DJ MAT AMP

DJ MAT AMP aka Matthew Alakija – Listen live from the UK to the ‘Switching Yard’ every Tuesday evening from 7 PM to 10 PM, and every Wednesday morning from 8 AM to 11 AM (full replay of the previous Tuesday evening show) for a melting pot of soulful beats and funky flavours. Playing 3 hours of Funk, Soul, Afrobeat, Rare Groove, Acid Jazz, Trip Hop, Jazz, RnB, Funky Hip Hop, Electro Swing, House, Ska, Roots, Dancehall and well…just good music will roll from a reflective first hour to a banging finale fit for the dance floor.  

It was Willy Shakespeare who opened one of his classics with the line ‘if music be the food of love, play on...’ and the Switching Yard is all about the way music connects us all on the dancefloor of life.  

Music reflects our experiences, evoking memories of good times and bad, love, rage, solitude and togetherness. The Switching Yard is and untethered celebration of life and the soundtrack to it, refusing to be tied down by the notion of an era or the idea of genres. 

The name AMP comes from the sound system established in the 90s as part of the Black Sheep crew that was at the cutting edge of the underground house scene in London. 

AMP was inspired by the life of Fela Kuti, the King of Afrobeat who pushed for social change in Nigeria by embracing African values and rejecting the colonial mentality of the west. It was all about connecting people on the dancefloor, amping the love and respect, making friends and having fun. The music was the beating heart of the movement. 

Mat was best known as a regular at the Windmill in Brixton Hill for years, playing for numerous bands there and one-off nights. Other residencies include The Queens Head in Stockwell Road, the Bar and Grill in Brixton and The Duke of Edinburgh in Ferndale Road.