Myth Math

***For 15 years, Matthew S ran Illegal Art in near-total anonymity, using aliases like Philo T. Farnsworth while building a label that challenged what was “allowed” in music. From 1998–2012, it became a lightning rod for sample-based art, pushing legal and creative boundaries before going on hiatus as the industry shifted to digital.

Now, Illegal Art returns—with Matthew stepping out from behind the curtain and launching Myth Math, a more personal, song-driven project. Tongues, his debut EP, marks both a new chapter for the label and a shift in his own work: blending samples with live instrumentation, songwriting, and vocals.

Originally rooted in experimental collage (including the infamous Deconstructing Beck), Illegal Art later found wider impact through artists like Girl Talk, helping legitimize sampling as a respected art form. That influence still echoes across genres today.

With Myth Math, Matthew moves toward a more human, expressive sound. Inspired in part by artists like Sufjan Stevens and Jeff Tweedy, Tongues balances abstraction with accessibility. The EP was shaped in collaboration with former student Mitchell Baker Martin, and features drums from Kellii Scott (Failure) on “Deep Down”.

For Matthew, the mission remains the same: take familiar sounds and push them somewhere new into something that feels like art.