Amidst a flutter of promo emails we sift through on rotation, an abstractly focused artist came onto our radar with a keen sensibility for subversiveness and that off-center quality that has become the trademark of Harmonious Discord. His premiere project showcases a wide range of emotive experiments ranging from a dub-evolver like Archaic to monstrous club rumblers like Solitudine. All of which carry the concurrent theme of a dub-washed post-apocalyptic sunrise. Complimenting a superb set of original offerings are remixes from HD artists Patchen Preston and Henry Chow who take Ivan’s title track and up the energy level with a set of dance-conscious reworks.
Harmonious Discord 027 Ivan Dbri and Wirik – Archaic
1. Archaic
[audio:http://www.hdrecordings.com/audio/hd27/Ivan Dbri_Archaic_PREV.mp3]
2. Archaic (Patchen’s Cowboys in Space Mix)
[audio:http://www.hdrecordings.com/audio/hd27/Ivan Dbri_Archaic_Patchen’s Cowboys in Space Mix_PREV.mp3]
3. Archaic (Henry Chow Remix)
[audio:http://www.hdrecordings.com/audio/hd27/Ivan Dbri_Archaic_Henry Chow Remix_PREV.mp3]
4. Baleric Playa Del Carmen
[audio:http://www.hdrecordings.com/audio/hd27/Ivan Dbri_Baleric Playa de el Carmen_PREV.mp3]
5. Solitudine
[audio:http://www.hdrecordings.com/audio/hd27/Ivan Dbri_Solitudine_PREV.mp3]
Purchase: http://www.beatport.com/release/archaic/439725
Our journey begins with melodic droplets doused in reverb and set in motion. Archaic is the slow, deliberate story of creation. Meaningful apexes and diversions wash over the soundscape while the overall repetition builds in intensity. Peppered with sizzling atmospheric orbiting confusion, we build to a steady syncopated rhythm that penetrates the outer membranes and vibrates your core. HD co-founder Patchen Preston delivers an up-beat re-work following the in bass-heavy nature of the original with some hip-prompting house percussion. Filled with motion, this revisit quickly begins its full force journey with reverbed pad stabs and tongue-in-cheek vocal sprinklings. The infectious bass is impossible to ignore as occasional pitch bends infuse a funk into this late night adventure. Hot off the tail of a killer contribution to last year’s Discordian Dreaming sampler is Texas native Henry Chow. Henry takes the highly cerebral original and put’s it into context with modern method to produce an off-center house creation perfect for introducing some evil elements into your sets. Dissonant vibe stabs and Linn-drum percussion accents give this remix a nod to the old while being prefaced to forge to future sound of house. Balaric Playa De Carmen changes gears with a highly contemplative and organic deep techno piece that utilizes skin-crawling acoustic samples to create a feeling of desolation like a word lost under a whisper. It is hard to not instantly feel the warmth created by the calming sounds and get lost in a daydream of wicked fantasies. Solitudine rounds out our experience with creepy, german-inspired techno tool. Solitudine fuses minimal music with a horizon of melody that hovers over the listener until unleashed in a moment of pure energy. It is these simple ideas that somehow penetrate and grow giving Ivan’s music a symbiotic quality and set the stage for him to quickly become a back pocket name for listeners that search beyond the dance-floor.
