Hello,
following you can find our new April releases – pre-orders can be done from now
until 3rd April. For pre-orders of those 3 new cds there’s a special offer for:
42 Euro incl. worldwide postage.
Pre-sale and shipment will start at 4th of April – our new releases will be also
available at our stands in April at:
ELEKTROANSCHLAG 2014 – 4th and 5th April 2014
www.facebook.com/events/695556067127190/?fref=ts
www.elektroanschlag.de
FORMS OF HANDS 14 – 25th and 26th April 2014
www.facebook.com/events/685202544826364/?fref=ts
www.formsofhands.de
For forthcoming showcases please check:
www.facebook.com/hands.official/events
Pre-orders / Orders can be done over:
webshop www.handsproductions.com/mailorder.asp
pm: www.facebook.com/ hands.official
Out on HANDS 14th April:
HEIMSTATT YIPOTASH Mecanismos De Control cd
HANDS D202 Hands Paper Pack 13 euro
Heimstatt Yipotash, notoriously headstrong hybrid project, surrender their
fifth album for HANDS: Highly political and subversive, “Mecanismos De
Control” is an accentuated criticism of the Orwellian times we live in.
Musically their unique blend of electro and industrial elements comes all of
a piece; the leitmotif of (mostly) Spanish language vocal samples makes
for coherent listening, and the intense rhythms will let you shake the
chains of control – for sure!
“Mecanismos De Control” follows Heimstatt Yipotash’s massive anniversary
remix package, but actually picks up where the 2009 album “Urban Night Motifs”
ended, in modern day metropolis. This time, the focus shifts from the urban
structure itself to the people who live in it: Anonymous, working like the
gearwheels of a globalized machine constantly mislead to work for accelerating
economic growth. “Mecanismos De Control” denounces corruption in high
finance and the politicians’ involvement in it (“Putsch”, “Banco Malo”), it brings up
the lack of diversity in media (“Receptor Universal”), arbitrary police action and
the various levels of state control in general (“Mecanismo De Control”).
Musically it somehow suggests itself to drop the Esplendor Geometrico
reference, not only for the Spanish language samples, but also for the raw and
repetitive rhythmic backbone of all tracks. But of course Heimstatt Yipotash acts
in a much more ample scope, with lots of diversified, contemporary elements to
be found throughout the album: Spotless electro sequences (“Diez Segundos”,
“Pulsador”), almost organic percussion (“Banco Malo”), shuffling all-but-grooves
(“Magnetar”, “Rescoldo”), an electric harp in “El Mal Menor” and a swelling acid
sequence in “Fuerza Devastadora”. And the final say goes to The_Empath, who
transforms “Rescoldo” into a solemn lullaby for man, bereft of his dignity in the
Brave New World of today.
“Mecanismos De Control” works in the attractive contradiction of its dystopian
theme and being at the same time thoroughly enjoyable, in larger parts actually
dance floor compatible. A coherent, conceptually feasible and convincing album.
Tracklist:
1. Diez Segundos
2. Que Se Vayan Todos
3. Mecanismo De Control
4. Zombis
5. Putsch
6. Banco Malo
7. Pulsador
8. Magnetar
9. Receptor Universal
10. Marcha Experimental
11. Rescoldo (Revisada)
12. El Mal Menor
13. Fuerza Devastadora
14. Rescoldo (The_Empath’s Lullaby)
Out on HANDS 14th April:
SYLVGHEIST MAËLSTRÖM Pripyat cd
HANDS D203 Hands Paper Pack 13 euro
Sylvgheist Maëlström hasn’t taken much of his time to produce the follow-
up to his HANDS debut “Skaftafell”. On “Pripyat” he deals with
transformation and extinction of nature, thus he discards the majestic
minimalism of the predecessor and adopts a very different musical
language, with chunky IDM rhythms and dense soundscapes to portrait the
numerous disturbances man inflicts upon nature – and the way nature
reacts to that, reinventing itself. A heavyweight, unsettling electronica
album that is topped off with crackling remixes by [basementgrrr] and Yura
Yura.
Pripyat is the “nuclear city” where the Chernobyl power plant is located.
Abandoned after the infamous 1986 disaster, it stands a rude reminder of man’s
ruinous effect on nature – and the inimitable way nature achieves a weird
comeback after the seemingly worst blow.
