IDM Mailing Archive

Maybe this has been responded to as I get digest, but: In my opinion the other 2 are the 'real' matmos - The West is good - darn clever in fact, but the other 2: 'st' and quasi objects' both preceded 'The West' (in that order) are fine 'pure' ie: less thematic 'Matmos'. I would not say the first album 'shows their influences a little too transparently' - I am not even sure what the influences may be, besides the obvious late 20 year old male view on dance culture and john cage aesthetics on what can be 'music' - it was he, not Steven Stapleton that this quote came from earlier - maybe also an influence was General Magic and Pita's 'fridge tracks' which sourced sounds from a fridge to make all sounds (deleted cd once on source), also dr rockit/herbet was also sampling the munching of apples for 'house' tracks around this time - {hey kids of Melbourne - see Herbet play on the 13th at the lounge}. The sounds used by matmos are not technically field recordings either.. they contact mic up 'objects' - say a banjo, whoopee cushion, crayfish tissue, strand of hair, etc to construct 'music' out of these unusual sources.. the first 2 discs are prime examples are of what can be achieved from this technique - mind you these 2 san fran suckers are patient, and skilled! I have heard that the new release - a 30 min remix of Music from post-chamber (!) group The Rachaels is just out on Quarterstick and a release forthcoming uses only medical equipment .. hooray! mark http://www.synrecords.com Are the previous Matmos releases even half as good as the brilliant "The West?" 'The West' is their second release (just), and I think both albums either side would be worthwhile for any fan of 'The West'. Some commented at the time (again, it'll be in the archives) that 'Quasi-Objects' (their most recent) is the most realized, and that the first album shows their influences a little too transparently. Be aware that 'Quasi-Objects' is (as the name might suggest) very very much based around "field recording" of sounds, ie. finding and making noises with things other than instruments, and putting them together. Michael --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

I think the Matmos vague terrian #0 album is now fairly hard to find, I think it went OOP 6 months ago maybe? It has a fantastic 18-minute track (#3) which has some seriously amazing progression, and of course more tracks made with balloons, farts, mumbles, and so forth. "Quasi-objects" (vague terrain #1) should still be available and contains much of the same type of material. Both are pretty essential US-IDMish releases IMO. Some of the tracks of these two albums still don't fail to blow my mind. Andrew -- -| Andrew Schrock | aschrock@cs.brandeis.edu |- --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

on 5/2/00 5:59 AM, Andrew Schrock at aschrock@cs.brandeis.edu wrote:

quoted 9 lines I think the Matmos vague terrian #0 album is now fairly hard to find, I

> I think the Matmos vague terrian #0 album is now fairly hard to find, I > think it went OOP 6 months ago maybe? It has a fantastic 18-minute track > (#3) which has some seriously amazing progression, and of course more > tracks made with balloons, farts, mumbles, and so forth. > > "Quasi-objects" (vague terrain #1) should still be available and contains > much of the same type of material. Both are pretty essential US-IDMish > releases IMO. Some of the tracks of these two albums still don't fail to > blow my mind.

Wait a second... Not trying to be contrary here, but I thought #0 and quasi-objects were quite dissimilar. "#0" was very cold, metallic, dark, clicking, and autechre-ish with absolutely no use of the balloons, farting, etc that you here on Quasi-objects. By contrast, Quasi-objects seemed more organic and warmer and used the sounds of balloons, farting, voices, etc. I think Quasi-objects really established Matmos as unique and apart from all the other Autechre sound-a-likes. However, both 0# and Quasi-objects are fantastic. -- shephrd@earthlink.net | "...thita NK;" "...mechanically reclaimed by autechre..." --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

On Tue, 2 May 2000, Michael Shepherd wrote:

quoted 21 lines on 5/2/00 5:59 AM, Andrew Schrock at aschrock@cs.brandeis.edu wrote:

