California: home of the rich and famous, big blond beefy
surfers, porn stars and greasy rockers. Definitely not
your natural place to breed intelligent, adventurous
electronic bands. However, four years ago, M.C. Schmidt
and Drew Daniel released one of the most daring album
under the enigmatic pseudonym of Matmos. Constructed
around a small collection of sound sources, their self-titled
album took everyone by surprise, and received critical
acclaim worldwide. Now, the band introduce their fourth
album, A Chance To Cut Is A Chance To Cure,
breaking once again all the rules in the politically
correct bible.
San Francisco-based Matmos put their creation techniques
to the test once more, as they infiltrate the medical
world to collect unusual samples. A Chance To Cut
Is A Chance To Cure is almost entirely built around
sounds either generated by machines or reaction to treatments,
or collected during surgery. This may well sounds uninviting,
but Daniel and Schmidt create some strangely attractive
atmospheres out of unlikely sources. The opening track,
Lipostudio... And So On uses recordings of
liposuction equipment and anaesthesia ventilators to
populate this groove-ridden, jazz-influenced track.
Elsewhere, human bones and skull are used to create
a poly-rhythmic song (Memento Mori), or noises
resulting of plastic surgery and rhinoplasty provide
an interestingly iconoclastic background for the electro
California Rhinoplasty. Other sources include
reactive eye surgery (L.A.S.I.K.), acupuncture
(Ur Tchun Tan Tse Qi) or a hearing test booth
(Spondee). Daniel and Schmidt use these atypical
resources as a basis for their music, sometimes adding
layers of electric guitars, voice samples or other more
conventional instruments. Matmos have developed, over
the years, a particular way of composing and producing
sonic art, reflecting the interest of both members for
unusual settings. A Chance To Cut Is A Chance To
Cure is a melting pot of unexpected noises, rhythms
and voices, carefully put together by Daniel and Schmidt.
Matmos have pushed the boundaries of electronic music
forward since the release of their eponymous first album,
and A Chance To Cut Is A Chance To Cure is
a further proof of their credibility as creative artists.
4/5 |
