V/A Hyperakusis III (CD Album – Audiophob)
Genre/Influences: IDM, techno-body, dark-ambient, experimental, cinematographic.
Background/Info: This compilation is the third chapter in the “Hyperakusis”-series set up by Audiophob. It also celebrates the 15th anniversary of the German label driven by Carsten Stiller (Alarmen) and Mirko Hentrich (Spherical Disrupted).
Artists: The Negativity Bias, Wesenberg, Mortaja, Spherical Disrupted, Darkrad, Alarmen, Mandelbrot.
Content: The sampler first of all stands for a nice sonic canvas from the label’s roster and the different music genres. From pure IDM to electro-ambient to techno-body music to darker, cinematographic plus ambient to a final tribal driven cut, the common element between all the artists is the sound intelligence.
+ + + : The album only features exclusive tracks and that’s a real positive point. I already mentioned the sound intelligence, which I think is the keyword to define Audiophob. The label is not releasing that many new productions, but quality is clearly more important for Carsten and Mirko than quantity. I especially want to mention a great opening piece in the purest IDM format by The Negativity Bias, Wesenberg on his best with an ambient/IDM track, the techno-body approach of Mortaja, the tribal style of Mandelbrot and the dark-astral sound travels by Spherical Disrupted, Darkrad and Alarmen.
– – – : There’s nothing to throw away on this sampler although there are two remixes, which aren’t exactly my favorite cuts.
Conclusion: This sampler simply confirms the great sound taste of Audiophob, which is a label I particularly appreciate and which gets my total support! This is the pure sound intelligence!
Best bands: The Negativity Bias, Wesenberg, Mortaja, Mandelbrot, Spherical Disrupted.
Rate: (8½).
Label: www.audiophob.de / www.facebook.com/audiophob
About Audiophob
Audiophob is a German label for industrial, dark ambient and IDM, founded in 2004 by Carsten Stiller, who also records as Alarmen, and Mirko Hentrich, who also records as Spherical Disrupted.
The label’s “Hyperakusis” compilation series began in 2008, continued with “Hyperakusis II” in 2014, and reached “Hyperakusis III” in 2019 to mark Audiophob’s 15th anniversary, gathering exclusive tracks from acts including The Negativity Bias, Wesenberg, Mortaja, Darkrad, Mandelbrot, Alarmen and Spherical Disrupted.
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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.