> on 5/2/00 5:59 AM, Andrew Schrock at aschrock@cs.brandeis.edu wrote: > > > I think the Matmos vague terrian #0 album is now fairly hard to find, I > > think it went OOP 6 months ago maybe? It has a fantastic 18-minute track > > (#3) which has some seriously amazing progression, and of course more > > tracks made with balloons, farts, mumbles, and so forth. > > > > "Quasi-objects" (vague terrain #1) should still be available and contains > > much of the same type of material. Both are pretty essential US-IDMish > > releases IMO. Some of the tracks of these two albums still don't fail to > > blow my mind. > > Wait a second... > > Not trying to be contrary here, but I thought #0 and quasi-objects were > quite dissimilar. "#0" was very cold, metallic, dark, clicking, and > autechre-ish with absolutely no use of the balloons, farting, etc that you > here on Quasi-objects. By contrast, Quasi-objects seemed more organic and > warmer and used the sounds of balloons, farting, voices, etc. I think > Quasi-objects really established Matmos as unique and apart from all the > other Autechre sound-a-likes.

You're right about the samples, they retain the same aesthetic tho. I slipped for a bit, I hadn't listened to vague0 in quite some time and mixed up which tracks were from which album. Now that my bungling has been pointed out, I might as well patch it up: As Michael mentioned, Quasi- uses a lot of more straight electronic samples and "traditional" samples (as well as real DRUM sounds) there's the same amount of sample fuckery going on in both. (track 5, "this is..." on vague0 would be equally at home on either album with its guitar weirdness) Regardless: they're masters at composing micro-symphonies of "knowable" sounds and feeding them back to you so that you have no idea what the 'ell is going on. They display very raw samples inside of their songs, but you still have trouble hearing what's going on. Random note: got the new Pole 12" today (the yellow sleeve-d one). It's faster, 4/4, and much more chain reaction influenced than you might expect. Same Pole, new take on it. Which is good, I don't think I could stomach another "1" or "2". Andrew -- -| Andrew Schrock | aschrock@cs.brandeis.edu |- --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

quoted 4 lines I have heard that the new release - a 30 min remix

>I have heard that the new release - a 30 min remix >of Music from post-chamber (!) group The Rachaels is just out on >Quarterstick and a release forthcoming uses only medical equipment .. >hooray!

Don't mean to be nit-picky, but the Matmos remix of that Rachel's track is actually closer to 18 minutes, and it's phenomenal. Dave Segal Managing Editor/Alternative Press Reviews/BPM/Reissue Redux Secret Ions on WCSB Thursdays 9-11PM EST [www.wcsb.org] np: The Infesticons- Gun Hill Road (Big Dada) --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

quoted 6 lines Don't mean to be nit-picky, but the Matmos remix of

>Don't mean to be nit-picky, but the Matmos remix of >that Rachel's track is actually closer to 18 minutes, and it's >phenomenal. > >> > >hmm.. where can i pick this up?

It's being released May 18 by Quarterstick/Touch And Go, and therefore should be easy to find, even in big chain stores. Dave Segal Managing Editor/Alternative Press Reviews/BPM/Reissue Redux Secret Ions on WCSB Thursdays 9-11PM EST [www.wcsb.org] --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

Any opinions on Faultline? I haven't heard it, but would like to. Perhaps a description would convince me to buy it... -Matt- www.konstruktiv.net "In communications, familiarity breeds apathy." -William Bernbach --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

I've just noticed that "West" was reissued on CD. And this fact has woken up my long timed interest in this collective (or person) The only thing I've heard from them is the remix track on Kid606 & Friends compilation. I liked it. It is experimental enough to sound as new and still is far from pure noise. I would like to ask if anyone can comment on "West" and any other albums they have. Thanx in advance. Alien --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

Dear Drew, Thanks for your response. It is really intriguing to get the info on the band from the band itself. 8) I just started to download mp3s from the site and if they're as good as the kid606 remix or maybe better I'll be ordering it very shortly... Thanks again, Alien np. Boards of Canada "Boc Maxima" -----Original Message----- From: Vague Terrain [mailto:mcess@mongoose.slip.net] Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2000 7:16 AM To: Konstantin Minko Subject: Re: [idm] Matmos Dear Alien- Hey there, this is Drew from Matmos. I think maybe people are reluctant to discuss the band (myself and Martin, plus occasional friends/collaborators) because I'm on this list- but if you are curious, check out www.brainwashed.com/matmos and there's some more information there- hope this is helpful- oh, and many people seem to think "the west" is our best record- okay, that's all Drew Matmos --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

