Matmos at Chalkwell

ARTIST: Matmos

Matmos are M.C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel. Currently based in Baltimore, the duo formed in San Francisco in the mid 1990s, and self-released their debut album in 1997. Marrying the conceptual tactics and noisy textures of object-based musique concrete to a rhythmic matrix rooted in electronic pop music, the two quickly became known for their highly unusual sound sources: amplified crayfish nerve tissue, the pages of bibles turning, water hitting copper plates, liposuction surgery, cameras and VCRs, chin implant surgery, contact microphones on human hair, rat cages, tanks of helium, a cow uterus, human skulls, snails, cigarettes, cards shuffling, laser eye surgery, whoopee cushions, balloons, latex fetish clothing, rhinestones, Polish trains, insects, life support systems, inflatable blankets, rock salt, solid gold coins, the sound of a frozen stream thawing in the sun, a five gallon bucket of oatmeal. These raw materials are manipulated into surprisingly accessible forms, and often supplemented by traditional musical instruments played by them and their large circle of friends and collaborators. The result is a model of electronic composition as a relational network that connects sources and outcomes together; information about the process of creation activates the listening experience, providing the listener with entry points into sometimes densely allusive, baroque recordings. Go to the Matmos website for information on other recordings and touring.

HOW TO: Go to the start point at the roundabout in front of Chalkwell Hall. Listen to the introduction sounds. You can listen to the works in any order located at the points above on the map. This project has been prepared as a web app and you can follow on your device’s web browser by clicking here. This is best experienced with headphones with a GPS ‘Play in the Park’ mode and a ‘Play at Home’ mode. Make sure to switch your GPS on in the park.

NOTES: This project requires iPhone 5 or Android 4 KitKat or higher.

Many of the apps use GPS on your phone, make sure that GPS is switched on. On iPhone or iPad go to SETTINGS > PRIVACY > LOCATION SERVICES > ON On Android go to SETTINGS > MORE > LOCATION > ON