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¥764 somatic responses. digital darkness. cd. february2k8

tracklist:

download pressrelease.pdf

a new sign of life from wales - john and paul healy, well-known as somatic responses produced a new fulltime masterpiece of electronic sound wizzardry. almost two years have passed since giauzar and it
seems the brothers used their time not only for the explorations of new tonal and atonal scapes, they also went for a re-analysis of their roots.the digital darkness described here is a dry, drawn out universe of
distorted chromatic basses, straightened heavy beats and swirling filter pulses, establishing ties from the times when the tb-303 took over technoid music up to the nineties where speed increased and
rhythms became dodgier. stylistic classifications were never somatic responses' aim, nevertheless, digital darkness might be rated as one of their most straight-lined works since years - f.e. you never heard s.r.
as speedy as they are on the title track or 'reset the world'. their typical ingredients like unique strings usage are still present ('stranded'), the enrichment with some blasts from the past makes digital darkness a mixture which will kick your eardrums in.

a review in russian language can be found on the machinist's website:
http://www.machinistmusic.net/reviews/somaticresponsescd2008.html

gothtronic
http://www.gothtronic.com/?page=23&reviews=4670
almost two years after their last album somatic responses strikes again with “digital darkness”. the album consists of 15 brand new tracks which perfectly fit with the title of the album.  what immediately becomes clear when you start listening to the album is that this is not a groundbreaking trip into the unexplored regions of music or some other so called renewed take on industrial music. nothing of that, instead the two brothers from wales make a welcome return to where it all started, the roots of electronic underground music. from cowbells and heavy 303 bass lines to straight rhythms and dry snares, all ingredients that made up the electronic music of yesterday are present. no overly complex beats and structures or overdone digital edits. does that mean it also sounds aged? well yes, but in a rather positive sense. overall most of the tracks have a really oldschool vibe but with the quality of today’s standards and off course some unmistakable somatic responses ingredients. this makes for an interesting mix and, in contrary to what you might expect, a refreshing album. the end result still heavily depends on how much you are used to today’s music with all its digital editing and processing. within the bulk of new electronic music with insane details and always increasing complexity “digital darkness” may come of as a bit dry and bland on the first time. further listening however can reveal a much richer and exiting experience as you are drawn into the album and “listening to” transforms into “feeling” the sound. a refreshing sidestep back to the roots of an act that has since remained a constant factor in underground electronic music. (niels)

cuemix
http://www.cuemix-magazine.com/cuemix/inhalt.php?image=715
digital darkness! they couldn’t find any better title for this beautiful album. somatic responses are magicians, like no one else they are able to create tracks that “look beautiful” like a rose and have a scary background like straight out of hell. this album is amazing, it is accessible but not dull, and it combines classic analogue instruments citation’s with modern sounds. the mood of each track is so deep and multilayered, that you will fall deeper and deeper into a  hidden world of sound. right from the start with the great opening track “duality” this album owns energy without a pause, but its not this straight in your face sound its intelligent handled energy like walking a marathon. it’s disturbing and fun to listen to this album. it’s more technoid and danceable compared to its antecessor, but somatic responses doesn’t lost nothing of their typical attitude and sound with this step. this album is a landmark and a wonderful bittersweet journey into a beautiful hell of bits and bytes. great! 100% approvable..

connexion bizarre
http://www.connexionbizarre.net/reviews/r_somaticresponses_dd.htm
"digital darkness" is the newest chapter in the healy brothers legacy and their fifth full-length release for the well-respected hymen records. while known for their selected brand of stabbing, dark idm and furious drum 'n bass collages, somatic responses take their formula one step backwards this time by adding a variety of squelching 303-style acid tweaking and marginal vocal samples to their recipe. tempos run high here, spewing forth fifteen neurotic and maddening tracks of glitch-laden, headache-inducing, face-slapping aural onslaughts driven by layer after layer of disconcerting vintage synthlines and brain-battering beat work. though many intriguing sounds are present throughout the album, it may be challenging for some listeners to distinguish one bewildering track from the next. while the arrangements are tight and the programming complex, "digital darkness" reveals no apparent direction and ultimately comes off as a festering mass of volatile insolence, settling in comfortably as an unadorned novelty that only current somatic responses enthusiasts could appreciate. laced with varying degrees of sparse originality, this release lacks any sort of objective or viable substance, and should be regarded as such. when it all boils down and the last spurt of clamor finally flutters away, "digital darkness" is merely a sonic mugging, disguised as empty innovation, by drunken machines behaving badly. the intention behind this mishmash of exhaustive noise archetypes may be difficult to surmise for those not familiar with somatic responses' style, however existing fans should find a meaty assortment of din delicacies to ingest here. (paul nielsen)

