Hemlock is a label that has grown more confidently belligerent of late. Although they’ve recently provided soulful offerings from Nautiluss and Guy Andrews, it’s music such as Pangaea’s fearsome “Hex” and the latest Randomer 12″ that have caused bigger waves. They’re bruising, bass-inflected behemoths that ably siphon the skewed chemical memory of old-school hardcore and jungle and apply them to a modern bass-compatible framework. On this release — the first in a three-part series and the label boss’s first solo Hemlock release in three years — Untold continues apace, referencing the bleaker outposts of late-90s techy DnB and applying them to techno with interesting, though not entirely successful, results.
First track “Motion The Dance” begins sounding somewhat like an Ostgut Ton side, with a mildly overdriven kick alongside stuttering flashes of reverb. However, all thoughts of Berlin are banished come the alarming and unexpected overlapping synth swells, giving rise to a brutally distorted Reese bass line. Those familiar with labels such as Reinforced and No U-Turn will find it bearing instantly recognizable reference points. Others may be left floundering, however. While it is interesting to hear these sounds used in what is ostensibly a techno track, it’s debatable how well they work in the relatively (in DnB terms, anyhow) deliberate environs of 130 BPM. Yes, there is tension, but the overbearing darkness of the bass seems to cry out for a more frenetic beat on which to contentedly growl.
“Luminous” is a more successful riff on the same theme. Here the build is slower, the bass snarls subtler, and the beats saturated with a pleasing tribal cadence. Like the A-side, this is very much conceptual music, but where “Motion The Dance” is a ponderous exercise, this is texturally satisfying. Not only does it conjure the required dread atmospherics, it will do a fine job of building contrast in an adventurous DJ set. It will be interesting to see whether this focused yet exploratory spirit is maintained over the next two releases in this series.
“Yes, there is tension, but the overbearing darkness of the bass seems to cry out for a more frenetic beat on which to contentedly growl.”
Yup, exactly how I feel about the A side. The fact that we don’t get a more frenetic beat from someone who is GREAT at doing that makes it all the more disappointing. I wish Untold would either:
1) Make an edit leaving the first half intact and switch up the beat after the bass growls come in, or
2)Get Objekt to remix it
because Motion The Dance is so close to being absolutely great and it just feels like wasted potential as it is.