Matsu Mixu
Introducing Michelle Yue & Mat King of Matsu Mixu; press photo courtesy of the artists.
Meet Houston, TX by Portland, Oregon duo Matsu Mixu, who present the southwest deep-fried premiere of “Fried Chicken Dossier” from Manimal. Michelle Yue & Mat King’s debut full-length LP1 is available now, promising future chill beats soon to arrive to assuage the raging rays of the summer heat. Listen now as Michelle & Mat create their own world of echoes, digitized atmospheres that float along the highway trails that connect TX to PDX.
“Fried Chicken Dossier” is executed like an experimental French pop gem that flies with stealth & grace under the radar via the lo-fi frequencies. Michelle enlists herself as the central voice that repeats the track title among sung romance tongue quips of thoughts that are littered throughout the track. Mat keeps the production super restrained, accentuating everything from Michelle’s breaths, the way synths & beats resonate, & to the subtle sustains of synths that provide a kind of backdrop for Matsu Mixu’s professed love for fried poultry delights. Read our following interview with Michelle & Mat.
Describe the latest inspirations between Portland & Texas for you two these days.
Michelle: Escaping the heat, and the concept of escapism in general—the glass cage aka the mind, places already associated with memories and concepts, etc. Plus long walks across the Burnside bridge.
Mat: Escaping the Texas heat is everything for me. I’ve immersed myself into nature since I got to the Northwest. That’s something I could never do in Houston, and I think it has somehow played a part in the evolution of my productions. Also, not knowing anyone up here has freed up a lot of time to be productive.
What inspired the echoplex-electro jam “Fried Chicken Dossier” and how much fried poultry was consumed in the process?
Michelle: I’ve toyed with the idea of filling a clawfoot bath tub completely with fried chicken wings and soaking in it for a while. The inspiration came from taking a banal concept such as fried chicken, though it could be argued that fried chicken is certainly not banal, and transforming it via language & music.
Mat: Michelle and I are both food nerds and share a common love for fried chicken. It just made sense to call this song “Fried Chicken Dossier”. I remember sending her over the instrumental late one night and listening to what she had done to it that next morning. I couldn’t have been happier with the result.
What was the making of LP1 like for the two of you, and what sorts of discoveries and experiences did you both gain as a result?
Michelle: It was very fun, experimental. We had just started dating and wanted to collaborate musically. Before Matsu Mixu, I was not a front-woman. I usually played keys and sang back-up vocals. I discovered my ability to be a front-woman through this project. I also discovered that my cat likes to bite me when I sing while laying in bed. While in Houston, we were residents of Cirque Noir—a monthly underground deep-house party. These were amazing all-nighters with so many talented people and great energy. I am really grateful they allowed us in their troupe.
Mat: I think being a part of the house scene in Cirque Noir shifted my productions towards a more dance friendly vibe which was cool for the time. It helped expand my arsenal. Picking a genre for me is very hard, there are too many good styles of music. I do try to keep dark undertones in everything I do.
How do you two typically (or perhaps atypically) go about approaching your own systems of synergy?
Michelle: We work almost entirely separately. I occasionally hallucinate melodies after listening to a track over and over again. I work with the hallucination and materialize it with lyrics or keys. Concepts I am fond of: minimalism, duality, harmony.
Mat: I like to say we are a Dropbox band. I’ll send her link to a instrumental and she will send me a link back to what she has added to it. It has worked out well for us. I draw inspiration from abnormal drum beats. Something about a dyslexic sounding drum pattern sparks my imagination. After i get a pattern down i’ll experiment with different dark/goth sounding patches until i get the sound i’m looking for.
Summer dreams & fall/winter hopes?
Michelle: Summer dreams; listening to “Fried Chicken Dossier” while eating fried chicken, sweating in linen dresses, under the clouds, drinking iced tea
Fall/winter hopes: performing at Houston’s Day for Night festival and the perfect denim jacket.
Mat: Summer; getting lost in the woods. finishing new songs.
Winter; I live in the now…
Matsu Mixu’s debut album LP1 is available now from Manimal.
