Matador

Matador is a German dark wave group formed in 1982 by Gudrun Gut, Manon P. Duursma and Beate Bartel. The line-up is anchored by Bartel and Gut, with Duursma also part of the group. The project develops as an outlet for audio and visual experimentation and begins performing in June 1982 at Documenta in Kassel, while the members are also active in other bands.

The group’s early work includes performances in women’s centres and art schools, along with releases on cassette labels in England, Japan and Germany. It also takes part in experimental film work. Matador’s first album, A Touch Beyond Canned Love, appears in 1987 on Whats So Funny About, after which the group explores MIDI, sampling and Atari computer techniques. A cover version of Stop in the Name of Love and the album Sun follow, both issued around 1989/1990 on Normal Records.

In 1991, Matador records Ecoute, released on Moabit Records. The album is produced by the group itself and presents the accumulated results of its experiments up to that point. Across these releases, Matador combines pop and electronic elements with a deliberately experimental approach, and remains outside the mainstream German music industry.