- Deep, sometimes chaotic ambient sketches to help you lose yourself.
- MATstudio is the sound of Jonny Nash and Suzanne Kraft, two Amsterdam-based artists, experimenting in the studio. The third record in the series, two more longform compositions, suggests that MATstudio could also be a live project. It's easy to imagine a seated audience at a venue like Café OTO in London sinking into these new pieces and the ones Nash and Kraft have already released—four tracks that have been sometimes odd and unsettling, and other times flatout gorgeous.
I guess this image of a live set came to mind because of the episodic nature of the MATstudio style. Drifting attention would likely mean you miss a moment like the freestyle drumming on "Crushing Indifference" morphing into an electronic patter. Or the way the guitar is gradually, sensuously introduced on "An Inn For Those Not Permitted." The pair's varied use of instrumentation means that experimental jazz feels as much an inspiration here as ambient or exploratory electronic music. The sax in particular on "An Inn For Those Not Permitted" gives the session a sense of intimacy and character. "Crushing Indifference"'s more dissonant contours can be gently challenging on the listener, but by 12 minutes in we're left drifting along a river-like synth chord. Music is, of course, predominantly consumed these days while we do other things. If you go to the trouble of picking up this limited-edition transparent vinyl, housed in a screen-printed PVC sleeve, be sure to clear the schedule for at least 31 minutes.
TracklistA Crushing Indifference
B An Inn For Those Not Permitted