Steve
Steve
Matzkov music
albums
+title: apartment 206
format: cdr
label: self released demo
release date: november 1999
track listing:
01: noise two
02: noise after two
03: balcony views
04: delayers part 2
05: one week off
06: metal pen
07: figure
08: leaving inside
09: high impedance
notes: hand screen printed cd small run of 15 sent out to various radio stations and the like
+title: Apartment 206
format: cdr
label: bergerk records BSG003
release date: 2001
track listing:
01: noise two
o2: noise after two
03: balcony views
04: delayers part 2
05: metal pen
06: figure
07: leaving inside
08: high impedance
09: im sure the neighbours are listening
notes: officially released by bergerk records. this version has new tracks compared to the demo.
Review:
Enter into noise two which rises and falls in streaming vapors. noise after two (3:15) similarly simmers in subtly writhing waves.
Pillowy slurs and golden streamers emit from delayers pt 2, which radiates both warmth and mystery.
Metal Pen sizzles and thrums in a more-than-10-minute wash of bristly sonic particles.
Churning murk ebbs and flows in leaving inside (13:27); before the halfway mark,
all fades to a steamy haze from which an airplane-engine-like force storms through (temporarily) before a closing sequence of sibilant glare invades.
Gentle waves of fuzzy feedback fills the final act... i'm sure the neighbors are listening...
... but, since The High Impedance dwells in a percussion free-zone, at least the folks in Apartment 106 don't have thumping beats over their heads,
only occasional bassy rumbles. For fans of not-too-noisy guitardrones, a visit to Apartment 206 will feel like home. B-.
Part of Australian Bergerk!'s The Sound Gallery Series.
This review posted 03.10.02
THE HIGH IMPEDANCE - APARTMENT 206
(CDR by Bergerk)
Behind The High Impedance we find one Steve Matzkov, who hails from Perth,
Australia. He plays guitar and feeds the sounds through a whole series of effect
units.
Nine lengthy tracks is the result. Clearly inspired by a whole range of like minded (Flying Saucer Attack, Windy & Carl and loads of other drone people on guitars), he crafts his stuff together well.
Although the music ranges from soft and ambient like to the more louder guitar wall of sound type of thing, I think it works best in the softer moments,
like the opening piece 'Noise Two' in which the guitar sounds like a violin.
Spacious music for spacious minds. Vital weekly #313 feb 2002
+title: live stuff and collaborations
format: cdr
label: self released
release date: 2001
track listing:
01: tesla's coil edit - recorded live. Collaboration with Mark Cooper November 18 2000
02: tesla's coil complete - recorded live Collaboration with Mark Cooper Nov !8 2000
03: club Zho - recorded live August 21 2000
04: club Zho - recorded live August 21 2000
05: january 9th 2001 5:30pm - Collaboration with Cat Hope
06: january 9th 2001 6:00pm - Collaboration with Cat Hope
notes: tracks 05 & 06 were recorded at home on 4 track, collaborating with cat hope.
Live performance of The High Impedance at Club Zho can be viewed here Club Zho
+title: dynamic range enhancer
format: cdr
label: bloodstar music BS15
release date: 2002
track listing:
01: zero offset
02: composite waveform
03: reverse recovery time
04: cabin fever diminishing slowly
05: ohmic
06: derates above
07: scale factor accuracy
08: c-field decoder
notes: second full length cd
+title: the high impedance b/w cat hope
format: 8 " polycarbonate
label: bloodstar music BS11
release date: 2002
track listing:
side A
the high impedance
01: reverse recovery time
02: phased array
side B
01: justine
notes:
transparent lathe cut 8" limited to 20 copies. all sleeves hand printed with different colours for each. a few copies are still available
compilations
+title: we are not alone - songs for the lo-fi generation volume 3
format: cassette
label: best kept secret
release date: 2001
track listing:
side A
01: anthony distefano - "nice in electricity"
02: full of emptiness - "the horizon swims blue green emotional"
03: w/trem - "no one knows"
04: tea - "satellite"
05: aether flux - "(outside)...a capo"
06: hazel bionic - "sinquesence"
07: girlinky - "once again"
side B
01: the high impedance - "noise two"
02: don campau - "ignition sense"
03: micheal j hex - "made of stone"
04: activity set - "on this very night"
05: kitset - "left me wondering"
06: eta carnae - "happy again"
07: autobot city - "lane"
08: circle brothers - "seesaw"
09: new waver - "dying patients"
Review:
Okay as previously billed two key outings from the Best Kept Secret label from Italy who specialise in tape only and vinyl releases just to wet your appetite while
you wait for an extensive review elsewhere on this pages soon. I've decided on this instance to review two cassettes entitled 'We are not Alone' Volumes 3 and Volume 4
which seem to act as regular compilations of bands from throughout the world who share common melodic horizons and by the looks of things are in the main pretty much unsigned.
