V/A Forms Of Hands 22 (Album – Hands)

Genre/Influences: Industrial, Industrial-Techno, Rhythmic-Noise, IDM.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: “Forms Of Hands” became a familiar compilation from the Dortmunder (Germany) based label Hands. Every year the label organizes a ‘family-festival’ featuring a list of bands from their roster. After the festival we always get a fine selection of bands which played at the festival featuring exclusive tracks for the compilation. Fourteen projects have been selected for 22-edition.
Artists: Strobo Lolita, Shrouds, Cervello Elettronico, MS Gentur, Greyhound, Nullvektor, Orphx, Sans-Fin, Phasenmensch + Antoine Saint-Martin, Monya, 16Pad Noise Terrorist, Maschinenkrieger KR52, Mono No Aware, Ah Cama-Sotz.
Content: The compilation reveals familiar names featuring renowned projects from the ‘wider Industrial fields’ next to upcoming talents. But the sampler is also an opportunity to discover the sound of Hands; from good-old Rhythmic-Noise and harsh Industrial music mixed with extra influences like D’N’B and techno to more sophisticated compositions touching ground with IDM.
+ + + : Hands remains one of the ‘oldest’ and still leading labels from the Industrial fields. Old servants like Ah Cama-Sotz, Greyhound and Mono No Aware but also Maschinenkrieger KR52, MS Gentur, Nullvektor, 16Pad Noise Terrorist and the intelligent Industrial sound of Cervelllo Elettronico and Orphx will bring you power and joy. My personal favorites are Ah Cama-Sotz for its Technoid orientation revealing an artist who remains in constant progress and Maschinekrieger KR52 for its surprising Minimal/Techno-Industrial cut. Orphx remains another great and visionary formation revealing a Techno/EBM cut with Industrial elements on top. Other attention grabbers are Sans-Fin with a Technoid approach as well but also harsher cuts from Shrouds, Greyhound and the more Techno-Industrial MS Gentur. This compilation remains a must-have for all the exclusive cuts.
– – – : Still a great compilation, but from a very personal point of view not my favorite one from the impressive list which started in 2001.
Conclusion: This label compilation remains a great addition and souvenir to the festival night. Industrial rules!
Best bands: Maschinekrieger KR52, Ah-Cama-Sotz, Orphx, Sans-Fin, Nullvektor, MS Gentur, Greyhound, Cervello Elettronico, Strobo Lolita
Rate: 8.
Label: www.handsproductions.com / www.facebook.com/hands.official
About Hands
Hands is an electronic music and art label founded in 1990. The label organizes an annual Forms Of Hands family festival at which acts from its roster perform, with a compilation released afterward featuring exclusive tracks from the participating projects. The compilation series began in 2001 and is one of the longest-running annual industrial compilation series. The 22nd edition brings together fourteen projects from the label’s roster, including Ah Cama-Sotz, Mono No Aware, Sans-Fin, Shrouds, Orphx, Greyhound and Maschinenkrieger KR52.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

