A Still
B A
C Slapper
D B
These two 7"-es contain 4 tracks and are to be heard as a set. Matthews starts with an atmospheric track consisting of not much more than simple tones... but then again also not... There's a wide spectrum underneath, arranged in such a way that she actually doesn't need much more than tones to tell her story. The following 2 tracks ("a" and "slapper") show Matthews' talent for making the unsynchronised followable. Both these tracks live on an unstable heartbeat so to say, but nevertheless with a steady pace.
Although a short track, "a" has a complete build-up. Repetition of elements over a calm stream of lower tones give this track a subtle drive and atmosphere. "Slapper" crackles further in an energetic way, preferably at a louder volume. Again this hard to follow beat, but steady enough to give you some sense of a tempo and the accompanying tapping foot.
The last track returns to the world of overtones but in a more unsettling way, a good track to complete the circle and leave you behind slightly puzzled...
Stichting Mixer
Highly compelling is Kaffe Matthew's solo "Still a slapper", four pieces on 7" vinyl which transcend the jokey title to offer the best minimal electronica I've heard in ages. The opening and closing tracks just lie there and glow, like a jewel on velvet. A hovering, almost liquid sound, it gleams as if static, but in fact is steadily developing. The second track pulses gently, conjuring up a lighthouse at sea, and a distant boat chugging past. A rich bottom end adds warmth and depth to the picture. "Slapper" features a crackling rhtythm maybe derived from vinyl syrface noise. This is very confident handling of sparse materials, generating an austere but highly atractive music.
The Wire
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