as I mentioned in an earlier post earlier today I went to a record shop in a hurry. Anyhow, I was flipping thru the House section, looking for some Kompakt. I stumbled upon a Matmos record. I was psyched cuz I recently read on this list good reviews of a new Matmos record. For some reason I had thought those reviews made comments that the new Matmos record was housey, so I bought it. Turns out this is some Fat Cat 12" split. I'm not disappointed, but there's only 1 housey song (an unbelievable one at that) the rest of this Fat Cat 12" is forgettable IMO. anyway, what is the title of the newest Matmos I've recently seen mentions of? the only other Matmos I own is Quasi-Objects and the Remix 12" of Bjork's Alarm Clock. Here's a loaded question: Are there any Matmos releases worth avoiding? I like what I own so far... -g np: Arovane - Tides (man I never knew how good this was til tonite) "Anything that separates us is junk. Cause when it rains, both the pope and the prostitute get wet" -Carlos Santana on racism :::...\|/ unity in diversity\|/..::: --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

At 04:06 AM 3/23/01, Gilly wrote:

quoted 3 lines anyway, what is the title of the newest Matmos I've recently seen mentions

>anyway, what is the title of the newest Matmos I've recently seen mentions >of? the only other Matmos I own >is Quasi-Objects and the Remix 12" of Bjork's Alarm Clock.

Visit http://www.brainwashed.com/matmos for answers to all your questions.

quoted 3 lines Here's a loaded

>Here's a loaded >question: Are there any Matmos releases worth avoiding? I like what I own so >far...

Well, since I maintain their website, I suppose I'm a little biased. But I think everything they've done is just peachy-keen. Greg --- Greg Clow - greg@stainedproductions.com - greg@feedbackmonitor.com concert & event promotions - http://www.stainedproductions.com electronic music radio/reviews/interviews - http://www.feedbackmonitor.com 158 Close Ave. 2nd Floor - Toronto, Ontario M6K 2V5 - Canada --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

On Fri, 23 Mar 2001, Greg Clow wrote:

quoted 1 line At 04:06 AM 3/23/01, Gilly wrote:

> At 04:06 AM 3/23/01, Gilly wrote:

quoted 6 lines Here's a loaded

> >Here's a loaded > >question: Are there any Matmos releases worth avoiding? I like what I own so > >far... > > Well, since I maintain their website, I suppose I'm a little biased. But I > think everything they've done is just peachy-keen.

i am sorry greg. you are wrong. matmos are not just "peachy-keen" -- they are groovy as fuck :) everything from them is well worth the money/time/effort -- and if you ever get the chance to see them live, i cannot recommend it enough!!! --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

At 04:06 AM 3/23/01, Gilly wrote:

quoted 2 lines anyway, what is the title of the newest Matmos I've recently seen

> >anyway, what is the title of the newest Matmos I've recently seen > >mentions of?

Great title : "A chance to cut is a chance to cure" Fits me well - going to have an op on 4th April, so I'll bear these positive thoughts in mind. Um, no: I haven't heard this new Matmos yet, but apart from Quasi Objects I also have The West. Not entirely my kinda thang, but that's just *IMO*. I * np : Choice Encounters of the Funky Kind (yeah!!) --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org

On Fri, 23 Mar 2001, Irene McC wrote:

quoted 11 lines At 04:06 AM 3/23/01, Gilly wrote:

> At 04:06 AM 3/23/01, Gilly wrote: > > > >anyway, what is the title of the newest Matmos I've recently seen > > >mentions of? > > Great title : "A chance to cut is a chance to cure" > > Fits me well - going to have an op on 4th April, so I'll bear these > positive thoughts in mind. > > Um, no: I haven't heard this new Matmos yet,

It's quite pleasant, relaxing, almost pop. I mean as pop as a glitch meister like Matmos is going to get. Working with bjork, signed to Matador -- is matmos the next Moby? The rat-cage-harp track and the laser eye surgery tracks are particular favorites. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: idm-unsubscribe@hyperreal.org For additional commands, e-mail: idm-help@hyperreal.org