MATRiXXMAN

Charles McCloud Duff, operating as Matrixxman, produces lean analog acid house and techno that he labels "Resurgent Techno Atavism." Born in Arlington, Virginia, he relocated to San Francisco, where he immersed himself in electronic music and hip-hop scenes and launched two production partnerships: Amen Brother alongside frequent associate Vin Sol, and 5kinAndBone5 with Paavo Steinkamp, known professionally as Earthman. The latter duo gained recognition for its hip-hop output, most notably the productions behind Le1f’s 2012 single “Wut,” yet eventually grew restless with that genre and pivoted to house material issued on Soo Wavey Records—co-founded by Duff and Vin Sol—and the British imprint Unknown to the Unknown. Duff adopted the Matrixxman alias in 2012 and, the following year, issued a series of 12"s both independently and in tandem with Vin Sol and Nick Hook; among them, Dirty Laundry and I Can Feel It drew clear influence from Larry Heard’s mid-’80s Mr. Fingers classics “Washing Machine” and “Can You Feel It.”

Throughout 2014, Matrixxman placed EPs with Dekmantel (Nubian Metropolis), Delft (808 State of Mind and a split release alongside La-4a), and Spectral Sound (Amulet), while his recordings surfaced in DJ sets spanning Levon Vincent and Huerco S. to established figures such as Jeff Mills and Richie Hawtin. In 2015 the collaborative Daddy Issues EP by Vin Sol and Matrixxman appeared on Icee Hot, and Spectral Sound followed with the StuxNet EP, which included reworkings by Hieroglyphic Being and Silent Servant. Ghostly International, Spectral Sound’s sibling label, then issued Matrixxman’s debut album Homesick that same year; the record further honed his minimal acid-house aesthetic while incorporating ambient excursions and underscoring his fascination with science fiction and technology. Subsequent singles emerged on Dekmantel, Figure, and Kraftek, complemented by remixes he supplied for Depeche Mode, Simian Mobile Disco, and Len Faki.