10/09/2026
Scottish DJ, producer and Johnny Johnny Records boss Modat makes his debut on Radio Slave's REK'D with the 'Dashin' EP. He kicks things off with 'Still Dashin', a dubbed-out adventure complete with glitchy stabs, acid licks and a subtle shuffle through its straight house groove. It's followed by 'Phreak Out', which places a playful spoken-word vocal alongside its wonky low-end, before 'Thawber' delivers another deep and stripped-back cut. Closing the EP, 'Dish Dash' pairs futuristic modular bleeps with a tight late-night rhythm to round off the release in style.
Q: Please introduce yourself
I'm Modat, a DJ and producer from Glasgow. I've been making and playing music in various forms for around 15 years now, mostly somewhere within the many corners of house and techno. Alongside my own releases, I own & run Johnny Johnny Records as well as Rhythm., which have become outlets for both my music and artists I genuinely believe in.
So between producing, DJing and running the labels, I spend an arguably unhealthy amount of my life thinking about records, but there are worse problems to have, I guess!
Q: One person you'd dream to have a coffee with?
It's a toss-up between Freddie Mercury and David Bowie. I get the impression that with either of them you'd get a completely straight, no-bullshit conversation, no fluff around the edges, just incredibly interesting and genuine people. I can only imagine the stories they'd have to tell. Although, forget the coffee. Get me in a random's kitchen back at some gaff with either of them. That's when the good stuff would come out, I reckon.
Q: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
Invisibility, but only when nobody is looking at me. Completely useless and incredibly powerful at the same time. A blessing and a curse. I'd spend the rest of my life never actually knowing if it worked.
Q: If you would have been given the chance to do a film score, what movie would you choose and why?
Trainspotting, without a doubt. Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose film scoring.
Q: Who influenced you the most in your music career and why?
Musically, there are loads – Depeche Mode, Hot Chip, The Smiths, Talk Talk, Kris Wadsworth and Channel X are a few that have left a massive mark on me in different ways. They're all surreal artists in their own right, whether that's through songwriting, production, identity or just having a sound that's unmistakably theirs.
But influence doesn't always come from music. My mum and my partner Hayley have probably been two of the biggest influences on my career without ever making a record. They're the backbone of a lot of my will to keep pushing forward, especially through the points where I've questioned what I'm doing or where it's all going. You can be inspired by a great record, but having people around you who genuinely believe in what you're doing is a different kind of influence entirely. I love them for that.
Q: Tell us about your journey, what got you to where you are today?
I've been doing this in one form or another for about 15 years, through different aliases, sounds, releases, and eventually starting the labels, etc. But I think what's actually got me here is just becoming clearer about what I want to do, being true to myself and sticking to it. I think real sees real. When you're making something genuinely because you believe in it, people recognize that. Those little nuggets of acknowledgement can give you the bit of air under your wings you need to keep the whole thing alive. Especially now, when so much music can feel carbon copy and throwaway, having your own identity matters more to me than ever.
I also took a fair amount of time away from music. At the time, that probably felt like stepping backwards, but looking at it now, it was one of the better things I could have done. I came back with fresh ears and a much healthier attitude towards it all. I wasn't hanging onto as much of the bullshit this industry can dump on you or worrying about where I was supposed to be. These days I'm much more interested in making music I believe in, working with people I respect and seeing where that takes me. It's taken me a while to get there, but maybe that was the journey.
Q: What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting out their career in music?
Be genuine. Not just in your music, but in how you carry yourself. Stand by virtues that don't cut people short and don't make every relationship about what someone can do for you. The scene is smaller than you think, and people have surprisingly good memory when you've been a c*nt. Make the music you actually want to make, support good people and don't sacrifice your identity just to get your foot through a door. If you have to become someone else to get somewhere, you've probably arrived at the wrong place anyway. Oh, and go easy on Splice and Suno. At some point you do actually have to make the f*cking tunes yourself.
Q: Can you recall a DJ set or performance of yours that remains unforgettable to you? Where did it take place, and what makes it stand out among all others?
Years ago, a small group of friends put together this really DIY, community-driven thing called Techno Fest somewhere up in the Scottish Highlands. Couldn't tell you exactly where – which probably sets the tone for the rest of this story. We all piled onto a shuttle bus and headed up together. I remember playing and the connection with the crowd was completely symbiotic. It's genuinely still one of the best connections I've ever felt playing out. Nothing particularly glamorous about it, just the right people in the right place at the right time and everyone completely locked in together.
