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HPC, "Halfbreed"
On his debut, this one-man electronic project from Norway seems to be wearing his influences on his sleeve and I would say he's coming from a similar background as me. Throughout this release there are a lot of elements pretty consistent with mid to late 1980s industrial, along with some more techno and electronic inspired rhythms. Rather than feeling overly nostalgic or dated though, these tracks filter the classic elements through a more modernized lens.
"Dissociate" is an early and clear indicator of what will be coming up. An ambient/abstract electronic collage is mixed with a straight ahead drum machine rhythm and distorted bass elements. While the beat stays constant, the other electronic elements are constantly shifting and changing, making for an extremely dynamic mix. More blatant is "Machine", with its modern-day industrial bass synth and noisy drums, with added skittering percussion and eventually a segue into full on hardcore techno.
The rhythms and bass lines throughout the album channel the likes of late 1980s Skinny Puppy or Front Line Assembly. Not blatantly stealing at all, instead it feels more like long standing influence or appreciation. The drum and bass rhythms that make up "Empty Eyes" and "Run" are a different element entirely, bringing up later period Techno Animal and Scorn in terms of grimy distorted beats, the former’s gentle string samples are a stark contrast, and the latter’s heavy synths and noise glitches make for a darker journey all together.
Another classic element pops up on more than a few tracks as well, the dialog sample. The aforementioned "Empty Eyes" opens with them, and the beat-less "Sleepwalker" throws pulsing synths over recordings of Jim Jones during the Jonestown suicides. That’s the only track where they are the focus, other than that they are simply another element to the mix that never detract, but aren’t necessarily adding much to the songs.
Tracks such as "Tranquilliser" are not as easily pigeonhole, adding dubby beats and bass elements to the vocal samples and buzzing bass synth that feels along the lines of modern industrial music, but really goes in its own direction entirely. Also, "Fond Memories" features underlying vinyl noise with gentile chiming keyboards that really have the feel of the title, a sense of warm nostalgia among the darker, raw surrounding tracks.
This is a tricky album overall, because there isn’t a great deal of innovation here, but instead makes for an interesting amalgam of other styles that come together here in a different way. It’s very well done and will surely interest anyone with a similar listening history such as myself, but it’s not entirely "new" feeling either.
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