Component by Stephen Hummel
"Six tracks shattering an hour’s worth of crunched rhythms, both dark and light... fractured drums, fuzzy synths, and percussive glitch from the outer realms... tracks expand and contract to form visceral electronic mayhem..."
- Igloo Magazine
Gritty, crunchy, Electro-infused IDM. Analogue synths and a drum machine put through a granular meat grinder.
This is the most full on Braindance / IDM music I have ever made. My early subtractiveLAD albums leaned very heavily into the IDM realm and I have dipped in and out of the style, here and there, over the years.
With Component, I wanted to try some new things and see where I could push the granular editing and mixing stuff. It's a pretty in-your-face album... a little relentless, with no real moments to catch your breath. There is still a strong melodic sensibility in these tracks, however, and a hands-on feel in the rhythms. My approach was to find a balance between the emotional punch of melody and groove, with the complex technical work in the editing / mixing.
While working on this album, it struck me how this music is a kind of *cyborg* music. This kind of music could never be made without machines and computers at the front and center of the creative process... but these machines were always controlled by human hands and a human mind. You will find that the track titles reflect this theme.
This music is good for those moments in life when you want to reorganize things with heavy machinery, or look back on past mistakes with a flamethrower, or even look into the future with an open heart made of wires and batteries.
Recorded, mixed and mastered at 24 bit / 96 kHz for your high resolution pleasure.
Tracklist
| 1. | With Both Hands | 8:08 |
| 2. | Positronic | 9:13 |
| 3. | Nonbinary Machine | 8:56 |
| 4. | Viscera | 8:52 |
| 5. | Motor Reflex | 10:21 |
| 6. | Automaton | 8:24 |
Credits
Composed, performed, recorded, mixed and mastered by Stephen Hummel.
License
All rights reserved.
Music has always been a central part of my life. Over the years, as I have developed as an artist, my music has become the primary filter through which I process my experiences and emotions. My creative approach is to use the recording studio as an instrument of expression - to use technology as an extension of physical performance. Improvisation is always a core part of my creative process.