Hey everyone! You know how on normal DJ’s websites they write their bio in the 3rd person? Not here. That is so fake… I’d rather be personable.

My name is Matthew J. Bentley, but I go by Theølogy when I’m doing music stuffz. I make club-ready video game remixes in all genres (because only making one genre is BORING to me haha). It wasn't always this way though... I have quite the backstory... 

I have been producing and DJing since the ripe age of 16 (oh, and I have a Masters in Theology, hence the stage name). I grew up in Minneapolis, MN, but thanks to my wife’s job (she’s an Equine Sports Medicine Vet), I have moved a bunch and now we are living a nomadic lifestyle!

My early days in production and DJing were self-taught. Because I started this journey before everyone and their mother was a DJ, I had some decent-ish success, being able to travel and do gigs in a few other states and countries. I also DJ’d at a club called LUSH for 3 years in Minneapolis and boy, was that some fun stuff.

In 2018, things took a turn for me. I took the Jason Ross Masterclass and met some really incredible people. Among them was Profetik, who actually believed in me despite all the rejection I had been receiving submitting music to labels at the time. We aspired to make a song together, and the resulting “Soul Dreamer” was played by Above & Beyond on ABGT 245. Getting a play like that was my biggest goal in music, so afterwards, I took a deep breath, reassessed what I was doing and made a new gameplan.

I began doing collabs with as many people as I could (among them were Euphoric Nation, and Table 18) and getting connected in the Minneapolis EDM scene like never before. I was able to do so many gigs and open up for some heroes of mine like Judah, Sunny Lax, Genix, and Ashley Wallbridge. I fostered connections I had with my friends Daniel Davis (1/2 of the group Fatum), Myon, Profetik, and Shahin and Neel from Elevven to receive further training on production, and my sound improved immensely. I owe these guys a lot and I love them dearly, whether they know it or not.

After Soul Dreamer got played on ABGT, I received a message from Jerry Tebbs, AKA Table 18, who was wanting to collab and I took him up on the offer. We quickly realized how good of friends we were, and he invited me to stay with him in China after ABGT 300 (he was an english teacher in Guangzhou at the time). It was in Guangzhou on Rainbow Court near Clifford Wonderland that we formed the duo Wæde Wätts, which is a more underground sound from the Video Game Remixes and weirdness of Theølogy. The great part about teaming up with Jerry is that he allowed me to keep my solo identity (unlike previous groups I’ve been in 🙄), and I encouraged him to keep his. Thus, I have to mention Wæde Wätts because our group is just as much Theølogy as it is Table 18 as it is Wæde Wätts (we are kind of like the Trinity if you will 😉).

Because of this freedom I’m allowed to pursue the Theølogy sound (I word it this way because, again, in previous groups I have received ultimatums to ditch my solo project), I had this idea one day to make Trance at 90-100BPM that encompasses the freedom in structure of future beats, but has the sound design and powerful percussion of trance. Future Trance is the genre I am pioneering, and I am the only one in the world that I know of who is making it. Rezz makes similar music, but mine has more elements of trance to it. The best example I could give of this genre is my "Whisper and Mantra" remix from Secret of Mana. You can find out more on the “Music” page on this website.

Before I released my album "Trapped in a World Between Beauty and Bass" I sent it to my brother, who told me that my "video game remixes were awesome" and that I "should just focus on that." Shortly after this happened, Thomas from VGM Con booked me for my first Con where I played ONLY video game remixes and the response in the chat was uncanny. After this, I decided to take my brother's advice and pursue this sound. I am SO glad I did. I've been able to collaborate with some heroes of mine, like Vector U and Player2, and others who I met in the scene that I really look up to like The Icarus Kid, The Arkadian, Lacey Johnson, Gunderslam, Ian Cowell, and more! The Video Game Music scene has give me more freedom than I've ever had as a creative to do whatever I want and to make whatever it is I'm feeling like and no one is snobbish or rude about me exploring multiple genres. Because of this, VGM is now my home and I am here to stay. Hopefully I'll be playing a show at a con near you soon, but in the meantime, you can always check out my YouTube channel that has most of my sets 😘

Lastly, my musical ethic is summed up in the character of Peyton Sawyer, the character on One Tree Hill. As music lover, Peyton is musical integrity personified. In the series, she took an internship at a record label in LA, and she quickly realized it was just about making money, not keeping the actual art as the most important part. There is a scene in the show where she quits this internship, and the words she says are so powerful that they are literally giving me goosebumps thinking about them as I type this: “You were wrong yesterday when you said the kids in the clubs were just there for decadence. I think it’s more like romance and hope and inspiration, and that feeling that you get when other human beings pick up basic instruments and make sense of your world. And the day that I think it’s just about making money is gonna be the day that I’ve betrayed everything I believe in about music and life and myself.” The reason I make music is to touch people’s lives. I want to genuinely make the world a better place. That is why I donate 50% of my profits (after Keep the lights on costs) every year to mental health charities. In the wake of losing Avicii, Pierce Fulton, i_o and more, it is an extremely relevant cause to my heart. I have even been in such a place in my life where I didn’t think life was worth living. Thankfully, I was spared, and now it is my mission to use EDM for GOOD and spread awareness of de-stigmatizing mental health care.

So there you have it. That’s a little bit about me. I hope that this was informative enough for you to follow me on my journey. I hope the tunes I produce give you joy and satisfaction. I would love it if you considered supporting me on Patreon, as not only would you be supporting my musical journey, but you would also be supporting a really good cause in preventing suicide and fostering the maximization of caring for mental health.

So what are you waiting for?! Let's unlock God Mode Together with some Club-Ready VGM! 

Peace and love!

-MJB / Theølogy