de:bug
http://www.de-bug.de/reviews/33199.html
immer gut, von den beiden walisern neue musik zu hören. gerade, wenn es eine derartige oldschool-attacke ist. die beiden brüder haben schon so ziemlich jeden stil der elektronischen musik durchexerziert, so lange es dark war, ging alles. gabba, hardcore, elektronika, ambient. und jetzt diese obskure mischung aus sehr erwachsenem sounddesign und der puren kraft der 303 im vordergrund. und alte breaks, und gabba-bassdrums. das ist immer cool, wenn sie sich selbst im zaum halten. wenn es aber zu arg techsteppig wird, denk ich immer an panacea und dann bin ich raus.

black
die somatix sind mal wieder in sich gegangen. besser gesagt an ihre wurzeln: im metallischen rhythmusgewitter verbraten sie viel klangmaterial auf acid- und electro-nostalgie. die beats rattern nicht mehr unbedingt mit 200 bpm um die kurve, sondern lassen auch mal im midtempo die funkige sau raus, oder setzen gleich ganz auf jungle-beats. leider bleibt es alles etwas ohne eigenen charakter. dieser dunkle, sehr eigene klang der alben um die jahrtausendwende ist einer geschliffenen high-tech-ästhetik gewichen, die nicht mehr so originell klingt wie anno dazumal. schade, leider nur solide. (till)

chain d.l.k.
http://www.chaindlk.com/reviews/?id=4423.%3cbr
another act with a quite good name finally returns on the train of the hymen label, somatic responses, the dual project of the brothers john and paul healy. they’ve been always thrown into that experimental/idm-related music genre, so there wasn’t any real reason to change this. they still produce heavy and unusual beat constructions, experimental filter, effect manipulations and a globally ruling nervousness recognizable in nearly every track. fans of layered synth pads or at least a little melodic input will be heavily disappointed with this new 77 minutes long album. though they are picking up some traditionally ideas like the use of a tb-303 as being a main bass line synth, the problem with this release belongs on the overwhelming use of difficult to check and dance to rhythm section. breakbeat, clicks’n’dub and a doze of rough distortion destroy almost everything what could place something in like a mood. two rather down-tempo like tunes with “stranded” and “neu” have to be picked out as a proof, that the brothers healy have a sense for the right mixture. but generally only 2 convincing tracks out of 15 of a hammering ice-desert isn’t a fair amount. (marc tater)

vital weekly 631
since i first time fell into the sounds of irish project somatic responses on hymen records' teknoir-compilation (1999), the style of the two brothers, john and paul healy has fascinated me. the first albums had a sort-of futuristic atmosphere with almost emotional interventions in-between. on this fifth cd-release since the debut-album "circumflex" (1999), somatic responses has taken the full step into, as they call it themselves, "digital darkness". hardly any melody to disrupt the ongoing machine of complex rhythm textures or the cynic technoid steelscapes, though a few tracks ("invincible", "go on" and "bushido") includes emotional atmospheres showing that dark age of digitalism is not exclusively harsh and cold, but also has some sort emotional aspect inside. another great work by somatic responses. (nm)

axess code:
http://www.axesscode.com/mindphaser/viewtopic.php?p=376907#376907
c'est avec plaisir que l'on retrouve somatic responses pour de nouvelles aventures. la recette on l'a connaît, des rythmiques complexes sur lesquelles surfent des gimmiques analogiques implacables. l'unité de l'album, la cohérence des sons, l'énergie qui se dégage des rythmiques fait penser à une performance live lors d'une free party dans la campagne galloise. les frères healy sont de retour pour secouer vos carcasses ankylosées à l'aide de breaks endiablés et de montées acides pour chauffer à blanc un dancefloor martial. le titre de l'album, digital darkness, me paraît particulièrement mal choisi puisqu'il ne reflète en rien la forte empreinte analogique et le côté festif, même si on danse au milieu des ruines d'exploitations minières désaffectées.

somatic responses discography on hymen records 02.2008:
circumflex. cd. ¥705. 1999
revula. lp, ¥018. 1999
augmented lines. cd / lp. ¥713 / ¥030. 2001
touching the void. cd / lp. ¥723 / ¥039. 2002
pounded mass. cd / lp. ¥741 / ¥048. 2005
giauzar ep. 12". ¥053. 2006
digital darkness. cd. ¥764. 2008
please take a look at the s.r. website for a full discography.

somatic responses webpage:
http://somatics.c8.com
www.myspace.com/somaticresponses