Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director A Groundbreaking Immersive Storyteller
  • Home
  • Reel
  • Work & Skills
  • About Me
  • CV & Contact
Music Journalism

Music Journalism

10 years as a music journalist has gifted me the time and generous freedom to dive deeply into an epic spectrum of careers, scenes and subcultures. During this decade I worked at the heart of a small team at Clash Magazine producing 100 print magazines, an award winning mobile app whilst programming a lot of events, music stages and live curation.

Around 2010 I started freelancing for Resident Advisor, Vice & Motherboard, DJ Magazine, BBC, The Evening Standard, Thump and Red Bull Music Academy. Whilst my days as a journalist have moved on, the wisdom I learnt during this era continues to inspire my work building narrative and musical worlds. 

  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - A Love Letter From the Dancefloor, to JD Twitch

    A Love Letter From the Dancefloor, to JD Twitch

    Clash Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - How Sonic The Hedgehog Saved Me From Cancer

    How Sonic The Hedgehog Saved Me From Cancer

    Vice Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - Dubplate Culture: Analogue Islands in the Digital Stream

    Dubplate Culture: Analogue Islands in the Digital Stream

    Red Bull Music Academy
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - Weatherall - A Pox on the Pioneers Interview

    Weatherall - A Pox on the Pioneers Interview

    Clash Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - The Rise And Fall Of East London’s Soundsystems

    The Rise And Fall Of East London’s Soundsystems

    Red Bull Music Academy
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - Hackney Soldiers - The Birth of Jungle

    Hackney Soldiers - The Birth of Jungle

    Clash Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - James Murphy Kills off LCD Soundsystem

    James Murphy Kills off LCD Soundsystem

    Clash Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - Ian Brown - Highs & the Lows of Stone Roses

    Ian Brown - Highs & the Lows of Stone Roses

    Clash Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - Jeremy Deller - Indelible Grace

    Jeremy Deller - Indelible Grace

    Clash Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - Lubomyr Melnyk - The World's Fastest Piano Player

    Lubomyr Melnyk - The World's Fastest Piano Player

    The world's fastest piano player

    Resident Advisor
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - M.I.A. - Karmageddon: Shifting to Higher Ground

    M.I.A. - Karmageddon: Shifting to Higher Ground

    Clash Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - Jimmy Cliff - Rebel Rebel

    Jimmy Cliff - Rebel Rebel

    Clash Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - Matthew Herbert - One Pig

    Matthew Herbert - One Pig

    Clash Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - Jamie XX - His Debut Cover Story

    Jamie XX - His Debut Cover Story

    Clash Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - Drexciya - Gerald Donald Surfaces

    Drexciya - Gerald Donald Surfaces

    Clash Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - Autechre - On Oversteps and Being Pigeonholed

    Autechre - On Oversteps and Being Pigeonholed

    Clash Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - Battles - Dancing To Architecture

    Battles - Dancing To Architecture

    Clash Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - Animal Collective - Bugging the Bandwidths

    Animal Collective - Bugging the Bandwidths

    Clash Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - Fuck Buttons Talk 'Tarot Sport’

    Fuck Buttons Talk 'Tarot Sport’

    Clash Magazine
  • Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director - Primal Scream's Return Into Their Beautiful Future

    Primal Scream's Return Into Their Beautiful Future

    Clash Magazine

Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director

I specialise in transporting fans inside their favourite story then keeping them enthralled once there.

As the former Group Creative Director of Secret Cinema, I thrive when transposing much loved stories or brand new tales from idea into living and breathing reality. Whether reimagining iconic worlds for Disney, Netflix and Universal or shaping original tales from scratch, I specialise in transforming stories into powerful, lived experiences.


At Secret Cinema, I wrangled a team of eleven brilliant creatives, building vast playgrounds of music, performance and design. Since 2024 as a freelancer, I get to collaborate widely - from immersive music worlds for Warner Music, to psychedelic food magicians Bompas & Parr to disinformation satirists Sage & Jester, glossy world-builders at Condé Nast and immersive sports pioneers Rematch Live to name just a few.



Ten years in, and my drive has only grown - to craft places where audiences don’t just watch a story, they live and play inside it.

  • LinkedIn
  • Email
  • Phone

©2025 Matthew J Bennett - Writer & Creative Director. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without permission.