Unfortunately, the memories become slightly less wholesome after that. I'd taken enough mandy to stop a rhino and woke up the next day in a thorn bush with splinters in my arse cheeks. My white shirt also had two very distinctive stain marks across the chest from apparently spending part of the night rubbing myself because it felt absolutely amazing. So yeah. Community. Music. Togetherness. Thorn bush. F*cking great couple of days. Good memories, good times.
Q: How has your music style evolved over the years?
It's been all over the shop to be honest, but I think that's probably a good thing. I started out making much more groove-driven House / Tech House as Nico Mendez, then over time my ears started moving towards dub, minimal and techno, which eventually became a big reason for starting Modat in the first place.
My Beau You Know pseudo gave me somewhere to explore the heavier end of things too, so I've never really followed one straight line musically. Usually, I'm just following whatever excites me at that particular point. Looking backwards is when I notice the connections. The funny thing with Dashin' EP is that after finishing it, I realised quite a bit of the old Nico Mendez DNA had somehow crept back into the music. So after 15 years of apparently “evolving”, I've managed to circle back around to myself.
Q: If you were to venture into another music genre, which one would you choose and why?
Experimental music, noise performance art for sure. Have you seen Ryosuke Kiyasu? He's absolutely smashing it, LITERALLY. I'd bash a snare and dry hump a table for 45 minutes easy if it meant I got more bookings
Q: Could you name 3 tracks that got you into electronic music and why?
1- Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence.
Probably an obvious one given how much I mention them, but it has to be there. It's one of those records where the songwriting, electronics and atmosphere all just meet perfectly. It made electronic music feel like much more than just the sounds being used to make it.
2- Channel X & Meggy – Monday.
Came across this when I was properly falling into house and club music. There's something about the groove and simplicity of it that really stuck with me. I've rinsed it, and it definitely helped shape the sort of records I wanted to make myself.
3- DJ Nelson – E.S.P. For Superior Raving.
I'm cheating because this isn't a track, it's an entire compilation. I stole the CD from my cousin when I was younger. Josh Wink, Future Breeze, Planet Soul, Barbara Tucker all sorts were on there. Pure raw unfiltered house music on this. So apologies to my cousin. I still have it. You're not getting it back.
Q: Can you recommend a hidden gem in your home country that would be perfect for a rave?
This is a hard one because I literally walk into almost anywhere and immediately assess its potential as a rave spot. An affliction a lot of us share, I think!
If I had to pick one though, it'd be Inchmurrin on Loch Lomond. It's the largest freshwater island in Britain and only up the road from me. It's secluded and beautiful, which would offer the freedom and isolation you'd want for a proper party. Logistically it would be an absolute f*cking nightmare. You've got an island, a soundsystem and presumably a lot of people who need to somehow get home again! But that's someone else's department. I just play tunes.
Q: Could you tell us about your upcoming releases and plans for the year?
My unreleased folder is currently growing arms and legs, so there's definitely plenty sitting there waiting to escape. I can maybe hint that there should be some Modat finding its way onto Golden Gate Club Records in the future, which I'm really excited about. I've got a lot of love for what that club represents – very no-bullshit, which is generally my favorite kind of bullshit.
I've also been getting things moving again with my own imprints, so hopefully there'll be some new material coming through those towards the end of the year as well.
Gig-wise, it's actually pretty quiet at the moment, and I'm completely fine saying that out loud. I don't think enough artists talk about the slow periods. You'd look at social media and think everyone's playing four countries a weekend, finishing three EPs on the flight home and having the best year of their life.
It's not always go, go, go and me, me, me. Sometimes it's nice to stfu, make some records and see what happens.
Q: Can you share a fun fact about yourself that most of your listeners are probably unaware of?
I've got a few. I like cold beans straight out the tin, which I've been informed isn't normal behavior
During lockdown I took my gaming to a new level, built myself a ridiculous gaming PC and started streaming Warzone. Somehow that ended up growing to around 30k followers, and at one point I had a K/D of about 13.7. So for a brief period I was apparently considerably better at Warzone than I was at having a music career. (Probably still the case).
I also give really weird and increasingly obscure nicknames to people I like or love. Most of them have evolved so far beyond the person's actual name that explaining how I got there would require some sort of family tree diagram.
So yeah: cold beans, class at Warzone, and nobody close to me gets called by their real name.
Modat - Dashin' EP [REK'D]