ontario-based artist and, through a sequence of recent events and signings that include Farris Wheel Recordings, he has become recognised for his high-energy sets and punctuated, powerful grooves that instantly ignite the dancefloor. Rooted in club culture from an early age, he translates his musical expression with raw emotion and electrifying rhythms built purposely to move the dancefloor. With a string of releases already lined up for 2025, he’s fast becoming a talent that is registering with international promoters and label heads alike. He now makes a bold entrance onto the electronic music scene with his debut release ‘All That Really Matters.’ DMC dives in…
Introduce yourself, who exactly is Stirling?
“I’m Matt Stirling, AKA – STIRLING – an electronic music producer and DJ from London, ON, Canada.
What first inspired you to become an artist?
“My love for music started in my early childhood. I can remember waking up before school each morning with my mom always singing at the top of her lungs,Michael and Janet Jackson songs to get herself going and ready for us kids. I can even remember myself performing the MC Hammer dance at 9 years old for my Mom’s friends haha. I’ve just always loved Music! From an early age I could see how it brought people together…For me specifically, it has always been a way to connect with emotions and express myself, and as I grew older, I realized I wanted to create my own music to share those emotions with others.”
Tell me more about your musical journey & career to date.
“I started DJing in my early 20s, and after a few years, I dove into music production in December 2023. Though I’m still relatively new to production, I’ve been blessed with having my first 2 tracks signed to well-respected labels! Farris Wheel Recordings (Gene Farris’ Label) and Alleanza Recordings (Jewel Kid’s Label). I must say, these milestones feel amazing! They’re pretty fresh as well, I literally just signed the Farris Wheel contract on my last day (last week) of Miami Music Week. I woke up to the docusign email, looked at my partner, smiled… and said “I did… my first officially signed track” The journey’s been fun so far! I’ve been learning a lot and connecting with experienced producers, which has really accelerated my growth for sure.”
What’s your ideal vision for your music career when it comes to dream gigs?
“My ideal gigs are those that allow me to connect deeply with the audience—places where the crowd is fully immersed in the music, whether it’s the likes of underground clubs or festival stages, it doesn’t matter. I just want to share the music with people… vibe together with them, share the energy my selections can give, and take them on a journey outside of the regular day.
Were your family supportive in your formative music career?
Absolutely! My family knows I’m ALL IN on whatever it is I do and have learned to trust me decisions that I make. It’s honestly so wonderful to have that support!
Outside of music, what else makes you tick?
Oh man…
Beyond music…
Cars! I love taking my Porsche GT4 out for a rip when I can on the highways, even more so, on the tracks we have here in Ontario, such as Mosport. I’ve always been an F1 fan, since my early childhood.
Food – I love food (haha)… I love fitness, staying healthy, and enjoying food with friends and family.
Family – it’s everything at the end of the day. Everything I do is with purpose and with my family in mind ☺️
Which piece of studio kit is your favourite and why?
(Hmmm…) Honestly, one of the funnest pieces I have is probably the Akai MPC LIVE II. It can do so much and has simply created a different workflow for me that’s kept things interesting. I’m sure I’ll have more pieces that I grow into over time, but that’s been fun as of late.
What is it about music that excites you most?
For me, it’s really simple – It’s how it makes me feel…music has brought me so much joy and energy in life. Very few things in life can keep giving happiness and joy like music does.
What advice would you pass onto younger generations?
Take the leap! There’s not enough time in this interview for me to explain my massive leap of faith into music, but I can assure you, I’m so glad I did. Whatever you do, just go ALL-IN. I live by several life rules and principles and one of them for the last 10+ years has been to remember: How you do anything – Is how you do everything. One of my first mentors in the fitness space told me this years ago and it sunk in hard for me. I started doing every daily task like a champ (haha). Whether it was making my bed, making sales calls, getting dressed, going into meetings, it didn’t matter – I did them all well and to the best of my ability. You’ll have “off days”, sure, but you can even learn to deal with those faster over time.
What’s the best piece of advice another person ever gave you?
“Do things for the right reason”
Producers are often great chefs with creativity in their blood. Is this the case for you?
Well, I try (laughs). I love getting on the BBQ, but don’t ask me to create gourmet meals 😉 I’m a pretty simply guy…give me a steak, some fruit, a little honey, and filtered water and I’m happy.
Any other releases in the pipeline that we should know about?
I have about 6-7 tracks in the pipeline right now that I feel really good about, so stay tuned to see what labels pick them up!
www.instagram.com/stirling_ofc/
