Supreme Balloon [Slimline] * by Matmos

Masters of high-concept musical japery, Matmos are known for walking the daring line between quasi-performance art hijinks and screwball musique concr te tactics. Past projects have included sampling of real-world sounds (crayfish nerve tissue, rhinoplasty) and candid audio portraits of historical figures (THE ROSE HAS TEETH IN THE MOUTH OF THE BEAST). Never ones to leave speculative sonic territory unmined, on their album SUPREME BALLOON, the duo have imposed a daring conceptual limitation as declared in the album notes: "No microphones were used on this album." Turning away from their earlier "anything goes" sample-based approach, Matmos have limited their sound-generating palette to synthesizers of all stripes, ranging from vintage modular behemoths to breath-controlled oscillators. Perhaps indicating dissension from their status as the bleeding-edge of intellectualized technocratic art music, SUPREME BALLOON is literally bursting with joyous pleasure-making whimsy and humor. Steeped in the characteri...