Contact addresses are enclosed for all the featured artists. Volume 3 kicks of with a piece of Terminator/Blade Runner style futuristic voidness from Anthony Distefano. 'Nite in Electricity'
has a haunting electronic soundscape quality to it, instantly likeable but at the same time distinctly downbeat. Full of Emptiness and W/Trem both delight in what used to be called shoegazing,
constructing cathedralesque and intricate walls of static harmonies.
Australia's The High Impedance proudly announce on their website the immortal words delay, distortion and feedback which I suppose puts in a nutshell what 'Noise Two' is all about,
an interesting and equally testing excursion into drone guitar sound manipulations. Equally curious are the futuristic beats as woven by Don Campau. 'Ignition Sense' operates with alienised
scapes within a tapestry of wave like grooves, possibly the missing link between Wagon Christ and Pimmon. 'Made of Stone' by Michael J Hex on the other hand could be positively viewed as
a straight forward pop song given its out of sorts inclusion on this collection. Kitset's 'Left me wondering' is particularly endearing if only for the way it manages to combine a wall of feedback
melody in a Chapterhouse way, piercing it with some breezy brass punctuation's and adopting slick psychedelic fadeout vocals. What sounds like an interesting take on the Lush trademark
block feedback sound by Autobot City on 'Lane' is pummelled into submission by some poor production I'm sad to say. Best track is left until the closing shot from Australians New Waver.
A haunting under carriage of post punk psychosis weaves against a backdrop of gloomy and chilling health warning samples, the dread text of the female speaker at odds with the early New Order like
guitar workmanship.
+title: bliss volume 103
format: cassette
label: bliss aquarium uk
release date: 2002
track listing:
side A
01: holster - "stupid little rich girl"
02: la momo - "sweet talking eyes"
03: marvellouz - "rescue me"
04: the bee men - "pub rock"
05: the coffin daggers - "psychonaut"
06: the palantines - "curveball"
07: carson - "empty scream (in my head)"
08: the high impedance - "reverse recovery time"
side B
01: miranda - "radio lies"
02: la momo - "fly"
03: marvellouz - "dont stop"
04: the bee men - "braindrop"
05: the coffin daggers - "rumble"
06: carson - "remedy"
07: sully - "inside from the outside"
08: dave swan - "second breakfast"
+title: abandoned robots
label: wilting flower records
format: cdr
release date: 2006
track listing:
01: aviator lane - comfort is shifting
02: aviator lane - comfort is shifting
03: stina - ichijiku no hana
04: trashband 1987 - baby screaming
05: radiant city - slow point
06: because of ghosts - fall short of certainty
07: dobson & fitch - tesla
08: the jasmine loop control experiments - nanotubes
09: the grey daturas - she was the cutie at camp cooke
10: chris cobilis - party like a nihilist
11: jasmine loop control - now is the time
12: the high impedance - xing qi er
13: adam trainer - so umm
14: tomas fords cabaret of death - postal aid package from mum
15: a-mo - structural intenzity
16: airport city shuffle - taken by the wind
17: polaroid ghost - spelling bee
18: upend the index - come out o
Notes:
a wilting flower records compilation. all sleeves handmade
side projects
+title: Sands - Warehouse Jam sessions 1998
format : cassette
label: none
date: 1998
track listing:
02: untitled 2
03: untitled 3
04: untitled 4
05: untitled 5
06: untitled 6
Steve - Drums
Alex - Bass + fx
Luke - Guitar + fx
notes:
Early recordings from experimental group Sands, influenced by our favourite bands at the time, Sonic Youth Cul De Sac Bardo Pond.
