A melting of the biological with the technological have served up another potent piece of machine music.
[Release page] Transhuman Records saw out 2011 with an excellent six tracker in the form of Renaissance. Just before the bells chimed and 2013 clicked in, the Spanish label, now relocated in Berlin, brought out something new. Three tracks from veterans of the label collected for the loftily titled : Theory And Practice Of Domination Volume 1: Hidden Establishment.
“Domi_Nation” opens in retrospective fashion. Circular bass and beats, akin to 90s techno, orbit before layers of dub and distortion are introduced. The track takes some of its cue from the Berlin sound, a city where The Transhumans have recently relocated to. Madrid’s Arcanoid follows. The Semantica artist is highly respected amongst Spanish electronic circles, and with good cause. The Madrileno dishes up “Nature of Being.” The track comes from an electro tradition, terse beats and a stripped back aspect. But there is undeniably some electronica and IDM in the mix, shuddering melodies surfaces from a tangle of wires and circuitboards. The Transhumans close this limited 12” with “Hidden Establishment.” A dark work of sci-fi industrial, “Hidden Establishment” is a brief work of machine angst and motorized menace.
Theory And Practice… is a crafted work of electronics. I must admit, more than three pieces would have been nice; especially after the glut of quality on show for Renaissance. But, nevertheless the men seeking a melting of the biological with the technological have served up another potent piece of machine music.
Theory And Practice is available on Transhuman. [Release page]
