Blac Kolor
Awakening
Buckle up for an album that combines a wide range of IDM-style facets with the physical impact of EBM and the elegance of techno: "Awakening" is a 14-track exploration of this spectrum, an invitation to immerse yourself in that strangely warm electronic sound oscillating between just vaguely and intensely rhythmic, between spacious and dense, between black and colourful. And when the vocals of Jean-Luc De Meyer of Front 242 fame hover above the title track, you know youre in for something timeless, dont you? For his third album, Leipzig-based producer Hendrick Grothe joins HANDS after having made himself quite a name over the past 5 years already. Active as a producer and DJ, Blac Kolor culls from the rich history and tradition of post-industrial music from when it embraced a plethora of predominantly rhythmic styles. Far exceeding the dark techno which has been going strong for years now, this album is a whole bouquet of styles: Menacing industrial drones ("In Blac", "Worlds Collapse", "No Answers"), shuffling downbeats ("Tears") and upfront club tunes ("Loneli- ness", "Fire God", "All of us") meet the halfstep beats and atmospheric pads of the single track "We are the darkness" or "Fall into Oblivion", EBM-ish sequences surface in the "Awakening" and "Nano Creator". Awakening is a multifaceted experience: Uneasy memories, uncertainty, listlessness - but at the same time new hope and light, the blank canvas of another day waiting for you to apply the colours and shades of your choice. Blac Kolor lets you have that choice!