Currently based in Baltimore, Matmos 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, providing the listener with entry points into sometimes densely allusive, baroque recordings.
Since their debut, Matmos have released over nine albums, including: Quasi-Objects (1998), The West(1998), A Chance to Cut Is A Chance to Cure (2001), The Civil War (2003) , The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of A Beast (2006), Supreme Balloon (2008) and The Marriage of True Minds (2014). In 2001 they were asked to collaborate with the Icelandic singer Bjork on her Vespertine album, and subsequently embarked on two world tours as part of her band. In addition to musical collaborations with Antony/Anohni, So Percussion, Terry Riley, The Kronos Quartet, Matmos have also collaborated with a wide range of artists across disciplines, from the visual artist Daria Martin (on the soundtrack to her film Minotaur) to Berlin-based choreographer Ayman Harper.
From 2011-2013 they were part of the ensemble for the Robert Wilson production The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic, featuring Marina Abramovic, Antony and Willem Dafoe. Their 2016 album Ultimate Care II was released in 2016 on Thrill Jockey records and was made entirely out of a washing machine; with Nico Muhly they have created the score for the film How To Talk to Girls At Parties, directed by John Cameron Mitchell and starring Elle Fanning, Alex Sharp and Nicole Kidman, released May 2018.
