HEX BREAKER QUARTET"Method for Astral Amelioration"(Dokuro)

This New York based ambient drone trio (yes, trio) slowly crescendos as each individual player adds a well mixed layer to the previous player's opening. Each layer has a separate focus; some are clean, sharp and major scale in relation to the other almost atonal drawn out pulses. Played in major key, it harmoniously transcends while remaining robotically cold.

Side B, "Reveal Cosmic Light", is similar in drone but introduces what sounds like an alto saxophone player or a trumpet player who can melodically and beautifully improvise over the heartbeat pulsations of delayed and modulated electronics. He takes a solo early on and then brilliantly underplays amongst the luminescent, cerebral signals of the noise.

Sounds like a sci-fi movie soundtrack or loosely inspired by the early luminaries of synthesizer; Ray Lynch, Kraftwerk, Vangelis at his most Blade Runner ... very well executed, perfect and ready to be the totally sweet noise quartet at your next art opening or hyper trippy beach house birthday party. High honors for this cassette!

Also check out Cassette put out by NNA TAPES - http://nnatapes.com/available-releases/hex-breaker-quintet-riders-c40/ - That's pretty good too.

About 20 minutes
www.soundcloud.com/hexbreaker

-- Jack Turbbull
www.jackturnbull.com

HEX BREAKER QUARTET "Chemical Angel" & "Crowned And Conquering Child" (True Color Of Venus)

Grasshopper and Telecult Powers are two of the most high quality acts in New York's glamorous and cocaine fueled drone scene. Wait... let me start over. Grasshopper features two of the most in demand flugelhornists on today's light-classical scene and Telecult powers meet yearly at Bohemian Grove and drink virgin's blood. That's more like it, wait not quite...

Grasshopper and Telecult Powers, both formidable space travelers in their own right, become far more powerful than you could ever imagine under the combined Hex Breaker moniker. The seldom scene Quintet version of the group comprises the trumpets and electronics Grasshopper duo of Jesse DeRosa and Josh Millrod and the synths of Telecult Powers Mr. Matthews and Witchbeam. The more common configuration of this group, (the Quartet, which performs and records as a trio without Witchbeam) is the one found on this absolutely outstanding pair of tapes released on Mr. Matthews' True Color Of Venus label. Wait a second, "Quartet? Three member?" you say? Dig this: the fourth member is a fucking ghost. Just sit back and take that in!

What really sets these guys apart from the pack (besides their downright human decency and good hygiene) is the focused group dynamics and lack of overplaying. Yeah sure, one guy or gal could make this music with the aid of ample technology, but these boys keep it simple and work together to create something astonishingly beautiful (remember "bands", yeah they still exist). Matthews uses his homemade equipment to lay down the synth based bed on which the two horn players rest. Millrod generally plays beautiful "trumpet sounding" trumpet with a light echo effect and De Rosa plays the EVI, which is a high-tech electronic trumpet that sounds more like a synth.

Hex Breaker Quartet deals in subtlety and serenity and it's the highly methodical strain in their work that really makes them an essential group in my book. Maybe it's the fact that two of these guys are making the music with their lungs and the other is using instruments he built by hand that make the group sound so organic. But mark my words, this is a living breathing world that is worthy of repeated visitations.

The Quintet has a tape coming up soon on NNA, so stay tuned.

Buy a tape: mister.matthews@gmail.com
Audio samples here: http://soundcloud.com/hexbreaker
New Telecult and Grasshopper LPs here: http://thebakeryfloor.com/bt/

WIZARD AMPS "Ice Guitar" C40 (Baked Tapes)

Great drone from the Grasshopper dudes, Jesse DeRosa and Josh Milrod, plus Slaser Risk shredder Andy Borsz playing what I believe to be heavily processed guitars and keys. They told me this was a "blues" tape, but aside from a moment or two that recalls a half second of a guitar lick on cough syrup, I fail to see the connection. That being said, this is the best "blues" tape I've heard in awhile. If you've ever found it hard to write about drone music then you'll understand why I ain't exactly putting out the adjectives. But trust, this is good. These guys totally wowed me the other weekend with an intensely beauteous trumpet/electronics trio set as Hex Breaker Quartet with Telecut Powers/High School Confidential mastermind Mr. Matthews in tow. Doesn't seem like the Baked Tapes site has been updated of late, but you can contact Mr. Jesse at bakedtapes@gmail to procure this and other fine releases. The new Tiger Hatchery tape is pretty hot too.