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| Los Angeles is a city with a storied musical past. From East Side soul to Central Avenue jazz, to the powerful folk rock revolution in Laurel Canyon, up through hair metal replacing punk on the Strip and gangsta rap replacing electro in the city, artists from Los Angeles have always been inspired by the energy of one of the world’s most unique cities and the world, in turn, has always tuned in to Los Angeles. Matthew Alsberg was born in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. Matt’s father had been a road manager and music business functionary in his youth, working with Frank Zappa, The Turtles, David Cassidy, and The Flying Burrito Brothers, to name a few; his mother had spent some time working in radio. His grandfather was a writer, first for radio, and then for television and movies, and finally the stage. His grandmother was a painter and political activist. Art, music, film, and radical politics surrounded him as a child. A guitar was put into his hand at the age of nine, and he has been making music ever since. But the suburban disconnect of the Valley meant kindred spirits were few and far between. Matt spent much of his time in junior high alone with his guitar, trying to find a musical voice for himself, and the occasional weekend playing Suicidal Tendencies covers and writing elementary riffs of his own with his best friend, and only musical companion, Pablo. When the two could not find a drummer, Pablo’s father’s Roland R-8 drum machine would have to be programmed to substitute. But, like many kids in Los Angeles in ’87 and ’88, Matt was immediately struck by the new sound coming from the southern end of the city, and NWA immediately captured his imagination. It would be years before he would pick up his guitar to write songs again. Accepted to the Alexander Hamilton Academy of Music, a public magnet school on LA’s Westside, Matt was immediately surrounded by other creative musicians. He spent days playing guitar and trombone in the school’s award winning jazz and brass ensembles respectively, he would spend evenings writing raps with friends. He listened to two types of music: hip-hop, and music that could be sampled to make hip-hop. In 1993, he met a trio of MCs – Tom Slikk, Malik the Pradlem Child, and Klueless (later Radioinactive) – called the Universouls. They would eventually, with producer Elusive and upstart rapper Sahga, formed the nucleus of the Log Cabin; with the later addtion of MCs Murs, Eligh, and Scarub (more recently members of the Living Legends), they became a hip-hop group that grew legendary among underground hip-hop fans worldwide. Matthew – then making music under the nom de disque Neosapien – split his time between writing raps and making beats on the SP-1200 that belonged to the Eternals (who would eventually join LA Symphony). Like most hip-hop crews, the Log Cabin eventually began to unravel, with Matt being one of the first to go. Not wanting to give up on music, Matt would continue to produce tracks, blaring them from a boom box he often kept on him as he walked around his college campus. A year later, he got a call from Radioinactive, who was interested in sparking up a new musical relationship with Matthew. The two met up and began a collaborative partnership that would last almost a decade. Beginning with the four-track song “Who I Am,” which can be heard in third and fourth generation hissy glory on hip-hop dub tapes around the world, continuing with the self-released Music Maxi-Single and Fo’ Tractor, and finally on the Mush Records releases Pyramidi and Free Kamal, Matt and Radioinactive’s time together was a fruitful and sonically adventurous one. |
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| The two were by no means making music alone at this time. Along with Los Angeles stalwart Xololanxinxo and upstart MC Subtitle, they formed a crew called the Westcoast Workforce. This too would be short-lived, but not before the Matt – having now adopted the monicker Antimc – would produce Xinxo’s Tapes From A Stolen Car along with LA psych-hop producer DJ Nobody and tracks on Subtitles debut, How To Beat The Beat 01, along with numerous compilation appearances. In 2001, Matt put together a small jazz ensemble and booked a show with Radioinactive at the Sunset Strip’s famed Coconut Teazser. Arranging songs from Pyramidi to be played by live instruments, the show was visited by Mush Records’ Robert Curcio, who had recently moved to LA. The creative, live take on hip-hop was influential on Curcio’s decision to put together the Mush Records Spring Tour 2002, which would be the first time Matthew would tour the United States (with Europe to follow that summer). Matthew’s arrangements and musical prowess also brought him to the attention of headliner Doseone, who asked him to join fellow Anticon-er Alias onstage for Dose’s fall tour with his group Themselves. It was on this tour that Matt began to play the MPC as a live instrument. Inspired by the creativity of the artists he was beginning to work with, and instilled with a greater sense of purpose, Matt picked up his guitar to