Matera – Same Here – Compact Disc

Description

Matera – Same Here – Compact Disc

Same Here by Matera is a deeply experimental electronic album that pairs Mick Harris’s atmospheric production with Teho Teardo’s experimental sounds and whispered vocals. Released in 1996 by Invisible Records, this album is a bold exploration of genre boundaries, blending elements of dark ambient, dub, and jungle. Known for his groundbreaking work with Napalm Death and Scorn, Harris brings a distinctive, bass-heavy foundation to the album, while Teardo, renowned for his avant-garde approach with Meathead, adds layers of distortion, unconventional rhythms, and vocal textures that create a dense and immersive sonic experience.

At its core, Same Here occupies the territory between dub and industrial soundscapes. Harris and Teardo bring their respective styles into a shared vision, resulting in compositions that are challenging and atmospheric. The production frequently relies on heavy basslines and slow, hypnotic grooves reminiscent of early Scorn material, which often veers into deep, sub-bass frequencies that resonate in an almost physical way. In contrast, Teardo’s contributions add unexpected elements—vocal whispers, distorted samples, and irregular rhythms that disrupt traditional timing.

The album’s experimental essence shines through in its structure, where the beats are sometimes intentionally out of sync with the underlying pulse of the track. On “Same Everywhere,” for instance, the drum loops slow down momentarily before snapping back to the original tempo. This technique, which creates an almost off-kilter rhythm, was described by Lollipop Magazine as feeling ‘like a total fuck-up’ at first, yet gradually morphs into something natural and groove-based, albeit in an unconventional way​.

‘Pure Realism’ is one of the standout tracks on the album, showcasing Matera’s use of jungle-inspired breakbeats combined with dark, ambient undertones. The track’s rhythms, while grounded in jungle’s fast-paced style, avoid the genre’s typical precision. Instead, the beats are fragmented, clashing with the underlying tempo to create a dissonant, eerie soundscape. This track encapsulates the album’s exploration of “demented” patterns—loops that feel unsteady yet captivating, drawing the listener into a distorted auditory space.

Another track, ‘Same Everywhere,’ exemplifies Harris and Teardo’s manipulation of rhythm and sonic texture. The drum loops here are unusually short, a mere four beats, which shift in speed as the loop progresses, producing a dragging effect that feels disorienting but intentional. This kind of tempo manipulation, which creates a sense of “calculated awkwardness,” gives the track a fractured yet cohesive feeling, embodying Matera’s intent to disrupt the listener’s expectations of rhythm and structure​

Same Here pays homage to the experimentation of krautrock and early electronic pioneers like Can and Faust, whose music challenged traditional notions of melody, rhythm, and structure. While Harris and Teardo do not mimic these influences directly, they build upon the avant-garde spirit, incorporating elements of dub’s spaciousness and jungle’s breakbeat-driven intensity. Their approach combines the depth of industrial sounds with the experimental edge of noise music, evoking a soundscape that is both haunting and intellectually stimulating.

This album was a unique entry into the experimental electronic genre of the late 1990s. Harris, already known for his interest in dark ambient and industrial dub with Scorn, used Same Here as a canvas for even more daring production choices, unbound by genre conventions. Teardo, with his background in creating intense, challenging sonic experiences, complements Harris’s style by adding a layer of unpredictability through subtle vocals and abstract textures that seem to emerge and disappear, almost as if they are part of the shadows within the music itself.

Though Same Here didn’t achieve mainstream success, it became a cult classic within experimental music circles. Listeners who appreciate industrial, dark ambient, and experimental dub found it to be a rich, complex work that rewarded deep, focused listening. The album’s intentional roughness and its manipulation of rhythm and texture challenged the electronic norms of its time, marking it as a work that defied easy classification and resonated with fans of more abstract and cerebral soundscapes.

Same Here is remembered as a bold fusion of Harris’s industrial-dub roots and Teardo’s avant-garde noise, demonstrating the potential of genre-crossing collaborations. The album has remained influential for its fearless approach to blending disparate styles, and it continues to inspire musicians and fans in the ambient and experimental music communities. By focusing on mood and texture over traditional song structure, Matera’s Same Here stands as an exemplar of late ‘90s experimentalism and the possibilities within electronic music when conventional boundaries are ignored.

Features Scorn’s Mick Harris and M. Teho T. Of Meathead

Invisible Records

Track Listing
1. Out Of Your Woods
2. Pure Realism
3. Non E
4. Constant Thing
5. It’s Vacuum Cleaner Time
6. Too Much
7. Darkside 11 am
8. Same Everywhere
9. Out Of Your Woods – (remix)
10. Pure Slow Realism – (remix)
11. Too Much – (remix)