(Photos coming soon)
Matchez: Out #4 - Because CD (2024)
Out #4 is a collection of material mostly recorded between 2020 and 2023, with several tracks going back many years prior, in true R.A.T. Bros fashion.
Contending with the constantly changing modern recording mediums after the demise of the tape-based iteration of R.A.T. Bros. that served him well for 30 years, Matchez continued his work privately, with no public releases of his music taking place between 2001 and 2022.
Back with reignited inspiration and an updated arsenal of studio magic (while still retaining a signature and unexplainable charm), Matchez celebrates 50 years of truly inventive sound exploration.
In addition to a wealth of brand new compositions and a host of guest appearances, Out #4 includes "No Sanctuary Revisited" - the Better Art Music standard with a whole new skew - and "Satan Opened Up A Big Black Hole" - the integral Toxic Crunch song unceremoniously left off the vinyl LP issue.
An incredible audio document of this one of a kind artist's dedication to an ever-evolving unique and uncompromising vision.
Watch out for CD reissues of the first two cassette-only volumes of the Out Anthology - as well as a retrospective LP.
Edition of 200 copies.
Professionally printed CDr/artwork.
Free US shipping.
Listen to "The Simpleton":
https://youtu.be/TIkNdJbMebA?si=C8EbsWwobv5HU92z
Matchez: Out CD (2001)
Original CD (silver, not a CDr) pressing from 2001, available for the first time in nearly 20 years with professionally printed covers from the original art layout.
Includes original R.A.T. Bros. business cards while supplies last.
Free US shipping.
Approximately 100 remaining of pressing of 500.
Listen to "Choking On The Pain":
https://youtu.be/F-ipLkk-VXg?si=1FzCGjOnIBDPp2nk
Listen to "Flipswitch (Time Time #9)":
https://youtu.be/HISS6eYDI1k?si=m-Ee8zRm4fshT9zc
*MATCHEZ - THE OUT ANTHOLOGY: A HISTORY*
The "Out" Anthology finds its roots in the late 1970s with the early sound experiments that quietly took place at the then newly-constructed R.A.T. Bros Studios in Detroit, where beyond creating masterful work accompanied by his brother Nicodemus, Matchez was crafting his own sonic creations under the freedom of his own studio (having already been doing so with whatever means he could since early adolescence). The results of these early solo sessions solidified in 1982 with the unreleased "No Change" album, which yielded the 45rpm 7" single "Out To Lunch", the world's first introduction to the unique aural phenomenon that is Matchez.
Though largely focused his public efforts on his work with his brother and their various groups dating back to the mid 1970s, Matchez was constantly recording solo compositions (some of which would occasionally turn up on the duo's albums).
In 1994, the Out anthology was born with the release of "Out Of The Gutter And Slightly On Tilt", a 14 track collection recorded over a 20 year span that set the tone for the series to come, perfectly exemplifying the skills and voluminous catalog at his disposal.
In 1998, the second in the anthology - "Out Of The Gutter The New Adventure" was released, hitting the mark once again with a collection of even further spanning material (including a glimpse into the shelved "No Change" album). Dating 1982 to 1998, the material on "The New Adventure" is a true testament to both the natural talents and constant advancements that were channeled inside the R.A.T. Brothers walls.
2001 saw the release of the "Out" CD - part three of the anthology - finding Matchez at the top of his game in both technique and studio facilities and staying true to form, with a collection of tracks mostly recorded 1999-2001 (with a few outliers dating back to as early as 1980), showcasing an even deeper understanding of his own capabilities and the art of audio recording.
With the release of Out also came the rapid change in modern recording mediums. By 2001, good tape was both so elusive and expensive that it quickly became impossible to successfully run R.A.T. Bros as a tape-based studio. The final nail in the coffin was in the late 2000s when the decks all ceased to function over a short period of time - leaving a large amount of his material completely unmixed.
Though his work didn't initially cease - experimenting the early digital recording options available at the time -however Matchez remained unsatisfied with the options at hand, and for several years halted his recording efforts.
In the intervening years, affordable digital recording equipment became a reality - by 2021 Matchez again had a studio that suited his needs, and by 2022 had compiled Out #4 - both putting a cap on a 30 year series spanning over 40 years of music, and making way for further developments to come from the world of MATCHEZ.
