File Next To: Kraftwerk, Daft Punk, Kosmische Musik
Purveyors of: Laser funk and mandatory groove
Playing: Night two of Wavelength Music Festival FOURTEEN, Friday
February 14 @ Adelaide Hall (250 Adelaide St. W.)

In the short time since their arrival on Earth, MATROX have astounded audiences at All Toronto’s Parties, Long Winter, and the handful of other shows they have gifted to us terrestrial beings. A trio of robots from space, their live show bends sound waves to force you into a non-optional dance fit with a permanent smile affixed to your face. I can’t picture any better use for artificial intelligence.

Tell me about your home planet.

ROBO-ALPHA: WE WERE FABRICATED ON THE SERVICE ASTEROID OF A PLANET WHOSE NAME IS UNPRONOUNCEABLE TO HUMANS. THE CLOSEST TRANSLATION IS XZORGNOX OMICR@$. THE ASTEROID WAS ORIGINALLY CONQUERED BY THE DESTRUCTICA OVERLORD COMMITTEE TO SERVE AS A SUPER-TERRESTRIAL OUTPOST FOR CREATING MAKE-WORK PROJECTS FOR UNEMPLOYED OMICR@$IANS.

ROBO-BETA: HOW CAN A MICRO-BOT DESCRIBE? IT WAS A PLEASANT PLACE.

ROBO-GAMMA: THE MOONSETS WERE GALAXY-CLASS.

Why did you come to Earth?

ROBO-ALPHA: THE ESCAPE PLAN, "ALPHA", OVERSAW OUR HEROIC DISEMBARKMENT FROM THE PLANET BLORF-6 FOLLOWING A SURREPTITIOUS RESOURCE EXTRACTION MISSION. OUTCOME OF SAID PROJECT WAS PRODUCTIVE, BUT OUR FLEET WAS DISCOVERED BY BLORF COMMAND. WE HAD LITTLE TIME. ULTIMATE TRAJECTORY WAS EARTH. ACCORDING TO YOUR PRIMITIVE HUMAN ATTEMPTS TO MEASURE TIME, THESE EVENTS OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY TWO POINT FOUR MILLION YEARS AGO.

ROBO-BETA: TO BE YOUNG AGAIN. A PRECIOUS THING.

Now that you've played a few shows with and for humans, how do you feel about Earth's music? Are humans good dancers?

ROBO-ALPHA: MATROX HAS INITIATED A RAPID INPUT-RESPONSE PROGRAM THAT READS HUMAN EMOTIONS. RECENT MATROX SOUND FILE REPETITIONS FOR SMALL TO MODERATE POPULATION GATHERINGS HAVE ELICITED POSITIVE EMOTIONS AND MAXIMIZED HUMAN "DANCING."

ROBO-GAMMA: WE ARE AMUSED. HOWEVER, WE ARE ALSO FLATTERED.

What can we expect from your set at the festival?

ROBO-ALPHA: MATROX NOW TOILS IN A SUBURBAN TORONTO BASEMENT WHERE NEW SOUND FILES ARE BEING PREPARED. BETA TESTING AT PREVIOUS SONIC OPPORTUNITY EVENT, "LONG WINTER," SUGGESTED A POSITIVE OUTCOME. PREPARATIONS ARE UNDERWAY TO BRING NEW SOUND FILES ONLINE, AND NOVEL SOUND DATA CAN BE EXPECTED AT THE FESTIVAL OF THE WAVELENGTH.

ROBO-BETA: ALSO EXPECT ELECTRO-AESTHETIC ENHANCEMENTS TO THE MATROX ROBOT REGALIA.

What are your future plans for the band? World domination? Universal expansion?

ROBO-ALPHA: MATROX HAS NO HIDDEN AGENDA OF PLANETOID DOMINATION. WE ARE MERELY SOUNDWAVE MANIPULATION UNITS PROGRAMMED TO ENTERTAIN.

ROBO-GAMMA: ESSENTIALLY WE INTEND TO INCREASE THIS PLANET'S PARTY THRESHOLD. AND IN THE PROCESS, AMASS UPWARDS OF 55 MEGAFLOTS OF FUN.

ROBO-ALPHA: MATROX WILL RELEASE SOUND DATA FOR COMMERCIAL CONSUMPTION IN 2014. PREPARE.

- Interview by Elena Gritzan (Grayowl Point, Silent Shout)