“As the war in Ukraine contains, so does the label I Shall Sing Until My Land Is Free. Not many of this label’s releases include singing, but that’s beside the point. Fabrizio Matrone is the man behind Matter, and the music he creates fits the forceful push that the labels want to give to the people in Ukraine. I only heard one cassette by him, and it’s hard to avoid the Pan Sonic reference. As on a previous incarnation of this label, when it was called Kvitnu, which had many devotees to the harsh and brutal beats, all within a particular sub-section, each with a small diversification of the original template (not that Pan Sonic had a very singular sound, but that’s another thing of course). As on his previous release, Matter has eight pieces of music filled with dark and relentless beats. You could see the marching of soldier boots in these beats, but maybe that is a negative connotation. Or, perhaps, music to stay awake to, as a reminder to keep on fighting (and, again, there is a downside to that as well, music used in torture). Next to the rhythm, a bunch of synthesizers humming darkly, minimally tucked in with the beats, driving along and ornamenting the beats. Sometimes a bit more melodic, however sparse that notion is, and a piece like ‘Propaganda’ reminded me of Starfish Pool (whatever happened there?). The pieces are between three and six minutes, which sounds like the best length for these minimalist blasts. The tempo of these songs isn’t always that high, so it’s not dance music per se. At the same time, I am unsure if dance music is the idea here. With (Italian) titles such as ‘Idealogia’, ‘Propaganda’, ‘Resistenza’, or ‘Oppressionee’, no translation required, I think you can also see this as a political manifesto. And yes, I am one of those advocates that emphasize that music has no political meaning; context is important, and that’s where the political element comes in. These titles and this label make clear that the music should be a political statement, or rather a humanitarian one, to end the invasion of a country. (FdW)”
Vital Weekly about Matter ‘Frammenti’
