Matmos
Encyclopedia
Matmos is an experimental electronic music
duo originally from San Francisco but now residing in Baltimore
signed to the Matador Records
label. M. C. (Martin) Schmidt and Drew Daniel are the core members, but they frequently include other artists on their records and in their performances, including notably J Lesser
. Much of their work could be classified as a pop version of the musique concrète
genre. The name Matmos refers to the seething lake of evil slime beneath the city Sogo in the 1968 film Barbarella
. The name might also originate from Swedish, literally meaning "mashed food".
single Alarm Call
. Subsequently, Matmos worked with Björk on her albums Vespertine
(2001) and Medúlla
(2004), as well as her Vespertine and Greatest Hits tours. In November 2004, Matmos spent 97 hours in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts as artists in residence, performing music with friends, musical guests and onlookers. The live album Work, Work, Work, essentially a "best of" collection of the session, was released as a free download from their website.
Matmos gained notoriety for their use of samples including "freshly cut hair" and "the amplified neural activity of crayfish" on their first album and "recorded the snips, clicks, snaps, and squelches of various surgical procedures, then nipped and tucked them into seven remarkably accessible, melodic pieces of experimental techno" for their album A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure.
Schmidt formerly worked as a teacher in the New Genres Department at the San Francisco Art Institute
.
Daniel has successfully defended his dissertation on the literary cult of Melancholy, directed by Janet Adelman at the University of California, Berkeley
, and is currently an assistant professor in the Department of English at Johns Hopkins University
. This brought the band to relocate their home base to Baltimore in August 2007. Daniel also has a personal dance music project, The Soft Pink Truth
. He is a contributing writer to the online music magazine Pitchfork Media
, and wrote an essay about the Throbbing Gristle
album 20 Jazz Funk Greats
for the Continuum Books series 33 1/3. Both Schmidt and Daniel appeared in the Sagan music DVD filmed by Ryan Junell.
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
duo originally from San Francisco but now residing in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
signed to the Matador Records
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have...
label. M. C. (Martin) Schmidt and Drew Daniel are the core members, but they frequently include other artists on their records and in their performances, including notably J Lesser
J Lesser
J Lesser is the stage name for Jason Doerck , a musician known for his unrepentant approach to sound creation. Doerck was a member of the defunct laptop group Sagan, alongside Blevin Blectum, Wobbly, and video artist Ryan Junell....
. Much of their work could be classified as a pop version of the musique concrète
Musique concrète
Musique concrète is a form of electroacoustic music that utilises acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sounds derived from musical instruments or voices, nor to elements traditionally thought of as "musical"...
genre. The name Matmos refers to the seething lake of evil slime beneath the city Sogo in the 1968 film Barbarella
Barbarella (film)
Barbarella is a 1968 Franco-Italian science fiction film based on Jean-Claude Forrest's French Barbarella comics. The film was directed by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who was Vadim's wife at the time.-Plot:...
. The name might also originate from Swedish, literally meaning "mashed food".
Notable work
In 1998, Matmos remixed the BjörkBjörk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
single Alarm Call
Alarm Call
"Alarm Call" is a song by Björk released as the fourth single from her third studio album Homogenic, peaking at #33 in the UK.-Background:...
. Subsequently, Matmos worked with Björk on her albums Vespertine
Vespertine
Vespertine, is the fifth studio album by the Icelandic recording artist Björk, released on 27 August 2001. On this album, Björk creates a quiet, introverted world of microbeats and personal lyrics...
(2001) and Medúlla
Medúlla
Medúlla is the sixth studio album by Icelandic singer, songwriter, and musician Björk, released on August 30, 2004 by Warner Bros. Records and One Little Indian. The title derives from the Latin word for "marrow". The album is almost entirely a cappella and constructed with human vocals...
(2004), as well as her Vespertine and Greatest Hits tours. In November 2004, Matmos spent 97 hours in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts as artists in residence, performing music with friends, musical guests and onlookers. The live album Work, Work, Work, essentially a "best of" collection of the session, was released as a free download from their website.
Matmos gained notoriety for their use of samples including "freshly cut hair" and "the amplified neural activity of crayfish" on their first album and "recorded the snips, clicks, snaps, and squelches of various surgical procedures, then nipped and tucked them into seven remarkably accessible, melodic pieces of experimental techno" for their album A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure.
Personal life
M. C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel are also a couple, as stated in an interview in BUTT Magazine.Schmidt formerly worked as a teacher in the New Genres Department at the San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute is a school of higher education in contemporary art with the main campus in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its graduate center is in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The private, non-profit institution is accredited by WASC and is a member of the...
.
Daniel has successfully defended his dissertation on the literary cult of Melancholy, directed by Janet Adelman at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, and is currently an assistant professor in the Department of English at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. This brought the band to relocate their home base to Baltimore in August 2007. Daniel also has a personal dance music project, The Soft Pink Truth
The Soft Pink Truth
The Soft Pink Truth is an experimental house music side-project from Drew Daniel, one-half of experimental electronica duo Matmos. Daniel started the project on a dare from Matthew Herbert that he couldn't produce a house record...
