Bicep

Bicep are a Northern Irish electronic music duo consisting of Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson, both from Belfast, Northern Ireland. What began as a shared passion for digging through forgotten dance music has evolved into one of the most compelling stories in modern electronic music — a journey from bedroom bloggers to headline artists selling out the world's most iconic venues.

Matt and Andy began DJing together around 2008 in Belfast's tight-knit electronic music community. In 2010, they launched the Feel My Bicep blog, which quickly became one of the most influential music blogs in the dance music world. The blog was dedicated to rediscovering lost and forgotten dance tracks from the 1990s and early 2000s — deep cuts from house, breakbeat, electro, Italo disco, and UK rave that had slipped through the cracks of history. Their curation was impeccable, and the blog built a massive following of dedicated music fans, DJs, and producers who relied on it as a source of inspiration.

Their transition from curators to creators was seamless. Early releases on their own Feel My Bicep label showcased a production style that drew from the same well of influences they championed on the blog: warm, melodic, emotionally charged dance music that honored the past while sounding utterly contemporary. In 2017, they signed to the prestigious Ninja Tune label and released their self-titled debut album. The standout track "Glue" became an instant classic — named Pitchfork's Best New Track, its music video featuring nostalgic 1990s Belfast rave footage became iconic in its own right.

Their second album "Isles," released in January 2021, reached number 2 on the UK Albums Chart and cemented their status as one of the most important acts in electronic music. Tracks like "Apricots," "Atlas," and "Saku" showcased a more ambitious production palette, incorporating global vocal samples, intricate breakbeat patterns, and lush ambient textures. The album was a critical and commercial triumph that expanded their audience far beyond the typical dance music fanbase.

Bicep's live shows have become the stuff of legend. Their audio-visual productions at venues like Printworks London (sold out multiple times), Brixton Academy, and Alexandra Palace feature custom visuals, stunning lighting design, and live performance of their tracks that create an immersive, almost transcendent experience. They are regularly booked at the world's biggest festivals including Glastonbury, Coachella, and Warehouse Project, and their third album "Chroma" is anticipated for 2025.

Bicep's creative process is rooted in their shared obsession with music history. Before they ever produced a track, Matt and Andy spent years digging through record shops, online forums, and obscure databases to find forgotten dance music gems. This curation instinct — the ability to hear a track and know exactly why it matters — is the foundation of everything they create.

In the studio, their production approach is collaborative and intuitive. They work together in their London studio, often starting with a sample, a vocal fragment, or a melodic idea that captures a particular emotion. Their music is characterized by a warmth and emotional depth that sets it apart from much of contemporary electronic music. Tracks like "Glue," "Apricots," and "Atlas" all share a quality of wistful euphoria — they make you want to dance and cry at the same time.

The development of their live show was a major evolution. Rather than simply pressing play on their studio productions, they worked with visual artists and lighting designers to create an immersive experience that translates the emotional depth of their music into a multi-sensory event. Using hardware synthesizers and drum machines alongside their production, they perform their tracks live in a way that feels spontaneous and immediate, creating unique moments that can never be exactly replicated.