The A-Team of Electronica, Matmos! They are worthy of all the praise and hype. No one else does the cut up sample based madness quite like they do. I came across them initially via Tigerbeat6 and Kid606, then dove into their discography based on amusing and accurate song titles and themed albums. Since the 90's I have followed their every twist and turn. Their approach to a remix is very transformative, taking elements of the original and using them as instruments in their own creations. You can tell what the source material is, but it is so far removed from what the original structure was.
I started this one out with their humor side, from the NWA tribute remix album "With Attitude" which features every associate of Kid606 that he could gather. This isn't an NWA remix in any sense of the word, though it was a standout track on that compilation. Next is my perennial cocktail hour music, Tipsy, and this one of many excellent tracks from their "Remix Party." People Like Us is Vicki Bennett and she's the queen of plunderphonics and runs an excellent weekly podcast on WFMU called "Do or DIY." This track was from a split 12" that never materialized, so thank the internet for getting these files out which are now readily available from Ubuweb or Archive.org. Slag Boom Van Loon is a wonderful side project of Jochem Paap (Speedy J) and Mike Paradinas (u-Ziq). Its as wonderful as you would expect, and the remix companion album is even better (Boards of Canada, Leafcutter John, Horse Opera, Four Tet, Pole, Coil and of course Matmos). This Labradford track is from the Wire Tapper series, and takes a beautiful track of shimmering bliss and acoustic ambience and turns it into a glitch filled noisy wild ride. I'll write up more about this track in a subsequent mix I already have planned on influential tracks in my life. The Bjork, which of course I have to include because of their stint as parts of her entourage. Instead of including tracks they contributed to, I went with the two on this mix to showcase their contributions and remix skills. The Kid606 track I included here was the one that opened my eyes and ears to Matmos so many years ago. Her Space Holiday is a group I only knew from a split EP with Bright Eyes. The more I dig into their discography, the more I like them.
Next up is Current 93 (first of two appearances). Of course I'm a lifetime admirer of David Tibet's work, and this remix EP split between Foetus and Matmos is quite the anomaly in their history - and it stands out because of that and how amazing each and every track is on it. Liars, June of 44 and Erase Errata are all noisy, math rocking, punks which seem to appeal to Matmos as their remixes really shine with this kind of source material. I'm particularly fond of the wordplay on the June of 44 track, which references Matmos' album "A Chance to Cut is a Chance to Cure." Chiara String Quartet and Phoenecia are ones that I found only when researching this mix so not much to say on them. Pluramon is another artist I found via Kid606, though not on his Tigerbeat6 label. Slicker is a related glitchy artist, though more pop oriented, and fun anecdote, is the son of film maker John Hughes.
This mix is painful at points to get through, but therein lies the reward. Hope you enjoyed the ride on this one.
00:00 Matmos - Great White Entertainers (NWA)
00:19 Tipsy - Schatzi a Go Go (remix)
03:13 People Like Us and Matmos - Work-All-Day
08:15 Slag Boom Van Loon - Moon Base Alpha (remix)
12:52 Labradford - So (Matmos remix)
17:59 Bjork - Alarm Call (Rhythmic Phonetics mix)
23:15 Kid606 - Dropkick (Matmos Theme For A Biker Movie Starring Kid606)
28:42 Her Space Holiday - Tech Romance (Matmos Remix)
33:31 Current 93 - The Beautiful Dancing Dust (remixed by Matmos)
39:03 Liars - No.1 Against The Rush (Matmos Remix)
44:20 June of 44 - A Chance to Cure Is a Chance to Cut Your Face (Matmos Remix)
49:13 Erase Errata - Other Animals (Matmos remix)
53:39 Chiara String Quartet - Matmos Remix No.1 (A Bruit Secret Mix)
58:56 Current 93 - Black Ships Ate The Sky (Remixed by Matmos)
64:40 Phoenecia - Odd Job (The Climatic Battle Scene With Rom & Josh Version)
70:49 Bjork - Where is the Line (Matmos Rubber Band Mix)
74:35 Pluramon - Hintergrund (Pluramonthermatmos) (Matmos Remix)
84:25 Slicker - Confidence In Silver (Matmos Remix)
photo credit: https://occii.org/events/matmos-occii-2022/
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