Matmos

Ultimate Care II

Thrill Jockey Records

Matmos (the duo of M. C. (Martin) Schmidt and Drew Daniel) uses an unusual sonic palette for their latest Thrill Jockey recording, Ultimate Care II. The sounds of the recording are made with the Whirlpool Ultimate Care II model washing machine in the basement of their home in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition to a plethora of washing sounds – the spin cycle is quite striking – Matmos enlisted the aid of various artists –Dan Deacon, Max Eilbacher (Horse Lords), Sam Haberman (Horse Lords), Jason Willett (Half Japanese), and Duncan Moore (Needle Gun) – to treat the machine both as a percussion instrument and as a source for computer music manipulations. The clincher: many of them do their laundry at Matmos’s apartment!

Jaded listeners might presume that the results would be gimmicky; they are anything but. To the contrary, one is startled by the array of sounds elicited from the Whirlpool and the thoughtful organization thereof. Who knew that riveting electronica could be made in a laundry room?