Press Info:
Hot on the heels of the 2021 HANDS debut “Myths And Consequences” comes this, the next TEMPLER album: This time around producer Thomas Chalandon renounces any collaborations and remixes and instead focuses on distilling his trademark sound, which is “old school with contemporary means”. With this agenda, he dishes out nothing less than an instant classic, filled to the brim with highly potential hit tracks – a dark, energetic and brooding rhythmic beast.
“H.A.C.E.” surely draws from Chalandon’s background as a techno producer and DJ, as it never ceases to push further, and this combines perfectly with his appreciation for timeless rhythm’n’noise sounds: It is based on slow, massively distorted and bass-heavy rhythms that slip from standard time signatures often enough to generate a heavy tribal atmosphere. Sometimes these rhythms come ultimately pronounced and pounding (“Galaxy of Nowhere”), sometimes ultimately “off” (“Man Behind the Sun”).
Also, Chandalon has a real knack for providing each track with an irresistible hook: Ominous ritual chants, ethnic sounds, hymnic choral, repetitive glacial synths, incomprehensible speeches and rants are used to great effect and generate a hypnotic atmosphere. The build-up of a track like “Smokehead” will linger in your earbuds for hours – earworm trigger warning! We recommend repeated exposure to figure out the favourite dance floor weapon of your choice.
Are you brave enough to lose yourself amid the mysterious haze?
Press Info:
A title suggesting urban brutalism, how fitting for the 5th MONOLITH album on HANDS – and his 12th in total – a very special addition to the eminent discography of Eric van Wonterghem. As passionate as ever, this is arguably the most comprehensive Monolith album so far, encompassing a wide range of moods and making the best use of his vast background in producing: Rhythmic and repetitive hard dance music, but also atmospheric and inspiring listening, truly intense 75 minutes.
The Concrete Playground has something to offer for everyone – dark and secluded tracks for contemplation like the opener “Immortal” or “The Gate of Light”, cheeky electro quotes can be found in “Concrete Playground”, “Push” or “Gallium Element”, and of course there is lots of industrial techno action going on: Some more on the stomping techno side of things (“The Hunter”, “Revelation”), some filled to the brim with industrial wails and screeches (“Blade on Skin”). What sets this album apart is the appearance of a lot of surprisingly nuanced and layered moments, such as when a melodic ambience comes hovering above the dance floor destruction in “The Sky Turns Red”.
Lots of variation in the drum programming, exceptional sound design and the embrace of the emotional: “Concrete Playground” works in a highly fascinating dissonance, and is set to leave a big mark!
Press Info:
SANS-FIN establishes himself as a HANDS regular with this, his third album for the label, and continues his foray into the bleaker departments of dance music: Expect a good hour of visceral industrial techno with a definite emphasis on the industrial side of things, nine all-new energetic tracks and a remix by label mates Greyhound.
Feuilles Fanées, withered leaves, an image of an ending, preparing the origin of something new. An appropriate reference for this album, which shrugs off the IDM-ish subtleties of earlier SANS-FIN works and goes straight from A to B, with carving beats, harrowing sounds and trembling bass lines.
And yet there is emotional ra(n)ge you will encounter within this claustrophobic experience: A heavy industrial track like “Être Seul” at least offers a short moment of – albeit bleak – atmosphere, “Inciser” carries a nod-along-melody, and “Faire Le Deuil” features both.
The rest is all rhythm and noise, with a special focus on the bass drum, from piercingly firm kicks (“Mademoiselle”) to distorted thumps (“Sans Nuages”) and the result is a lot of underground dance floor material, like the album’s arguably most representative track “Survol”.
And the last word goes to HANDS veterans GREYHOUND, who (not surprisingly) render “Être Seul” even more intransigent and massive.
Time to pick up the withered leaves!
