Post by hashtronaut on Jul 13, 2008 19:12:29 GMT
Hashtronaut “Through A Year, Darkly”
(www.hashtronaut.net, 2007)
1 track, 70.52 mins
Hashtronaut continues to be one of my favorite new artists to join the Berlin school, and with his latest two releases he remains at the top of the class. Through A Year, Darkly is fairly self-explanatory if you read his blog or the EAS interview from August 2007. Having nearly lost his wife to a severe illness, this music is presumably his cathartic expression of the experience, though ironically the liner notes say it is simply an attempt to capture an hour, not a year, of his life. I love the opening section, dark and moody but with some really cool synth solos that beg comparisons to Klaus Schulze classics such as Timewind, Moondawn, and Mirage, but without copying them outright. The mood is quite similar but it is Hashtronaut’s own. Although a single track, there are several distinguishable movements, the second of which is heralded by a low chugging sequence just past the 11:00 mark. This is every bit as good as Redshift, quite similar in fact, particularly the combination of sequencing, dark atmospheres, and soft synth solos as we approach 20:00 in. Though the pace remains steady for the duration, Hashtronaut keeps things varied just enough to both mesmerize and entertain. It isn’t until there are about four or five minutes left that he gradually starts pulling back for the obligatory soft change-up at the end. Knowing this was created in the moment, with minimal overdubs, only heightens my amazement and appreciation of this fantastic album.
Hashtronaut “Magnetic Shadows”
(www.hashtronaut.net, 2007)
1 track, 70.17 mins
Like Through A Year, Darkly, Magnetic Shadows presents just over 70 minutes in the musical life of Hashtronaut. It takes a fascinating turn a couple minutes in, like the electronic equivalent of a music box running down. The effect is somewhat eerie and cool, gradually evolving into a unique sequencer loop joined in short order by sad synth strings. At this point the music sounds like a quirky melancholy soundtrack to a small indie film. The usual Teutonic tendencies are there, though muted and somewhat twisted. But fear not Berlin school purists, by 9:00 a more traditional sequencer pattern has arrived, followed by a chugging rhythm and full-on squelchy synth solo. Then forceful electric guitars take over, probably synth-based though my ear can’t tell the difference. Approaching 23:00 it all fades away until a single synth hangs in the night air, ebbing and flowing, falling completely silent for a second or two here and there. A steady pulsing bass sequence takes us off and running after a few minutes, building the wall of sound just right before it dissipates again. A darker section of space music follows, banging and clanging about rather abstractly. Just when it seems content to stay in deep space mode, the sequencing takes another turn for a bit before dropping back for a restrained finale. It all adds up to another winner for Hashtronaut.
Copyright Phil Derby
www.electroambientspace.com/
(www.hashtronaut.net, 2007)
1 track, 70.52 mins
Hashtronaut continues to be one of my favorite new artists to join the Berlin school, and with his latest two releases he remains at the top of the class. Through A Year, Darkly is fairly self-explanatory if you read his blog or the EAS interview from August 2007. Having nearly lost his wife to a severe illness, this music is presumably his cathartic expression of the experience, though ironically the liner notes say it is simply an attempt to capture an hour, not a year, of his life. I love the opening section, dark and moody but with some really cool synth solos that beg comparisons to Klaus Schulze classics such as Timewind, Moondawn, and Mirage, but without copying them outright. The mood is quite similar but it is Hashtronaut’s own. Although a single track, there are several distinguishable movements, the second of which is heralded by a low chugging sequence just past the 11:00 mark. This is every bit as good as Redshift, quite similar in fact, particularly the combination of sequencing, dark atmospheres, and soft synth solos as we approach 20:00 in. Though the pace remains steady for the duration, Hashtronaut keeps things varied just enough to both mesmerize and entertain. It isn’t until there are about four or five minutes left that he gradually starts pulling back for the obligatory soft change-up at the end. Knowing this was created in the moment, with minimal overdubs, only heightens my amazement and appreciation of this fantastic album.
Hashtronaut “Magnetic Shadows”
(www.hashtronaut.net, 2007)
1 track, 70.17 mins
Like Through A Year, Darkly, Magnetic Shadows presents just over 70 minutes in the musical life of Hashtronaut. It takes a fascinating turn a couple minutes in, like the electronic equivalent of a music box running down. The effect is somewhat eerie and cool, gradually evolving into a unique sequencer loop joined in short order by sad synth strings. At this point the music sounds like a quirky melancholy soundtrack to a small indie film. The usual Teutonic tendencies are there, though muted and somewhat twisted. But fear not Berlin school purists, by 9:00 a more traditional sequencer pattern has arrived, followed by a chugging rhythm and full-on squelchy synth solo. Then forceful electric guitars take over, probably synth-based though my ear can’t tell the difference. Approaching 23:00 it all fades away until a single synth hangs in the night air, ebbing and flowing, falling completely silent for a second or two here and there. A steady pulsing bass sequence takes us off and running after a few minutes, building the wall of sound just right before it dissipates again. A darker section of space music follows, banging and clanging about rather abstractly. Just when it seems content to stay in deep space mode, the sequencing takes another turn for a bit before dropping back for a restrained finale. It all adds up to another winner for Hashtronaut.
Copyright Phil Derby
www.electroambientspace.com/