FACT Mix: Matrixxman
The San Fran producer continues to rattle cages.
Matrixxman made his name as one half of 5kinandbone5, a West Coast duo whose music ranged from 2-step and r&b hybrids to rattling rap beats (most notably on the backing to Le1f’s Wut.) Despite the success the group found in a short space of time, they dissolved in 2013 and Matrixxman has been rattling out records since – appearing on labels like Dekmantel, Spectral Sound, Unknown to the Unknown and Delft, though this summer he settled on Ghostly International to release his debut album Homesick.
Although Homesick is a techno record at its heart (albiet one that draws heavily from industrial and electro), it also marks Matrixxman’s attempt to push against the genre’s boundaries – or explore its possibilities, depending on your perspective. “The whole reason I’m doing an artistic pursuit is so I can do what the fuck I want to do,” he told FACT earlier this year. “I’m hellbent on eschewing expectation where possible. My whole approach is distinctly subversive at its core. Too many people get comfortable in their safe zones. And while I’m getting comfortable settling into the confines of techno, I’m still trying to fuck it up as much as possible.”
His FACT mix nods to the techno gods at times (Plastikman, Hood) but generally keeps things weird and obscure, cribbing gems from Johannes Hell, Ground Loop, Adbdulla Rashim and more. Homesick is out now through Ghostly International.