Bristol dubstep experimenter-turned-kaleidoscopic pop producer has recently released his second full-length album and follow-up to 2011’s hazy debut Broadcast. Entitled Modern Worship, it’s out through True Panther Sounds, and finds him taking his sound along tougher, more percussive pathways, while further honing the songwriting aspect of his music with collaborations with Gwylim Gold and Alison Garner of The Fauns.
"Rhythmically, the stuff I’ve done has always been pretty mechanical and it’s a feel that I’m drawn to when programming," he said in a recent interview with the Quietus, published yesterday. "But [Modern Worship] is more obvious in that regard because I actually used a lot of drum machines, programming sounds and then recording them into the computer, which created some pretty mechanical rhythms"
"There were certain things that I developed writing Broadcast that I wanted to carry over, such as the sense of ambient space and atmospheric noise that give the impression that the music is not just coming from inside a computer," he continued. "There were also, though, many things that I felt I’d done and I didn’t want to make the same record again, so I changed a few things, such as experimenting writing songs at much faster tempos than I had done before and collaborating with Gwilym Gold."
Now, to mark the album’s release, he’s recorded an exclusive mix for the Quietus that features a selection of new tracks from some of the most exciting names in Bristol electronic music. They include crafter of grime-infused house tracks Kowton and the Livity Sound collective that he’s involved in alongside Asusu and Peverelist, and Hyetal’s own remixes of fellow West Country dwellers Vessel and Ekoplekz. There’s also plenty of other house/techno flavoured gems on offer, from Ron Hardy and Gene Hunt to Drexciya and Furessu, while the mix also includes ‘Consumption’ by Systems Of Desire – the duo of Hyetal and Kowton, who released their debut 12" this week.
Says Hyetal of the mix: "I’ve been DJing less over the last year or so and focussing more on playing live. I’ve played a few sets recently though as I really missed it. This mix is a combination of stuff I’ve been playing in clubs – a lot of it made by friends, some edits and remixes I produced and tracks I have recently found inspiring."
You can listen to and download the mix below, plus check out the tracklist at the bottom of the page.
Faint Wild Light – ‘Echo’ (Peter Mannerfelt’s Gentle Phase)
Ron Hardy – ‘Your Love’ (original unreleased version)
Da Krash – ‘Trapped In Phases’ (Night Mix)
Haruomi Hosono – ‘Alternative 3’
Hyetal – ‘Northwest Passage’ (a capella)
Vessel – ‘Court of Lions’ (Hyetal, Night Mix)
Ekoplekz – ‘Track 4’ (Hyetal, Night Mix)
Systems Of Desire – ‘Consumption’
Kowton – ‘H Street’
Alex Coulton – ‘War Games’
Asusu – ‘Velez’
Livity Sound – ‘End Point’
Furesshu – ‘The Words You Spoke’
Gene Hunt & Ron Hardy – ‘US Studio’
Drexciya – ‘Journey Home’
Dasus – ‘Beware Of Virgo’
Aksak Maboul – ‘Scratch Holiday’
Philip Glass – ‘Ange Des Orages’
Hyetal – ‘Jam The Network’
