Man from Pontypool shares journey through the music scene

South Wales Argus

6 days ago

In 2003, Pontypool man Matt Lewis went by the name of 'Stitch'. Back then, he was signed under Some Bizarre Records, a label which managed legendary acts such as Depeche Mode and Soft Cell.
Matt Lewis of Malphorix formerly known as Stitch (Image: Matt Lewis) Matt, now 46-years-old, opened up about his musical journey.
He told the Argus: 'I've been writing music for as long as I can remember, since I was about eight or nine years old.
'I started a band called Mainstream Distortion. It was just me and a guitarist in the beginning. I would lay down lyrics over the top of our music, and before long, we evolved into an 'industrial band.
'We got signed to Some Bizarre Records—a label known for huge names in the electronic scene, especially in the 80s. We released an album with them, but to be honest, they didn't do us justice.'
Matt was under the thumb of major record producer Stevo Pearce. Stevo, known as a 'live wire', gained a reputation for being a maverick.
Mainstream Distortion's debut album Bully (Image: Matt Lewis) It was under Stevo's London based record company that Matt's career in music first blossomed.
During this time Mainstream Distortion released an angsty electro album called 'Bully.'
A standout feature of the album is the video for the track 'Insect,' directed by cult filmmaker Alex Chandon, known for his work on Cradle of Fear.
Matt said: 'One of our tracks, Redefining the Prologue, appeared on a compilation just two songs down from Soft Cell, that was a big moment.'
Now, 22 years later, Matt has made the decision to return to the music scene.
Speaking about what prompted this he said: 'I've recently undergone a full creative redesign and now go by the name Malphorix.
'I've gone through my entire back catalogue. Stuff I've worked on over the last 30 years that's never been released.'
Malphorix's new release New World (Image: Matt Lewis) Malphorix's new album 'New World' is Matt's latest project.
Speaking of the album Matt said: 'One of the songs on the new album, Hybrid, I actually wrote back in 1997.
'The full album is 16 tracks deep, spanning over three decades of music.'
Matt added: 'I just wanted to finally get this out there. I thought, 'It's time' I got a kick up the backside so let's see what happens.'
New World is available to stream on Spotify, YouTube and Amazon for more information on Malphorix click here.