Aging brings aching bones and nostalgia, but the lure of nightlife still draws the narrator to The Hague’s IFM Festival, where they reconnect with Robyrt Hecht and the Clear Memory crew. Hayter’s debut LP, Second Set Of Ears, showcases his evolution through moody electro and precise percussion, affirming both his maturity as an artist and the label’s enduring vitality.
Hayter finds rhythm in maturity
The passage of time is a cruel thing. As the years slip by, the bones begin to ache and the hair greys. Clubbing becomes a rare occasion; a stolen night that is heavily paid for in both physically and mentally. But, the allure of the throb, the fog and the strobe remains. Each year, I try and get away and manage one big knees up. Berlin? Maybe a reclusive shindig on the coast of Portugal? Try an administrative city and home to the International Criminal Court. Yes, the bag is packed and we head to The Hague.
It was at the most recent installment of the IFM Festival that I met up with Robyrt Hecht and the Clear Memory crew. Their youthful faces and enthusiasm shining next my own wizened visage. That full throated passion now pours through speakers as Hayter’s debut LP hits stores.
The oscillations of “Intro” led in “Canton.” Bawdy basslines swagger next slight snares and skeletal synthlines as clipped and chirpy tune unfolds. The title track races out of the stocks. Juddering speakers are further assaulted by heavily vocodered lyrics, a slicing beat softened by floating notes. “Here We Are” is a more considered affair, the calm before the electro wave storm of “Hamsters.” Metallic stabs are pierced before quivering arcade keys descend. And it is wave that permeates this LP, Hayter adopting its minimal moodiness and combining it with the of percussive thrust of his machines. That stripped back sound is at the core of “Making The Beat,” a superbly fragile keyboards countered by stark snares. Aggressive pulses and industrial embers flare in the dark “Rhythm” before it breaks to brightness. The close comes in “Sun,” a close that is close to Skanfrom as I have heard in a long time.
Second Set Of Ears sees Hayter coming of age. The track selection illustrates his depth and range with suggestions of even more to his sound. Cold compositions cut for the floor with structures built on the synth foundations. The Clear Memory crew yet again deliver, and even bring a smile to this old face.
Second Set Of Ears is available on Clear Memory. [Bandcamp]
