From BETWEEN HEMISPHERES - HUGO RACE (Gusstaff Records, Poland, 2009) Video by HELIXED UNCUT (UK) January 2010 / 4 stars: 'Remarkable ambient excursion from ex-Bad Seed.' This is the culmination of a long and strange journey for Race, who started musical life in the Melbourne post-punk scene. This entirely instrumental album is at once pan-global in its influence, using African instruments like the ngoni, while also reflecting the duality of both sides of the brain -- hence the punning title. What's so arresting about Between Hemispheres is its physicality. The ambience reminds of Eno and Harold Budd but elements of distortion suggest a man not afraid to get his shoes dirty. There's a soiled intensity about this album -- both sweeping beauty and true grit. - David Stubbs www.boomkat.com (UK) HUGO RACE - Between Hemispheres, GUSSTAFF Melbourne post-punk veteran Hugo Race arrives at Polish label Gustaff with a brand new album that draws on experimental electronics, African str! ing instruments and even radio signals from deep space. One of the first things to strike you about the record is the power of deep, swollen bass textures dominating the soundscape, and during the metallic twangs of 'Antegone' and 'On Heat's droning depth charges the low end gets a thorough workout. Usage of ngone and kora dissolves into the filtered soundmass rather beautifully, never seeming at odds with the glitch-laden drone tones and flickering dub tweaks of 'Dry Fuses'. Similarly, these rusty ...
0 comments: