HYPOFIXX

Hypofixx After December
Lashdigit Records
3.5 / 5 stars
Posted: Friday, September 28, 2007
By: Ilker Yucel
Editor

Mixing noise and melody, and with some help from many of today's renowned electro/industrial acts, Hypofixx's new album pounds away as a record for the times.
Hypofixx is rapidly becoming a staple of the modern underground industrial scene. Having established himself as a prominent DJ and remix artist, as well as releasing his debut album, From Man to Machine, and a handful of accompanying videos, Hypofixx proves to be a productive and exciting new force in hard electronic music. His latest album, After December resonates with blistering energy, full of his signature blend of pounding beats, searing synth lines, with just a few hints of guitars to complement the distorted energy.
After December marks a progression from the cyberpunk concepts that drove From Man to Machine into far more personal territory, as each song marks a step in his life and development. Songs like the opener "Never Wake," "Shit Blood," and "Detonation" bear more resemblance to power noise with their grating textures and repetitive progressions, while other tracks like "Come Here," "With These Cold Eyes," and "Demon" are more dynamic, possessing more in the way of melody yet still retaining enough of a hard edge to force listeners to thrash about on the dance floor. "Belong," which features a guest appearance by Yveline, bursts with sexual energy and we even have an ambient piano interlude in the form of "Lost in Fragments," providing a much needed respite from the angst-ridden energy that defines the bulk of the album. The same can be said for the first segment of the closing track, "When I Sleep," before it leads into a haunting cacophony of synthetic clangs and ominous whispered vocals. Some of the songs even possess an early '90s techno quality, making "Scanner" sound like an outtake from the Mortal Kombat soundtrack, while "The Way You Hurt Me" is notable for its almost industrialized hip-hop sound.
As a bonus, After December includes a bonus disc of remixes, featuring many luminaries of the current electro/industrial scene. Considering that Razed in Black's Romell Regulacion mastered the album, as well as remixed "Hate," transforming the noisy song into a cleaner-sounding dance floor epic, it should come as no surprise that Hypofixx returned the favor with an extended version of "Visions." Of course, this version is both faithful to the original while still retaining Hypofixx's signature elements of overdriven synth effects and heavy beats. Imperative Reaction do justive to "With These Cold Eyes," inducing their own brand of noisy synths, but keeping the vocals clean, and Ego Likeness' version of "Demon" is far more minimalist, substituting the original's industrial force with a more gothic atmosphere. Also worth mentioning is Anti-Mechanism's take on "Never Wake" as they speed the song up into a scorching cybernetic assault.
While some may balk at the almost formulaic approach Hypofixx employs, it can be argued that this adds a sense of consistency and continuity. In spite of the almost monotone nature of certain bass lines and beats, there is just enough melody scratching at the surface to keep the listener's interest beyond a simple urge to dance harshly. The bonus remixes also help to add some variety to Hypofixx's sound. With an effective mix of noise, EBM, and industrial all coming into play, as well as the presence of many artists both established and up-and-coming, Hypofixx's After December does well to serve as a document of today's hard electronic scene, marking it a record for the times.
[ View ReGen Article Page ]
HYPOFIXX
Shattered from the Inside
Lashdigit Records
3.5 / 5 Stars
Posted: Friday, February 09, 2007
By: Ilker Yucel
Assistant Editor
Hypofixx's latest single blasts through your speakers with enough power and noise to scrape your ears raw, but with enough melody and diversity in the mixes to keep you wanting more.
Three years after his debut album, From Man to Machine, Hypofixx offers up a taste of what is to come in the form of an eight-track single. Shattered from the Inside presents a vicious array of blistering industrial dance beats and scathing synth and distorted guitar textures, with a touch of melodic despair to help Hypofixx rise above the plethora of power noise schlock trying to pass as industrial.
While hardly a deviation from his previous output, the song definitely gets the blood flowing and heightens anticipation for the rest of the single, as well as the upcoming full-length album. Razed in Black's remix is exactly what one would expect: infectious techno beats, melodic synth accompaniments a la synthpop, making for a predictable but enjoyable dance track. The same can be said for the Deformation mix, although this version presents an alternate vocal track, adding some variety to the overall feel of Shattered from the Inside.
Ben Dewalt makes two appearances on the single, once as DJ Hellraver, and closing things out as Terrorfakt. Both remixes are full of Dewalt's signature synth noise and distorted beats, both rather monotone, but thankfully brief; hardly the most dynamic remixes on the CD, though noise enthusiasts will enjoy them.
Especially noteworthy are the remixes by Assemblage 23 and Mindless Faith. A23's remix takes on a mournful tone akin to goth music, while Mindless Faith warp the track into an almost psychedelic series of edgy synth waves and echoing vocal manipulations.
Ultimately, Shattered from the Inside is a great lead-off single for Hypofixx's upcoming album, furthering his development while staying true to those elements that define his sound. Fans of hard and loud electro/industrial would do well to check this single out.
[ View the Article ]
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Hot Hands: A Tribute to Throwing Muses & Kristen Hersh
(Kuma-Chan)
3 / 5 Stars
BY CHRISTOPHER JOHN TREACY
Boston Phoenix : Off The Record : January 9-15, 2004
Hot Hands pays homage to Throwing Muses and the band's primary songstress, Kristin Hersh, without mimicking or maiming the original material.
San Francisco's Dirty Power, a band led by former Pansy Division frontman Patrick Goodwin, tear through a blistering version of "Hate My Way"; label owner Phil Locke, who organized the project, contributes his take on the Muses' B-side "Uncle June & Aunt Kiyoti" (a tune penned by Hersh's father), preserving the melody while layering it with static over a drum-machine beat. Seattle's XiuXiu provide a jarring reading of "Juno" that mutates one of Hersh's acoustic tunes into a desperate and sonically distorted portrait of madness.
You get softer fare, too: Mary Larson & Billy Cote (two-thirds of what was Madder Rose), give founding Muse Tanya Donelly's "Honeychain" the delicate treatment it deserves, and there's a subtle beauty to Taikonaut's reading of "Night Driving." New Jersey's Flying Winnebago improve upon "A Feeling" by providing it a stronger backbone.
But the disc's shining moment belongs to Hypofixx, who rip the pop heart right out of the Muses' radio hit "Bright Yellow Gun," leaving a gnashing industrial workout in its place.
Issue Date: January 9 - 15, 2004
[ View the Article ]