Hermetics Techgnosis EP R&S Records | The Electro Review

Hermetics
Techgnosis EP
R&S Records
TBR: 7th December


Based in Buenos Aires, the Hermetics project is administered by Columbian sound technician Santiago Niño. Since moving from Bogota, and releasing a wave of experimental and psychological techno and electronic music, Santiago has been snapped up by R&S to work on his latest musical project. Since releasing the debut Hermetics track Collider, things unfortunately took a slump. Like many musicians when starting out, expenses became too large an issue. Santiago had to sell his professional studio, leaving him with only a laptop and a few bits of home kit to work with. Knowing that a great craftsman cannot blame their tools, Hermetics set out to create something anyway. With the help of R&S, and his technological wizardry, Techgnosis EP surfaces like a hurricane from seemingly calm skies.


Deep and throbby bass notes peel open the initial number. Non-Physical Friend begins with a juicy rhythm that takes us by the shoulders. It steps in a square pattern around in a pulsating loop and then it's filled with a string synth marking the bar with each turn. More notes and sounds enter the listening zone, and soon the rhythm is built up into a steady and continuous sled-ride of passing percussion. Vocal expressions with homogeneous drumming relax into a flow which then allows a melody to enter from one side and gradually spill into the middle. It's got an ethnic sensation in the tuning, what-ever scale is being used delicately fits over the progressive beats like a figure hugging shawl. Spongy sounds begin to bounce in the backbeat, sliding through the long grass into the foreground gently, providing yet more energy to the frothing mixture of timings and tune.


For the next track, a crackled distortion warms up a steady but staggered kick drum. It builds into a steady flow while a revolving clicking slap keeps a higher sense of time above the slurry. A psychedelic atmosphere weaves in through the spaces as a sonar style beat glows in the undergrowth. It's quickly added to by more beats with a quicker pace, filling in the missing pieces. Sonic drops with frantic drumming allow Axis Mundi to quickly progress into a channel for high energy dancing. This floor filling number shows us why Hermetics can be fun as well as intelligent. Swerving inflections on the tones and effects within them give a swirling and driving feel to this quick stepping and catchy mix.


What's considered the Silver Side on the Vinyl release begins with track three. Much like the previous Black Side, more interesting and thought-out electronic rhythms make the scene. This time it starts with a slower and mechanical sounding rhythm. It's as if some greasy machine with computerised parts is churning out self-similar clumps of compressed sound. An angelic chime cuts in through the grimy backbeat to bring out a glowing light at the top of the room. Everything grows in pressure and density, tones begin to coalesce and sonic amalgams progress into further changes in output. Special Access Programs is a slower and dreamy track, chilled-out sounds drift around the constant rhythm set by the underlying mechanics.


Final track is Sonnenrad. It starts with a new found energy in the form of a quicker rhythm. A bass drum pounds in regular bursts while crackling and clapping sounds make a rolling drum effect in the background. Quick stepping left-right marching sounds enter around a minute in, and it brings out a whole new dimension to the track. An insistent sensation of carrying on through thick weather and dry days gives this a human and familiar feel. A sonic “Hey” shouts over the sound, and helps the music cut down into its formulative parts. Sludgy bass grinds underneath which surges into earth rumbling shudders while the hiking rhythm above keeps on going through the ever changing surroundings.

Buy/pre-order Techgnosis by Hermetics from Bandcamp

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