Now we all know there are lots of 303 tinged records out there, and there will undoubtedly be more to come. But ProForm are old hands at picking out quality, and the Finns are at it again. Hardfloor serve up a tough two tracker, one with some subtle warming undercurrents. Acid Hausmeister has a different take on the style, using some of the more forgotten elements of house to round out some harshness without diluting.
It appears that acid is here to stay. I’m not sure it ever went away. Before this begins to sound like a child’s poem I’ll switch pentameter. The last five or more years there has been a 303 deluge. Clone boxes, squawk addicts, the huge resurgence in house and others adopting the trademark trill of the TB has made “that” squelch and bass more a fixture of electronic music than ever before.
Sine 2010 Finland’s ProForm series has focused on the sounds of the shiny metal box with a spread of homegrown talent delivering disgruntled and fevered slammmers. The motherland has been the main fount for artists on ProForm, but the latest marks quite a jump.
Hardfloor are synonymous with German machine music. The duo have been acid junkies since the early 90s, and their staunchly titled We’ll Never Stop Programming This Way might give an indication as to where this two-tracker is going. Gritty 4/4 techno is the serving. The flavours are familiar. Thick bass lines and steady beats supporting classic sounds. Breaks ebb and flow as rooms are lead into silence before atomics drop. “Prot” comes from a similar place. Little less heartburn involved but a definite floor hammer.
The latest is from a lesser known countryman. Acid Hausmeister is debuting with Jack That Acid. Right. The style ins’t in doubt but what’s the music like? Hard and destructive. Across a quartet the mesiter dishes up an assault of retro analog action. Retro? The rarely heard, but when used right can be fantastic, piano keys are on show. Claps. Snares. Toms. 303 snarl. Soaring synths and piano keys. But this is far from roses and rainbows house. “Huume.mod” is rabid dog material, percussive teeth locking onto ears as blood flows. It’s the godfathers of Chicago and Detroit which are the inspiration, the serration of the late 80s combined with the smoothness of the mid 90s.
Now we all know there are lots of 303 tinged records out there, and there will undoubtedly be more to come. But ProForm are old hands at picking out quality, and the Finns are at it again. Hardfloor serve up a tough two tracker, one with some subtle warming undercurrents. Acid Hausmeister has a different take on the style, using some of the more forgotten elements of house to round out some harshness without diluting.
Both EPs are available directly from ProForm Series (via email).
