You know those producers whose work is so consistently tight and innovative that you say, “This dude could make a banger out of rusty nails and a plastic hose”? Well, the U.K.’s Matthew Herbert actually is that dude, and he may have already mixed that into the sounds of dirty knickers dropping.
This cheeky monkey samples sounds the way a vicar grabs a quick nip, and, when in conceptual mode, turns the swing of fuel pumps, coffee pots, and cutlery into pixilated funk held together with the melodic glitz of Broadway-meets-Studio 54. Herbert plays with processing as effortlessly as others tie their shoes. (Though maybe attaching Velcro is more appropriate; Herbert’s probably sampled it.) As for the work he pulls from as a DJ, Herbert’s sets can go from swing-house to schizophrenetic Chicago jack, rattling glitch to goofily euphoric Eurodance, with everything from disco to dancehall in between. Just don’t bump about the DJ booth; you might end up sampled without your knowledge.
This article appears in Aug 16-22, 2006.