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Writer's pictureSteve Duncan

74 - HTRK


Melbourne duo HTRK (Nigel Yang & Jonnine Standish) have a well-storied history reaching back nearly two decades. From a back-catalogue comprising of significant releases on imprints like Ghostly International, Mistletone and Boomkat Editions, collaborations with luminaries such as Mika Vainio, Rowland S. Howard & Ben Frost, and appearances at numerous key events around the globe (including the legendary Berlin Atonal festival, Krakow's Unsound and Vivid at the Sydney Opera House), their impact on a vast array of listeners and scenes is indelible and difficult to overstate.

As a two-piece band, their melancholic, sensual music lies roughly at the intersection of post-punk, no-wave, shoegaze and art-rock, with influences from IDM, industrial, noise, dub-techno, pop and beyond. Indeed, it is this eclectic palette, combined with deep knowledge and curiosity that has recently seen them contribute a captivating ambient score for Jeffrey Peixoto's documentary "Over the Rainbow" and regularly deliver genre-defying mixes on platforms like Secret Thirteen and NTS.

A starting theme and departure point for HTRK's Patterns of Perception 74 is the ocean. This intricately assembled collection of music finds a natural ebb and flow amongst rich, organic synths and delicate abstract melodies. Building from a slow and introspective beginning, the duo intuitively and carefully guide the narrative to also incorporate gentle energy and a sense of strangeness. Viewed holistically, this mix is invigorating and luxuriously diverse, with a true chameleonic quality that allows the listener to take something different from every listen.

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