Just when you think you know what to expect from Hive Records, they�ve surprised us all. Tekniq has released it�s second album titled Shazbut! (yet another Simpsons reference) and its first on Hive. Why the surprise? This album is more mellow than any previous Hive release, actually, it�s more mellow than the last Tekniq album. With that said, this album still has a very strong presense.
Built with the soulfulness of DJ Shadow�s sampling skills and the engineering abilities of an Autechre release, this album deserves a listen even if it doesn�t end up ranking high on the EBM/Club charts. The album is all but instrumental, containing only a few vocal and sampled pieces manipulated to add just the right touch of strangeness. The main elements of Shazbut! are soft yet intricate rhythmic pieces built upon lush, melodic soundscapes perfect for earphone listening...at high volume.
The first track, �saint� is quite contagious as it wanders into the rest of the album. Much of the composition can be seen as sound experiments, expanding on the developments of previous tracks. The color tunes, �orange� and �red,� are excellent examples of this strategy, as well as �superfect� and �near perfect,� which are even in the same key.
Overall Shazbut! is definitely more diverse and rich sounding compared to compuglobalhypermeganet (the first album on fliesskoma). Heavily influenced by movie soundtrack work, Shazbut! maintains the attention of its listener with the details. Much like an intricately woven Hitchcock mystery, with each viewing/listen there is something new you catch that better explains the full story...or song. Using elements of dub, house, drum n� bass as well as ambient this album is pure melodic excellence. The album also contains a slightly darker remix or �rockstrongo� by displacer. For more information go to the Tekniq website or the Hive Records official site and do it quickly as this is a very limited release.