+title: at the instant - matzal
format: cd
label: alien projects AP002 - bergerk
release date: 20th july 2003
track listing:
01: aspect orientation
03: stotteren
04: touchpendant apparition
05: the gradual lethargy
06: disturbed contortionist
notes:
Matzal is a collaboration between Dr Alien Smith from perth noise duo Lux mammoth. this time around The High Impedance puts down his guitar and sits on his drum kit (ouch!)
matzal:
Drums down long dark corridors and
washes of distorted bass combine together to blur the foregrounds and
backgrounds of music and to create the debut CD from Matzal. The atmospheric
layers and dense melancholic
repetitions found on 'At The Instant' borrow initially from the postrock/shoegazer
genres, but forge their
own deep listening places, best experienced with the lights out and your eyes
closed.
Matzal is a collaboration between 2 musicians from the Perth experimental music
scene, Steve Matzkov and
DrAlienSmith. Steve is best known for performing and recording his own unique
guitar based music under the
moniker of the High Impedence, while DrAlienSmith was a member of Lux Mammoth
and more recently, the Smidirin
project. The creation of this Matzal CD starting with Steve on drums and DrAlien
on bass. Together they recorded two 30 minute
drum and bass improvisations at DrAlien's Bergerk! Studios. This led to Steve
taking home one of the improvisations
and DrAlien the other. Both them proceeded to add, subtract and manipulate these
initial recordings into
3 tracks each, providing the final 6 songs that you hear on 'At The Instant'.
Video
clip for Stotteren can be viewed here
"Stotteren"
matzal played the velvet lounge on 09/09/2003 for the electronic kiss my wami showcase. 30 minutes of drone rock bass and drum manipulation. video footage uploaded soon
matzal contributed a song for the 4 CD kiss my wami compilation titled "stotteren" check it out.
Kenspark is a duo consisting of Steve Matzkov & Megamike. having known each other for more than a decade, it wasn't until 2004 when Steve found a cheap
moog synthesizer (from cash converters for a bargain price of $40) that they first decided to jam.
Megamike had been making analogue electro beats for years but as soon as he heard about the cheap moog pickup there was no hesitation to collaborate.
Kenspark's name comes from the inner city suburbs of where the duo once lived, the "kens" in kenspark is taken from the suburb kensington where steve use to live and the "park"
is taken from Vic Park where Megamike still resides.
Kenspark's music is a true analogue experience as they use nothing else but analogue equipment from the 80's. such instruments include;
Roland's TR808,TR606, TR707 drum machines, moog MG-1,ensoniq, pearl syncussion. JVC KB 800 and many more tasty oldschool circuitry.
There sound is influenced from the late 70's underground disco to 80's Chicago acid house with some fat 80's hiphop beats care of the TR808 drum machine.
Kenspark have played many gigs around town with the crowd always getting up and getting there groove on.
Over the past 2 years they have recorded well over 50 tracks and till this day are still deciding what tracks to use for the forthcoming cd (or hopefully vinyl) release.
have a listen
have a look
+title: dobson & fitch
format: cd
label: independent
release date: 2007
track listing:
02: the dj's shadow
03: julia
04: popular science
05: tesla (live edit)
06: Johnny one note
Notes:
collaboration with Mark Cooper
Drone, Space + Chaos Theory
"Dobson and Fitch use drums, guitars and electronics
to create a shimmering style of drone rock.
Layers of sound with other layers inside them...."
Dobson and Fitch are an instrumental duo consisting of Mark Cooper (guitar,
electronics) and Steve Matzkov (drums).
We first started playing in Perth, Western Australia in August 2005. Our music could be described as fractal drone rock,
a sound that shifts and changes in subtle patterns around a single chord, underpinned by messy guitar melodies and a framework of sparse drums.
This is music rooted in the tradition of the so-called “krautrock” bands of the early seventies and the “shoegazers” of the eighties.
It has elements taken from ambient
and noise music, but essentially it is a new form of psychedelia. Please take
the time – lots of time – to listen.
dobson & fitch online
+title: seven hour day's
format: 10" lathe cut
label: independent
release date: 2008
track listing:
A1: fukuzatsu na kimochi
A2: untitled
B1: unheard words
B2: i saw you (again)
Notes:
limited to 20 copies. all sleeves hand made.
ask for one
"Sad State" - unreleased track
