COVENTRY: Taylor John's House

FRI 17TH APR, 2009 8.00pm

Amongst the many products of the fertile Bristol music scene of the 1990s, Matt Elliott represents something of an oddity. When "trip-hop" was flavour of the month, Matt was instead exploring space rock and experimental drone with Amp and Flyin g Saucer Attack. In 1996, Matt began releasing under the moniker Third Eye Foundation, and with his stark and brutal approach to electronica unwittingly became a pioneer of something called "drill'n'bass". Then, whilst many were struggling to transcend the electronic aesthetic that had become associated with the city, Matt married sampling and electronics with acoustic instruments, song and voice for the critically-acclaimed The Mess We Made. Now, having left Bristol altogether and settled in rural France, Matt continues to release albums that have variously been described as folk, vaudeville and chanson française. The point being that nobody can seem to come up with enough labels to keep up with the man; and frankly he couldn't care less. He'll keep going along his own idiosyncratic musical trajectory, making many more great records along the way.