Matt
"Variex"
Ghiglieri
ABOUT
Matt "Variex" Ghiglieri is a Bay Area, California based music producer, rapper, and audio engineer. Born in 1987, the San Francisco native began writing songs in 1995 and producing in 1998, influenced by the funky basslines and whistling synths of west coast hip-hop. After learning to record on a four-track cassette, Variex released his first full-length album in 2001, sparking his evolution into experimental hip-hop and poetry. By 2006, he had co-founded the New Cocoon artist collective and forayed into electronic music, blending atmospheric glitch-hop with personal, rapid-fire lyrics.
Variex has since worked with a long list of rappers, singers, and producers, including indie hip-hop superstars Ceschi Ramos (Fake Four), 2Mex (The Visionaries/Of Mexican Descent), and the late Alias (Anticon). By 2016, he had shared the stage with artists such as Sadistik and Cage, released an album on Milled Pavement Records, and founded his own label, Red Tempo Records. Variex's newest album, Struggle Sandwich, is scheduled for release October 2, 2020.
"FULL CIRCLE"
MUSIC VIDEO
PRESS
THE BREAD CRUMBS EP
"...filled with an emotional honesty and crate-digger's obsessive knowledge about music...the whole thing will sound awesome blasting out of your car stereo, but it’s also something that you can really form a personal relationship to...You get that great G-Funk, the talkbox, and all that great production, but then Variex
really flexes his skills as an emcee and turns
this teaser EP into a standout release."
- Scratched Vinyl, 2018
ALWAYS SOMETHING
"...beats that find a nice balance between funky and whimsical...Both artists have a great feel for hooks, managing to craft some that really stick in your head...Always Something is a really fun album with a lot of depth that rewards upon repeat listens."
- Scratched Vinyl, 2016
BENEATH SIX FEET OF DUST
"Variex lives and breathes music and sound...The album is well worth investing the time in."
- The Unheard Nerd, 2015
THE GLASS SWAN PROJECT
"...definitely one of my favourite unsung artists out there. He's truly gone from strength to strength and his latest album is just as beautiful as I had hoped. We are getting treated to 13 amazing songs...Variex shows that the best artists sometimes are found deep underground."
- Beats, Breaks & Big Smiles, 2012
"...really beautiful body of work here. The production here is easily some of Variex's best and you can get lost in any of the songs, as well as the album as a whole."
- Trylemma, 2012
PAST LIFE DISCOURSE
"...what is fascinating about this record is that there is not one single bad track on it. Variex serves up 18 tracks filled with amazing music...It's a true pleasure to listen to."
- Beats, Breaks & Big Smiles, 2011
"Variex takes you into a world of melancholic dreamy sound collages...also offers a lot of nodding potential. After the last muffled tones there is almost
nothing left to do but press repeat."
- DEAD Magazine, 2011
QUITTING TOMORROW
"Variex's last album was on my list of top albums from last year, and his newest one is just as good, if not better...it makes sense that the best thing I did hear would come from Variex...Quitting Tomorrow is a superior release to Kanye West's latest. The music and production is far more interesting, and Variex's delivery is great."
- Carl Sagan's Ghost, 2010
"...breathlessly relentless lyricism...leaves the impression of a depth of ideas, something you can bury yourself in as you get more familiar with the album...worth a download if you're a bit of a collector, or just a fan of the more cerebral, conceptual corners of hip-hop."
- Beat Lizard, 2010
OBSERVATIONS FROM ACROSS THE ROOM
"...electronic-infused hip-hop that speaks from the heart. Perfect beats and a smooth flow will keep you on the edge of your seat...appeals to a wide array of
different listeners."
- John "Praw" Kruse, Mine All Mine Records, 2009