. He is a contributing writer to the online music magazine Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
, and wrote an essay about the Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle were an English industrial, avant-garde music and visual arts group that evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions...
album 20 Jazz Funk Greats
20 Jazz Funk Greats
20 Jazz Funk Greats is the third full-length album by industrial music pioneers Throbbing Gristle. The track "Still Walking" also appears on the live album Heathen Earth, although with a radically different structure...
for the Continuum Books series 33 1/3. Both Schmidt and Daniel appeared in the Sagan music DVD filmed by Ryan Junell.
Albums
- MatmosMatmos (album)Matmos is the 1997 debut album of American electronic music duo Matmos. The album features field recordings of everyday activities as well as more unusual things, such as nerve activity of a crayfish, on "Verber: amplified synapse"....
(1998, OLE-380) - Quasi-Objects (1998, OLE-381)
- The West (1999)
- A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to CureA Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure- External links :*...
(March 13, 2001, OLE-489) - The Civil WarThe Civil War (album)The Civil War is a 2003 album by experimental duo Matmos which explores the boundaries between Americana, Medieval folk music and electronica. It features many live instruments such as drums, brass and guitars. A hurdy-gurdy is also sampled...
(2003) - The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a BeastThe Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a BeastThe Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast is the sixth full-length album by Matmos. The concept of the album is that each song is dedicated to a person who has influenced the duo, which is reflected in the songs themselves; "Rag for William S...
(2006, OLE-677) - Supreme BalloonSupreme Balloon-Track listing:#"Rainbow Flag" #"Polychords" #"Mister Mouth" #"Exciter Lamp" #"Les Folies Francaises" #"Supreme Balloon" #"Cloudhopper" #"Staircase" [iTunes/vinyl versions only]...
(2008) http://brainwashed.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6762&Itemid=1 - Treasure State, with So PercussionSo PercussionSo Percussion is an American percussion quartet based in New York City.Composed of Josh Quillen, Adam Sliwinski, Jason Treuting, and Eric Beach, the group is well known for recording and touring internationally and for its work with composers such as Steve Reich, David Lang, Paul Lansky, Martin...
(2010) http://bangonacan.org/store/product/182
EPs
- Full On NightFull On NightFull On Night is a collaborative EP between Rachel's and Matmos. It was released on Quarterstick Records in May 2000 and contains two tracks...
Split Disc with Rachel'sRachel'sRachel's is an American chamber music group that formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1991. Former Rodan guitarist, Jason Noble, played music individually and referred to himself as Rachel's but then began collaborating with now core members, violist Christian Frederickson, and pianist Rachel Grimes...
(2000, Quarterstick) - California RhinoplastyCalifornia Rhinoplasty"California Rhinoplasty" is the name of a song and EP by Matmos. The song is originally found on the 2001 album A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure...
(2001 Feb 12, OLE-501) - Rat Relocation Program (2004)
- For Alan Turing (2006)
Limited edition
- Matmos Live with J Lesser (2002)
- A Viable Alternative to Actual Sexual Contact, as Vague Terrain Recordings (2002, Piehead Records)
- “A Paradise of Dainty Devices: interludes, micromedia & sound edits” (limited edition of 100, for their "Wet Hot EuroAmerican Summer Tour", 2007)
- Polychords : Promo Single released on Matador
External links
- Official Website
- Matmos page at Matador Records
- Matmos at Myspace
- Matmos at furious.com
- XLR8R TV Episode on Matmos
- Art of the States: Matmos "Y.T.T.E." and "The Stars and Stripes Forever" from The Civil WarThe Civil War (album)The Civil War is a 2003 album by experimental duo Matmos which explores the boundaries between Americana, Medieval folk music and electronica. It features many live instruments such as drums, brass and guitars. A hurdy-gurdy is also sampled...
(2003)
Interviews
- Calvi, Danny and Jop van Bennekom Matmos Experimental Duo Makes Music and meets President at Hysterical Party.” Butt Magazine 5 (Autumn 2005).
- Decaycast (ed.). “Decaycast #002: Matmos Interview.” October 15, 2006 (30 min., MP3).
- Flanagan, Marc. “Aural Surgeons.” Matmos interview. Artbyte Magazine, 2001.
- Golden, Barbara. “Conversation with Matmos (Drew Daniels and Martin Schmidt).” eContact! 12.2 — Interviews (2) (April 2010). Montréal: CECCanadian Electroacoustic CommunityFounded in 1986, La Communauté électroacoustique canadienne / The Canadian Electroacoustic Community is Canada’s national electroacoustic / computer music / sonic arts organization and as such is dedicated to promoting this progressive art form in its broadest definition: from “pure” acousmatic...
. - Mudge, Alex. Interview with Matmos Aural States blog. February 20, 2008.
- Sheridan, Molly. Ultimate Concept: Deconstructing Matmos.” New Music Box — “People & Ideas in Profile.” Baltimore MA, September 14, 2008. Published October 1, 2008 (includes video).
- Thorne, Jesse. “Your Brain on Music with Matmos and Daniel J. Levitin.” The Sound of Young America, February 21, 2007.
- Vivancos, Valérie and Rodolphe Alexis. “We’re a Half-Breed Music Mutant Thing.” Vibrö. Paris, June 1, 2004.