begin working on songs for a solo album of his own. Rekindling a love for the punk and rock music he had drifted away from as a kid, Matt became a mainstay at the outsider rock clubs that dotted Hollywood and the surrounding areas. Wanting to marry the drum machine based hip-hop production that had become his stock-in-trade with the heavy guitar riffs he had loved as a kid, he began work on his debut album, which was originally intended to be released as a series of vinyl only EPs later to be collected as a full-length CD. The first EP Run was released in 2003, followed by a DJ tools record entitled Bitter Breaks 1. Soon, though, friend Boom Bip asked Matt to tour with him, first as a bassist, then as a keyboard and guitar player as well as arranger; then tours with and without Radioinactive were planned to support Free Kamal. These tours ultimately led to Busdriver asking Matt to be his multi-instrumental accompanist and remixer. This didn’t leave much time left over for studio work. Finally, in the Fall of 2006, It’s Free, But It’s Not Cheap was released. The album was an ode to the music of Los Angeles that had been the soundtrack to Matt’s early life. Electro beats blended with distorted guitar stabs; folky guitar chords were augmented with trunk-rattling basslines. The album found great critical success, as well as landing Matt his first feature press. Touring with Busdriver continued, as well as solo dates to support his own album. Matt formed a band to capture the spirit of his music, with close friends Devin “Desert Eagles” Foley playing bass and synths, Jason Stewart aka DJ Them Jeans providing all of the drum parts on turntables, and Matt himself playing guitars, synths, and the MPC. The idea was to capture the rock, electronic, and hip-hop elements all at once, and generate as much energy from the stage as possible. In the last year, he has played shows across the US and Canada, in China, Australia, and Europe. Matt is currently beginning work on a follow-up album to It’s Free, But It’s Not Cheap. When he’s not recording, he’s on the road with friend Busdriver or spending his days working at Mush Records, doing everything from mixing albums to handling manufacturing. When he’s not at work, he’s arguing politics with friends and family. |
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| Head Like A Kite: No Ordinary Caveman [EP] (Mush Records, 2008) Of Mexican Descent: Exitos y Mas Exitos, Edijion de Lujo (Temporary Whatever, 2006) From Monument to Masses: Schools of Thought Contend (Dim Mak, 2005) Clue to Kalo: One Way, It’s Every Way (Japanese Release, & Records, 2005) Various Artists: Sublevel Epidemic, Vol. 1 (Sublevel Epidemic, 2004) Subtitle: I’m Always Recovering from Tomorrow EP (GSL, 2003) Radioinactive: Pyramidi 12″ (Mary Joy, 2002) Radioinactive: Pyramidi (Mush/Mary Joy, 2001) Ross Allen Presents: Meltdown (Urban Theory, 2001) Various Artists: Mush Filmstrip (Frame 1) (Shadow, 2001) Various Artists: Ropeladder 12 (Mush, 2000) Various Artists: Strictly Indee (Sublevel Epidemic, 2000) Various Artists: Inside Out (Foolblown, 2000) Radioinactive: Fo’ Tractor (Self-Released, 1999) Radioinactive: The Music Maxi Single (Self-Released, 1998) Anonymous/Antimc: Instrumentals At Work (Self-Released, 1998) Of Mexican Descent: Exitos y Mas Exitos EP (Nerve Deafness, 1997) Murs/3 Melencholy Gypsies: Comurshal (Veritech, 1996) Log Cabin: The Log Angeles Experiment (Unreleased but perpetually leaked, 1995) |
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| El-P, Dizzee Rascal, Busdriver US Tour – United States; May 2008 (Upcoming) Busdriver Roadkill Overcoat Tour – United States, China, Australia; October 2007-January 2008 Rjd2 Third Hand Tour – United States; April-May 2007 Islands Return To The Sea Tour – United States; April-May 2006 Boom Bip Blue Eyed In the Red Room Tour – Europe, United States; April-June 2005 Josh Martinez Southwest Tour – United States; January-February 2005 Mush Records Fall Tour 2004 – United States; October 2004 Mush Records Summer Tour 2004 – United States; June-July 2004 Boom Bip Corymb Release Tour – Europe; November-December, 2003 Themselves/Alias Tour – United States; October 2002 Mush Records Summer Tour 2002 – Europe; June-July 2002 Mush Records Spring Tour 2002– United States; April-June 2002 |
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| Langerado Music Festival with Busdriver – Big Cypress, FL; March 2008 (Upcoming) Fun Fun Fun Fest Solo and Busdriver Sets – Austin, TX; October, 2007 Supporting Os Mutantes with Busdriver at El Rey – Los Angeles, CA; July 2007 Supporting CSS with Busdriver at The Henry Fonda Music Box – Los Angeles, CA; June 2007 Coachella with Busdriver – Indio, CA; May 2007 SXSW Solo and Busdriver Engagements and Showcases – Austin, TX; March 2007 Supporting Deerhoof with Busdriver at El Rey – Los Angeles, CA; January 2007 Supporting Hi-Tek with Busdriver at Safari Sam’s, Los Angeles, CA; November 2006 Supporting CocoRosie with Busdriver at Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA; September 2006 Coachella with Boom Bip – Indio, CA; May 2005 |
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