Hammer Ozone EP Modern Magic Records TBR: 5th October | The Electro Review

​Hammer
Ozone EP
Modern Magic Records
TBR: 5th October


Hammer has been making music for all kinds of labels, with works on Feel My Bicep, Optimo Music, Loft Records, and his home brewed Hammer Hits, this time Modern Magic gets the ticket. Side-stepping in flashy martial arts style impress hopping, maybe Hammer is looking for that home run. This has been a long stretch, now truly knitted into the culture, we may not know where Hammer will show up next but we know we can expect good music. It seems everyone wants a nail bashing in their back-catalogue by this workshop of wonderbeats. Hailing from Belfast in N. Ireland, the DJ and music producer lays down his entire skill-set to bring Ozone EP to life.


Title track Ozone begins on a snazzy drum riff with a quick tempo. Loose synths work their way through the progress in subtle shape-shifting oscillations. A rolling rhythm grants a sensation of forward motion. Soon, a melody on wailing bounce keys begins to create a rubbery texture in the sky, mental images of high flying structures scraping the edge of the atmosphere enter my thoughts. The sound breaks down and allows a bass tone to dig out a trench beneath us. A new drum breaks the surf on a thumping bass timing, and futuristic wavering scrapes underline the flow. Retrophiles will be in their element while listening to this.


Next up, a new upbeat rhythm pulls the curtain open and reveals a sunny sensation. Frantic hats with a revolving simple rhythm build to become a foundation for more bouncing synths. Exploratory melodics repeat a patter in various postures, tapping the rocks below to find the right place for the new material to pivot from. Progressive builds framed by sunny compositions on the keys allow doses of euphoria while subtle grounding elements keep our feet on the dance-floor. Interesting sounds fused from oriental inspired strings sprinkle a colour of the exotic over a space-age sounding volley into the airy ether. The Collision takes us past the initial gloomy introduction and into open skies.


Final track, Electric Fields, unifies the drum and synth for a pulse of new energy. Shakers reveal a sudden influx of rhythm as a new layer of percussion gives a whole new dimension. Sonic frolics sprinkle mentally invigorating phrases over the continually evolving carpet of the track. Jumpy synthesiser riffs build like sand castles over a bass and drum two step which can only mean lots of dancing. Expressive displays of waveform and well balanced stereo explorations dissolve into one homogeneous sound of electro. With a high energy feel and a funky element on the throbby bassline, the EP ends on a morish and highly requestable offering.


Check out Hammer on his Soundcloud playlist

Follow Hammer on Facebook

and Twitter