Building Futures and Dance Floors with Cash Only

Cash Only is an artist who has worn many hats, from DJ, producer, promoter and label boss to social care entrepreneur and even city councillor, but music has always been at the heart of it all. 

He’s been carving out a reputation with his label Famous When Dead, he’s balancing international gigs, new releases and collaborations with some of the scene’s biggest names. “Weirdly, Heavy Metal had a big influence on me musically in my early teens,” he recalls, before pirate radio, Jungle mixtapes and weekends digging at Blackmarket, Uptown and Unity Records set him on his path. By 16, he already had a pair of “rickety old belt drive decks.”

But his story isn’t just about music. After stepping away from the dance scene, he built UNITY, a social care network inspired by the record shop that shaped him. “What started as simply rounding up the local youths from street corners and giving them a safe place to DJ and MC snowballed into multiple private and charitable operations employing nearly 200 people,” he says. “Without this supportive network that music gave me as a teenager, I feel that my life could have turned out very differently.”

UNITY is the largest independent group of Children’s Residential social care homes for Children aged 6-16 in the West Midlands employing over 180 staff across 15 sites over a 10-year plan. The company was sold in a deal worth £21m in December 2019. During this time Matt was the Chief Executive developing an innovative way of providing high quality care with additional opportunities focused on the arts, predominantly music.

In 2022 Matt became the primary investor in a new residential social care company that quickly grew to operating 8 Children’s homes. His role within this company is limited as he installed a strong management team early doors to oversee its day-to-day operations.

Despite these huge responsibilities, music was never far from his mind. “I always knew I would return,” he admits. That return has seen him release crossover house records, launch his own imprint Famous When Dead and manage his wife Sam Divine’s label. “I think I’ve set the foundation for who I am and what I do and it’s time to get a little more support from my peers in the industry rather than driving music at everyday consumers.”

Sam Divine, crowned the world’s number one house DJ last year at the DJ Awards, remains both muse and partner in life and music. “I am very proud of her,” Cash Only says. “Working together is sometimes problematic, as I’m always so enthusiastic about taking over the world and she is often overworked and stressed from her relentless schedule. Nowadays, I just let her know I’m here to do whatever she needs me to do. She’s got far more experience in this industry than I do, but I’ll never stop wanting to push her as high as she can go.”

Collaboration excites him most when making music and when pressed on who he would love to collaborate with from the past, present and future he told us; “From the past, James Brown… from the present CASISDEAD… for the future, I’d probably need to do something with the wife, Sam.” He also has a clear vision for his label: “I sign artists that I believe in and who I like working with and most importantly, who make music that I can fit into my sets.”

Ibiza has been shaping both his sound and his outlook. “I’ve definitely been taking influence from what I’m hearing and incorporating it into my own productions and DJ sets. I’m a serial hunter for exclusives and edits.” But he’s aware of the toll of the summer grind. “I think when music stops being fun, you have to make some changes and I’d never want to fall out of love with something that has been such a big thing in my life.”

For the next generation, his advice is simple: “Do it because you love music, not because you want that Instagram like or follow. Be patient and be consistent, and most importantly, move with the times.”

As for his own future? “I just want to have some fun with the platform I’ve created. I’m grateful for the people who have supported me on this journey so far… in the end, though, I’ll probably be famous when dead.”

Read the full in-depth interview with Cash Only on The Night Bazaar HERE.

Catch Cash Only at Beyond Borders at Gallery club in Chelsea, London on Thursday, December 4.