For the last few years, everything has been falling into place for Matt Tolfrey. He quickly stepped up from playing at local bars to holding down residencies at The Bomb and Stealth in Nottingham, two of the country's most respected underground clubs. He's played at some of the best clubs in the UK, notably regularly slots at London superclub Fabric, and worldwide he's guested everywhere from Ibiza, and Berlin, via USA and Australia. As well as all this, he runs four of his own labels named Leftroom, Leftroom Limited, Leftout, and Is This. This weekend he will be playing for Get Diverted at Dex so we caught up with him for a little banter.

Were you always into dance music and did your first break in DJing come about?

When I was younger I was more into Indie than Dance, but as i got older
and got schooled by my brother with Sasha mix tapes i soon turned my
attention to dance music. My first proper DJ gig came with a Sunday
residency at a pub in Worcester, just below Birmingham. I used to play
big prog anthems to all the people who had been out in London and
Birmingham all weekend. It didn't last for long, but definitely gave me
the confidence to play in front of people.

At what point did you realise that dance music was going to be your full time career.

As I was coming to the end of my degree at University I decided i wanted
to start a label. I think from the moment i borrowed the money to do that
then i was in this for the long haul...

How did Leftroom Records come about?

I was either going to go back to music college to learn how to produce or
start a label. I saw how everyone was making music and concentrating on
that, so i thought i would do something different. I had also seen how
Crosstown Rebels gave Damian Lazarus a platform to get out there so there
was definitely some inspiration there. I was always more interested in
putting other peoples music out than trying to get mine out.

What are your future plans for the label?

The three labels will continue to run as they do for the time being.
Record sales have really hit a lot of labels, so i think our release
schedule may slow down. I am looking to do Don't Be Leftout 2 some time
next year, which will be the second installment of our mix series.

Two of your biggest residencies have been in Nottingham at Stealth and The Bomb, how does the scene there compare with London?

When I was playing at the Bomb the scene was flourishing in Nottingham,
but a lot of things have changed. Nottingham is more of a band town so
a lot of the dance music up there has band influences.

How would you describe your DJing style and musical direction?

I play anything i like really. I would generally say i play house and
techno, but i do like the fact that as an English DJ i feel i can play a
range of different music. In the past DJs like Andy Weatherall and Craig
Richards have really shown how you can play lots of different styles of
music and still get people to understand you. In Europe I find that DJs
play much more on one style...

You are the youngest DJ to play in Room 1 at Fabric, do you take a sense of pride in that?

I am not sure if that is definitely true, but at the time I was 21, and I
was pretty young. It was the biggest thing that had happened to me in my
career then, and yes it is still definitely in my top 3 for lifetime
achievements...

And do you think you are the only DJ to take your Mum to a gig there?

I saw Richie Hawtin there with his Mum and Dad once, so he beats me as
both of his parents were there...

You studied your A level's in Worcester, did you ever had take have the chance to frequent Tramps nightclub? Ha ha

I used to own the dancefloor at that club. I wanted to play there so bad
when i was 17 or so, and the resident never let me play. I will remember
that forever, LOL...

What are your biggest frustrations with the scene at the moment?

I am not really frustrated at the moment to be fair, i am pretty
optimistic in general. The only thing that has annoyed me is the death of
vinyl really. I think it is a real shame that kids do not buy vinyl
anymore. I used to love getting to my local record store on a Friday
afternoon to get my mits on the newest releases that had just come in.
Also i think the relationship you build with people that work in record
shops can really aid you. I mean the more you get to know these people
the more they can help you with music you would of never thought to look
for. You just cannot get attention like that on a digital store...

Which DJs and producers are currently doing it for you at present?

Seth Troxler, Lee Curtiss and Inxec are the 3 producers who interest me
the most at the moment. They are doing stuff which does not sound like
anything previous and it is really exciting...

What can the Get Diverted crowd expect from you on Saturday?

Well i have just returned from my USA tour and while I was there I went
mad buying lots and lots of music. Also i met up with a lot of old friends
from over there and did some good swap sessions... So, all I can say is
that when I am armed with new music, i enjoy myself more, and I guess if I
enjoy myself more then so will everyone else at Get Diverted...