Hoedus - Echoes Of The Unseen
The deeper side of techno has always incorporated heavy psychedelic themes that disorientate dances and induce translated states of consciousness. While this is all good, the genre becomes pretty derivative at points as ideas are repeated ad nauseam. Most artists will pick up a synthesiser and experiment with bleeps and bloops, eventually getting quite serviceable grooves, but unfortunately, not extracting the crucial human element to affect an audience. The latest offering from Hoedus, titled Echoes Of The Unseen (2024), is a stellar example of how sound design is a crucial component in dance music, especially in deeper variations.
Hoedus manages to saturate most of his EP with a rich, visceral and animalistic sound. His bass composition compounds springy sounds with guttural rumblings that effectively mimic the sounds of animals, a folk tradition in areas like the jungle or the outback. The track 'Abyss' gives the impression that bullfrogs are croaking at ever-increasing intensities as if the rainforest is filling with noise. 'I'll be there for you' also scratches the same itch with a driving low end, as do the little synthesised nods to sound recreation from the Amazon. There are flashes of kookaburra and howler monkeys. The backdrop adds a trippy effect, like being lost in the woods in the dark, hearing strange flora and fauna, and expecting some beast to emerge. The standout track, 'Black Echo', captures this dynamism and expands on its danceability. Its hedonism and hypnotism all rolled into one as Hoedus crafts a distinctly undiluted sound designed to shatter dancefloors. The bass rumbles like the guttural womps of didgeridoos. At the same time, tight kicks add raw power and funk buckets, trapping audiences in a triple pure energy that aims to welcome you back to nature. That's no easy feat, but it is a testament to the sound design, allowing the themes of distorted nature to find a way to permeate every track with a shocking level of consideration.
The final two tracks on the EP venture into the deeper territory and, in doing so, become outliers to the rest of the record. The thematic threads only partially connect from the first to the second half of the record, with the tracks' Bitter Lies' and digital exclusive 'Dissolving' taking a much more cosmic approach. Both still possess a lot of merit, but due to the strength of the first three tracks, they're at risk of being forgotten. The former uses syncopated kick patterns in combination with low and slow gurgles to produce something quite sinister. The closer doubles down, dragging us further and further into despair using a similar technique to 'Abyss', filling the track with noises. Echoes, bursts and pops flank crushingly heavy bass. Together, these elements impart a lot of mood, and it sounds like the spaceship's exterior is splintering into a neutron star. Ultimately, what Hoedus crafts here is a stunning EP in two halves. Seeing an artist take more inspiration from our world and gently nestle into a genre that relies on astral sounds is refreshing.
Tracklist:
Black Echo
I’ll Be The For You
Abyss
Bitter Lies
Dissolving
Label: Non Series (2024)
Hoedus - Echoes Of The Unseen