Maťkovia – 1982–1986 (Expanded)

Even with just basic knowledge of the conditions of the totalitarian regime in the former Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (ČSSR), it is not difficult to understand why the project Maťkovia was never allowed to release anything officially during its existence from 1982 to 1987. The ironic, nihilistic lyrics full of dark humor, describing the despair and greyness of the normalization era in Bratislava in the 1980s simply had no chance of passing through the censorship at the time.

The work of the (mainly) studio project Maťkovia – led by prominent composer Martin Burlas and with a constantly shifting line-up of musicians – spread only through cassette recordings within the underground community. Given that the project was able to record and independently distribute its recordings as early as 1982, it is considered one of the first indie rock projects in Slovakia.

Despite the fact that a relatively functional art-rock/prog scene operated in Bratislava with active and legal names like Fermáta, Burčiak with Dežo Ursiny or Collegium Musicum, Maťkovia purposefully decided to go in the opposite direction. The sound of art/prog rock was already exhausting them. Instead, they were inspired by bands representing post-punk and the new wave. Their sound was influenced by a wide spectrum of musical projects such as The Police, Ministry, Jello Biafra, Talking Heads, or Gang of Four, and trace elements of these projects are truly palpable in their sound.

Due to the relaxation of conditions in the second half of the 1980s, the project managed to obtain the so-called official performance certifications (“prehrávky”), and thereby the permission to perform publicly, turning the studio project into a band. The band Maťkovia completed a week-long tour, mostly through cultural centers, and then practically disbanded immediately after. Martin Burlas's explanation for the breakup is unequivocal: "As a long-lasting project of a successful band, I canceled it myself the moment my bandmates suggested that we have 'more commercial and usable' lyrics that would not provoke resistance from the censorship. Meaning, they proposed negating the very purpose of what we were doing."

Maťkovia became a thing of the past in 1987, but they eventually did get a physical release—even if it was a few years later, in 1991. And it definitely helped to preserve the project's legacy. The compilation titled '1982–1986' was released by Miloš Spišiak's label, Zoon Records, in a limited edition of 1000 copies, and it is practically unavailable today. 42far is reissuing this compilation in an '(Expanded)', remastered version, with additional songs from Burlas's archives.

Paradoxically, Martin Burlas himself is not convinced about the overall quality of the project, as he considers the work of Maťkovia to be the weaker part of his musical career and had rejected the possibility of a reissue for many years, until now. In the author's own words: "Of course, I am glad that the project arouses some interest, but at the same time, I am unable to understand the ignorance that my other bands received." We firmly believe that it will open the door for many new listeners to other great projects by Martin Burlas, one of the most prominent personalities of the Slovak music scene.