A highlight this year has been A Headspace In Time, an EP released in May by Mass Density Human aka Mark Hastings.
Four tracks and twenty minutes of synth washed soundscapes that reveal something new on each listen. I've included the opening and closing tracks, Josie's Buzz and A Walk To Clear The Head, to top and tail today's post but all four are worth your time and money.
The EP is available on the Higher Love Recordings label, run by Balearic Ultras, and the place that I first heard Mass Density Human, via the superb Higher Love Vol. 2 in the summer of 2022.
Emulate is twelve minutes and twenty one seconds of pulsing, soothing electronics and a perfect way to wrap up the compilation, an absolute bargain for five quid on Bandcamp.
Not one to miss a trick, Emulate was also the closing track on Mass Density Human's debut album in 2023, Are We Nearly There Yet? (surely a tribute to this similarly named and similarly excellent music blog).
Another bargain for a fiver, the ten other tracks on Are We Nearly There Yet? are up to the challenge of matching the quality of Emulate. The album opens with the wonderfully titled Considerate Ninja, which Dr Rob at Ban Ban Ton Ton described at the time thus:
"Imagine This Mortal Coil moving to a fidgeting electro rhythm.
A slow warmth growing, glowing in the shape of warped synth chords."
Which says it all and pretty much knocks any review of a song I've posted into a cocked hat.
Jumping labels briefly to France and Citizens Of Vice, 2022 saw the release of the As The Crow Flies EP by Coyote. I've come to appreciate the quality of their music in the past couple of years and this EP is a prime example.
Two original cuts, the title track and Steely Dad, a couple of remixes by Chris Coco and Secret Soul Society and then this beauty from Mass Density Human to close.
A steal at 3 Euro for the lot, to be honest, but the latter is available as a standalone name your price purchase.
Another track which first saw the light of day on the Higher Love Vol. 2 compilation is Our Patagonian Friends by Puerto Montt City Orchestra. Last year saw the release of a remix EP, which again closed with a stunning rework from Mass Density Human, the aptly named 'Moody Mate' remix adding a darker, menacing edge to the original's up, up, upbeat vibe. Nearly ten minutes that will have you jabbing for the repeat button at the end.
The Rhodes to the Moon EP was an early release on Alan Dixon's label Love Attack. The title track is available in two (re)mixes, prefaced by two originals, Who Can Tell and Too Cute. The latter is thankfully more of a sonic warm hug than a sickly bowl of syrup. Coming to the EP after having heard Mass Density Human's later music first, it's fascinating to hear how fully formed Mark's vision has been from the outset. There's a clear evolution, but Mass Density Human had found it's character and identity from the start.
...which is reinforced by the even earlier release, the Out & Back EP from 2020. The music's origins in the COVID lockdown capture that yearning for the freedom to move, to gather, to dance. Three songs, each available in two mixes, I've picked the 'Vague Recollection Mix' of Memories Of A Time.
Evocative of 90s club music, there is an added nuance and resonance as the EP itself now evokes it's own memories of a very different time and place.
After all that, A Walk To Clear The Head will do us all some good. Back then to Mass Density Human's A Headspace In Time EP for this wistful wander through the mind. Although the music was released in May, with the promise of summer to come, I can confidently say that it works just as well on a cold, wet wintry November day.
The final Bandcamp Friday of 2024 lands on 6th December. Share the (Higher) Love by putting some Mass Density Human in your shopping bag.
Great post Khayem. Mass Density Human is already on my shopping list for Bandcamp Friday
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