MATTHEW DEAR'S BIG HANDS - LIVE (trio) 10.08: MATTHEW DEAR'S BIG HANDS @ Chop Suey, Seattle
10.09: MATTHEW DEAR'S BIG HANDS @ Holocene, Portland
10.10: MATTHEW DEAR'S BIG HANDS @ Mighty, San Franciso
10.11: MATTHEW DEAR'S BIG HANDS @ Avalon, Hollywood
10.17: MATTHEW DEAR'S BIG HANDS @ Sonotheque, Chicago
10.18: MATTHEW DEAR'S BIG HANDS @ Blind Pig, Ann Arbor 10.25: MATTHEW DEAR'S BIG HANDS @ Ghostly / Windish CMJ Showcase, LPR, NYC + 10.15: Montreal / 10.16: Toronto
MATTHEW DEAR DJ DATES
08.30: MATTHEW DEAR (DJ) @ PS1, New York
09.06: MATTHEW DEAR (DJ) @ Avalon, Hollywood, CA
09.08: MATTHEW DEAR (DJ) @ Chop Suey, Seattle
AUDION (Matthew Dear dance floor alias) live DATES 09.14: AUDION live @ Minitek Festival, New York 09.27: AUDION live @ Decibal Festival, Seattle "Matthew Dear infuses the snapping, beeping compositions of his second album with a sincere yearn, broadening the genre in the process." SPIN
"Dear has come into his own with Asa Breed, a bootstrapping album that not only reveals the miles walked, but an ambitious road map ahead." PITCHFORK
Matthew Dear has been producing and DJing for more than 10 years now but even to those familiar with his music, either produced under his given name or one of his aliases Audion (Spectral Sound), False (M_nus), Jabberjaw (Perlon), the initial release of Asa Breed was a revelation. Having impressed the critics with his 2003 debut Leave Luck To Heaven, which received a uniquely glowing critical reception for an electronic album, even from pop oriented periodicals like Rolling Stone, Spin and Entertainment Weekly, it was clear, with tracks like Dog Days and the follow-up Backstroke EP, that Dear was pushing his moody, sexy minimal techno albums to new heights of accessibility with the inclusion of vocals and his ever maturing song-writing style.
With the release of Asa Breed, Dear went from hinting at his pop-sensibilities to openly celebrating them on what The Guardian called "an extraordinary, impeccable album of avant pop" and what Philip Sherburne called 2007's "most unexpected pop masterpiece". From the pulsating, steadily growing tension of the album's opener "Fleece On Brain" to the infectious, ecstatic single and crowd-favorite "Don and Sherri" with its dance-floor leveling chorus, the album "bristles with energy and ingenuity"[The Wire] but it's the inclusion of Dear's more personal song-writing style utilizing rock instrumentation that made Asa Breed such a "beautiful set of contradictions"[Anthem]— it's not often an album containing bluesy guitar and brooding folk reaches Billboard's electronic charts.
Following Asa Breed's release Dear formed a new rock-ish trio Matthew Dear's Big Hands with guitarist John Gaviglio and drummer Mark Maynard (read a great profile of the band from The Onion), the trio has toured extensively performing at major festivals such as Sonar and beyond. In Spring 2008, the trio toured the UK with Hot Chip - Asa Breed Black Edition was released to celebrate this.
MATTHEW DEAR ASA BREED BLACK EDITION 01. Fleece on Brain
02. Neighborhoods
03. Deserter
04. Shy
05. Elementary Lover
06. Don and Sherri
07. Will Gravity Win Tonight?
08. Pom Pom
09. Death to Feelers
10. Give Me More
11. Midnight Lovers
12. Good to be Alive
13. Vine to Vine
14. Deserter (Four Tet Remix)*
15. Don and Sherri (Hot Chip Version)**
16. You Know What I Would Do (“Deserter” EP Exclusive)***
17. Down On You (digital only)
+
Don and Sherri Video
*originally on "Deserter" single
**originally on "Don and Sherri" single
***originally a vinyl only single on "Deserter"
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February 2008: press release / breaking news RCRD LBL and GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL release exclusive MATTHEW DEAR track
Ghostly International has always been quick to understand that utilizing new technologies and the ever-evolving internet to distribute its music means more options for, and closer relationships, to fans—from releasing compilations on USB sticks with partner Moss, or being one of the first label to do iTunes exclusives releases, Ghostly strives to lead in the digital culture it inhabits. Naturally, when RCRD LBL approached them to be a partner label and part of its launch, it was an easy decision—RCRD LBL's free, legal downloads, label-produced blogs, large community of diverse listeners and pioneering business model meant a chance for Ghostly to relate directly to fans, offering up rare and back-catalog tracks and first-to-know news.
Their newest collaboration will be the RCRD LBL exclusive release of "Don't Go This Way", an unreleased rarity from the recording sessions of Matthew Dear's critically acclaimed Asa Breed. With a hypnotic percussive line, silvery synth-stabs, disembodied falsettos and characteristic sense of suspense, "Don't Go This Way" is unique, enigmatic pop gem from Ghostly's rising star, Matthew Dear, and which will be available for free and legal download, exclusively on RCRD LBL. RCRD LBL was named of Entertainment Weekly's "100 Greatest Websites" in late 2007.
"Don't Go This Way" will be available on February 20th.
