Denmark-based electronic music powerhouse HEDO HYDR8’s absolute domination over the underground scene marches forward like an unstoppable stampede. With more and more of their tracks (including unreleased ones) finding a place at prominent DJ curations, powerful club appearances, and world-rearranging festival sets, the hunger for new HEDO HYDR8 material grows vicious.
And that hunger will be satisfied as a new adrenaline-rich EP arrives on the 6th of December. Bringing back the apocalyptic soundscapes we tasted in Identity Sampler II, HEDO HYDR8 lure us into a newly created haunting realm. With four utterly immersive edits using a powerful hip-hop foundation and the irresistible HEDO coating we love, the ride will be epic, dangerous, and rewarding. Take out your best rave outfits and get ready to fly, this is the Homage EP.
HEDO HYDR8’s existing repertoire is as genre-diverse and mood-dynamic as can be, yet their overtaking energy is impossible not to recognize even a mere few seconds into a track. From deeply immersive, well-paced buildups towards all-consuming trance and noise states, HEDO also wield sound in a way which causes crushing hardcore dance frenzies and glimpses of euphoric transcending.
The artist is the definition of untamable, with versatility perfectly reflected in every single release and festival set we have had the pleasure of indulging into.
As the next release steadily approaches, the doorway towards a dystopian, apocalypse-driven realm appears on the horizon. The Homage EP contains four tasteful reinventions of tracks by two well-recognized Danish hip-hop forces (Benny Jamz and Branco).
Artwork by Daniel Lindhold, master by CTRLS
Homage’s world-building begins with the Flytilstand edit (Benny Jamz), which paints the outlines of a dystopian universe with smooth and crisp but tense-driven opening tones and scattered vocal fragments.
Samples of gun loads and sirens reminisce of Adult Sorrow’s goosebumps-inducing terror as the dystopian atmosphere take a clearer shape and our bodies begin to move with the progressive beat escalation. A sense of controlled panic and an urge for mayhem quickly catch up with us as Benny Jamz’s verses flow seamlessly over HEDO’s beat foundation.
We are fully entrenched in the harrowing space as the beat suddenly intensifies and Benny’s vocals get hauntingly distorted. The climax is undoubtedly the 2.40 mark, which brings the energy to a boiling point with razor-sharp kicks and a maddening bass-heavy drop.
The track ends with a slowed reverb meltdown, coating our bodies like melted lead and trapping us into HEDO’s hypnotic post-apocalyptic world.
The suspense and feasible tension dawn over us harder in the next edit, which utilizes Branco’s Deebo as a pulsating core. A quietly lurking trippy beat with the thumping hi-hats crawls over our skin before Branco’s verse stomps over with a thunderous bang and no warning. What follows is an intense dance frenzy with outworldly bass drops perfectly synched with Branco’s pivoting flow.
The tempo keeps rising to a level of pure ecstasy before suddenly descending and bringing us down to the ground with one final hardcore drop flowing into a sequence reflecting our own heartbeats.
In the Hundo (Branco) edit, we are greeted by a much more mellow and smooth atmosphere – a tranquillity-focused oasis amidst the vicious chaos. Despite the subtler attitude, distorted instrumentals and beats flow into thorn-apart vocal layering, letting the wild energy and growing mayhem soak through the protective layer of the calm environment.
However, HEDO remains merciful – liquid and acid-focused beats shapeshift into progressive lo-fi-esque motives and moments of peace (a whole 25-second closing segment).
Homage ends with another Branco edit (Motivation Session), which lives up to its name and coherently transfers us back to the adrenaline-filled, energy-driven environment. A skin-crawling buildup with metallic coating and alluring glitch jumps transfers into ground-shaking drops as Branco’s verses enter with pique energy and radiate pure aggression and dominance.
More gun-load and siren samples appear before entering full-on bass-heavy insanity that drastically increases our heart rates. The euphoria is drum-driven, and jumping around is inevitable. If musical ecstasy exists, this is it.
Find HEDO HYDR8 on Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Spotify, Instagram, and Facebook
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