Sundays on The Roof | Vince Watson/ Nicolas Matar/ Nikola Baytala

If it takes fifteen years to make an overnight hit, then Nicolas Matar has truly come of age. The story of house music has run from the New York underground via Ibiza to London and back around again many times over the past fifteen years – and as the chapters have unfolded, our man has been there to turn the page.

Nicolas has been DJing since the tender age of 15. He got an early head-start from his father, an original member of Studio 54 and a denizen of the 70?s New York club scene. “Dad was a hobbyist DJ and had an incredible collection of Disco, Funk and Soul records,” says Nicolas. “I grew up with a mini club in my basement. My parents used it to entertain their friends with my Dad behind the decks.

Nicolas’ musical style is very diverse, encompassing everything from Deep House, Soulful House, Nu-Jazz, Techno to Disco Classics. Like most globetrotting DJs, Nicolas spins regularly in the US, UK, Spain, Brazil, France, Mexico, Peru, Netherlands, Italy, Estonia, Greece, Finland, Canada, Singapore, Belgium, Korea, Hong Kong, Turkey, Japan, Indonesia and Switzerland. It is perhaps his greatest accolade that from 1993-2001, Nicolas was the resident DJ of the world-renowned Pacha in Ibiza. Nicolas credits those years during the golden era of House Music at Pacha as the inspiration for his eventual return to New York to build Cielo.

Nicolas opened Cielo in New York eight years ago. It was awarded an unparalleled 10 awards in its first five years and has become a reputable brand worldwide. In addition to being the co-owner/resident DJ, Nicolas handles all music programming and marketing at Cielo. Roger Sanchez, Francois K., Carl Cox, Louie Vega, Tedd Patterson, Richie Hawtin, Dubfire, Danny Tenaglia, and Frankie Knuckles are just a few of the Djs who play alongside Nicolas at Cielo on a regular basis.

Cielo just released its much-anticipated seventh compilation, Paradizo 2 to much acclaim mixed by Nicolas and fellow Cielo resident, Willie Graff. Cielo’s first compilation, Cloud 9, and its following compilations were a great success worldwide and amongst the best selling CDs in Ibiza during the summer. Nicolas has also mixed three other highly acclaimed DJ compilations: “Latitude 40?, and “Sundance” for the Journeys By DJ Label in the UK, and “Tropicalism”, for Razor and Tie in the US. Please go to www.djnicolasmatar.com for more info.


DJ Nikola Baytala has become a crucial component of the minimal-techno collective known as Kontrol. But don't typecast him as a one-dimensional droid with a M-nus Records logo tattoo. He's been exploring the upper echelons of the techno/house continuum since the early '90s (including the last 10 years at The Top, a weekly event hosted by S.W.A.T., aka Special Weapons and Tactics), gaining a reputation as a DJ's DJ, with acclaim coming from house-music legends like Derrick Carter and Doc Martin. Moreover, Baytala's list of musical influences and loves is vast, eclectic, and impeccable. The following roll call just scratches the surface: dub/reggae (Lee "Scratch" Perry), jazz (Pharoah Sanders), world (Ravi Shankar, Mulatu Astatke), funk (Cymande), soul (Bill Withers), hiphop (Gang Starr), Krautrock (Can), electro (Egyptian Lover, Kraftwerk), disco (DJ Harvey), Latin (Tito Puente), soundtrack/new age (Vangelis), rock (Steely Dan), post-punk (ESG, Liquid Liquid), and post-rock (Outhud). As for his bread and butter, Baytala similarly displays excellent judgment, with a heavy preference for quality-pushers like Jeff Mills, Gas, Monolake, Robert Hood, Theo Parrish, and Mr. Fingers. When you see a DJ possess such wide-ranging, outstanding taste, it instills confidence that he/she will rarely, if ever, veer into wackness. Baytala clearly has put many hours of study into his craft, and it's paid off with smooth mixes and world-class track selection. Besides his formidable technical skills and profound knowledge, Baytala reportedly exudes a lot of personality and passion behind the decks, which must have served him well while opening for acts like Jane's Addiction. Everything I've heard by Baytala suggests that his sets avoid the supposed pitfalls of minimal dance music. They're kinetic, dynamic, and, of course, cheese-free. I can't believe I've only just recently found out about this mensch.