harmoniousdiscord

As the frost settles over sleepy landscapes and another successful year rounds to a close we present our yearly dose of shades to come with a nine track sampler featuring artists that will pepper the HD discog in the year to come. As with every DD sampler, we strive to introduce you to the artists and sounds we feel will be the defining projects of 2012. We couldn’t be happier with the range of emotive experiences chosen for this year’s sampler from avant-techno soundscapes to depth ridden house concoctions to the darkest waves of techno.

Discordian Dreaming 5

1. Wirik – 2050
2. John Walker – After the Storm
3. Vital – Trap Door
4. Ivan Dbri – Creme de’ Nuit
5. Daniel Allen – Weird Headspace
6. Driip – Lure
7. Allen MD – I Don’t Remember
8. Elevotion – Pitchbender
9. Smight – Empty Bottle

Purchase: http://www.beatport.com/release/discordian-dreaming-5/852524

Preview: http://soundcloud.com/harmonious-discord/discordian-dreaming-5-mixed-by

Wirik starts our compilation with a space techno deep dive into his trademark world of cinematic textures. Dub-Techno elements gives this selection a classic feel with a twist of new technology. John Walker returns to HD with chugging heater perfectly set for the dancefloors. This house burner is propelled by bumping bass and syncopated pads. Following in suit Vital shows off his house music skills. Vital first appeared on the label in our last release with a killer drum and bass rework of “So Fell the Orbit”. This contribution shows he is no one trick pony with a dance-floor destroyer called “Trap Door”. Retaining the deepness but adding a bit of classic techno propulsion Ivan Dbri showcases his rush hour remminent dancefloor tool with building tension and a beautiful resolve. A turn down darker corners transitions the listener into our next shade with works by Daniel Allen, DRK, Allen MD, and Driip. Mostly new comers to the label these three tracks all have an off centered vibe that wisps listeners out of their comfort zones and exposes the richest abscesses of the human psyche. This is a perfect taste of some of the dimmer flavors being showcased in the following year. Discordian veteran Elevotion brings his tom-driven powerhouse jams to the table with a heaping dose of face melting dance music. Rich with automation and character; “Pitchbender” will be a crate staple for touring jet setters. We close this years compilation with a living legend returning to HD. Smight was a heavy player in the progressive house scene cira 2004 with tracks and remixes featured on global mix cd’s and compilations alike. After a lengthy hiatus Smight is back with a new style that blends the best of both worlds.

As fall calms the nerves and prepares the hibernational music hoarders for a long cold spell of earphone engagement, Harmonious Discord gears up for its most promising winter to date. The first in this series comes to us from label founder and analog synthesizer addict Sean Anderson aka PointBender. Following the recent success with releases on Thoughtless and Blaq this space techno magician offers up a sharp dose of melody driven tech-house. Peppered with a cast of innovative techno savants, the so fell the orbit project offers a tale of space travel with stylish re-works by Noah Pred, KiloWatts, Symbio, and Vital.

HD028 PointBender – So Fell the Orbit

1. Original

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2. KiloWatts Anti-gravity Mix

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3. Noah Pred’s Elliptical Dub

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4. Noah Pred’s Gravity Colapse Mix

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5. Symbio’s Lateral Dub

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6. Vital Remix

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Purchase: CLICK HERE

The original is a tom driven big-room invitation to orbit with thick cascading syncopated elements filling up the spectral field. The introduction of a pad progression and various assortments of FX flare propel this song into full blown musical composition complete with the introduction of a killer SAW bassline that permeates the earlobes. Noah Pred of Thoughtless Music provides a pair of remixes for the EP, giving it some marquee recognition. The “Elliptical Dub” remix is a dub study adhering to the formula of the original, focused more on refinement of sound and focus rather than re-invention. One thing that can be counted on with any music from Pred is that it will sound big, distinct, and clean. His mix of warped 303 bass lines and clicky minimal noise on this remix is a refined, sophisticated version of the original elements, fine tuned to perfection. The second remix, “Gravity Collapse”, rearranges the rhythmic elements for something more tribal, while dialing back the bass, allowing the melodic pieces from the previous dub version emerge. The sleepy vibe and relentless beats make this version the most dance floor appropriate on single that reaches far and wide, often times succeeding. Secondly, but by no means a selection to be glossed over is HD favorite KiloWatts. His remix offers a chunky slice of techno-influenced sci-fi dubstep. KiloWatts can work in many styles but seems to be most at home when he is channeling mother ship landings and A.I. takeovers into his music. On this remix, he doesn’t skimp on any of that, creating a total makeover of the original. Out of that re-imagining springs a lasting track that crosses many genres along the way. 530Techno front-man and thought provoking mentalist Symbio is introduced to the label via a stripped techno-roots remix. This Lateral Dub focuses on subversive elements of the original brought to the forefront and driven with tension to a dark industrial-earth resolve. A first for the HD label, we end our remix with the first ever Drum and Bass contribution to the label. Vital (A local Dallas,TX producer) has transformed the original into a vibe-rich, commercially consumable selection that shows the power the original elements have when showcased in a genre that defies limitation.

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

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.

Harmonious Discord is proud to introduce the newest member of the HD family from the depths of rural Texas, Travis Cagle aka Plastic Pope.  Southern Texas is a mecca for offbeat psychedelic projects with a rich history of outdoor events and festivals.  It is during these events you can hear the entire spectrum of electronic and acoustic music represented and a clear, deep focus on it’s traditional dissonance.  It is this experimental landscape that first showcased the unique sounds of this quirk pioneer.  When we first heard his music it was clear he was drawing on a wide array of influences including techno, dub and house all complimented by sprinkles of funk and glitch.  We hope this is only one of many projects with the synthetic savior over the next few years.

Harmonious Discord 026 Plastic Pope – Qukq

1. Skunk Drunk

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2. Qukq

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3. Qukq (JDN Remix)

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4. Qukq (Vegenaut Remix)

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5. Cancion de Calle

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As a child, Plastic Pope suffered from an affliction known as This-Catchy-Beat-Is-Stuck-In-My-Head-Arrghh-itis, causing obnoxious hand drumming, idiotic public head bobbing, and fitful insomnia, leading to develope a love for quirky baselines and chunky rhythms that inspire both the brain and body to dance. A stint in Detroit found him playing with a 303 clone and a drum machine, and Plastic Pope was born. His tunes mix his penchant for glitchy funk with a healthy respect for his acid house roots. His latest single for the Harmonious Discord label starts with “Skunk Drunk” featuring inebriated synth accents and off center FX placement leading into a jam session of Latin drum elements and glitched-out automation. “Qukq” increases the energy with a proper techno drum workout and sub-bass interplay. Offering up a smooth west coast interpretation is HD artist JDN. This rework focuses on subtle elements of the original with a supreme focus on swing and depth. Back in the rotation is Vegenaut with a spiced up space-funk rehash that provides a pleasant deep bass revisit. Plastic Pope wraps up the single with a stutter-pop latin-influenced track mixing elements of techno and breakbeat titled “Cancion de Calle.”