Such forbidding thoughts are the main preoccupation Sylvgheist Maëlström used
as an inspiration for this album, and it shows soundwise: Heavy rhythms
throughout, sinister melodies, throbbing bass sounds, all tracks saturated with
sharp-edged fuzz. “Pripyat” flows in a multi-layered sound design, which creates
a constant atmosphere of unease, quite appropriate for tracks dealing with the
world’s worst industrial disaster in “Bhopal”, where thousands died due to
exposure to toxic substances in 1984, or “Agbog Bloshie”, the infamous e-waste
dump in Ghana.
Even the most seasoned connoisseur of electronic music will be challenged to
discern on first listen all the details to be found within every single track as even
the comparably calmer tracks like “Prion” (a fatally infectious protein composition)
or “Mountain Pass” overflow with sounds, not to speak of the massive noise-
flavoured tracks like “Ajka” (a town in Hungary where an industrial accident
caused a flood of toxic mud in 2010). The contributed remixes by [basementgrrr]
and Yura Yura remain within the sonic framework of “Pripyat”, but add dynamic
bass sequences and a noise rhythm respectively.
As an album, “Pripyat” serves a dual function: Each of the tracks is strong
enough to stand alone, as a whole they merge into an utterly disturbing, yet
absorbing 78 minute trip, a reminder that man is dying in his own changed
substance.
Tracklist:
1. Inlandsis
2. Kartaflik
3. Kvanefjeld
4. Dysprosium
5. Prion
6. Mountain Pass
7. Bhopal
8. Deepwater Horizon
9. Ajka
10. Okuma
11. Pripyat
12. Agbog Bloshie
13. Kessler Syndrome
14. Kychtym
15. Inlandsis (basementgrrr) Remix
16. Kvanefjeld Yura Yura Remix
Out on HANDS 14th April:
hyDrone Chronos cd
HANDS D201 Hands Paper Pack 13 euro
HANDS welcomes hyDrone, an act with a remarkable pedigree already, now
ready for a proper debut CD release. “Chronos“ is a captivating, deeply
atmospheric conceptual release about time and its perception, revealing
influences from various eras of electronic music, pouring into a very
individual musical language. Nine tracks plus remixes by Gjöll, Libido
Formandi and Proyecto Mirage let you take a 57 minute lapse from the
regular course of time!
Preface: hyDrone is the alias of Panos Kouretas from Greece, who has got CD-R
releases on Fich-Art and Le Petit Machiniste and a fancy vinyl on Sealt under his
belt, as well as a performance at Maschinenfest – the accolade of the industrial
scene. Now it’s time for Χρόνος, an album which truly deserves a distinguished
presentation.
Takeoff: The opener “Carefully and patiently [we are counting time]” draws the
listener in with vocal snippets, atmospheric parts and insidious bleeps, while
“Always late” moves along accordingly slow in eerie halfstep mode. “Whenever”
is a grainy drone piece, “Backwards” fuses bass heavy drones with a cinematic
melody and the title track draws heavily from 70s Kosmische Musik in an ambient
mode. “Passing time” is a masterpiece, the perception of time during a human
being’s lifespan in a nutshell, seemingly accelerating, while the actual pattern
never changes. With “Chronotaraxis” we have finally left the time continuum for
good and are prepared to plunge into the psychedelic ambience of “Time is
running out of time” and “To maintain the balance”.
Overtime: Jóhann Eiriksson aka Gjöll contributes a fuzzy, Raster-Noton style
drone piece, Libido Formandi turns out a nicely accessible electronica track and
also label mates Proyecto Mirage get the final say with archaic, analogue
distorted beats.
Epilogue: Far from easy listening, sometimes demanding, this album is a treat for
anyone into atmospheric electronic music. Panos displays a knack for sound
design and composition, the result being well-defined and yet complex, abrasive
and beautiful at the same time. Worth your time!
Tracklist:
1. Carefully and Patiently [We are Counting Time]
2. Always Late
3. Whenever
4. Backwards
5. Chronos [Cronos/Chronos]
6. Passing Time
7. Chronotaraxis
8. Time is Running out of Time
9. To Maintain the Balance
10. Always Late [Remix by Gjöll]
11. Carefully and Patiently [Remix by Libido Formandi]
12. Whenever [Remix by Proyecto Mirage]