Harmonic 313 - When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence Review

Harmonic 313 When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence

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Tracklist:
1 Dirtbox
2 Cyclotron
3 No Way Out
4 Music Substitute System
5 Köln
6 Galag-A
7 Word Problems
8 Battlestar (feat. Phat Kat & Elzhi)
9 Cyclotron C64 Sid
10 Call to Arms
11 Flaash
12 Don't Panic
13 Falling Away
14 When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence
15 Quadrant 3

Release Date: 02/09/2009

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3.5
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Cam STAFF (65 Reviews)

2009-05-23 | 10 comments | 1,474 views

Summary: Despite being slightly uniform, Harmonic 313 is a mostly satisfying return of one of electonica's most valued maestros.

Mark Pritchard is notable for his prolific body of work, releasing music on numerous nom de plumes over the years as well as participating in countless collaborations. However, nothing truly substantial has emerged from Pritchard’s most recent work; nothing has emerged that could compare to the monumental achievements he made with his most successful project, being the influential ambient-house act Global Communication.

Until now: with Harmonic 313, Pritchard’s finally gotten over the daunting hump that Global Communication’s success presented. He manages this by variation: When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence barely resembles anything Pritchard created with his previous acts, but this is an odd positive for the English artist, as it truly separates himself from his past demons.

His new work also proves that this dormant period doesn’t mean that Pritchard hasn’t been avidly paying attention to current trends in electronica music. When Machines certainly has a Flying Lotus or Prefuse 73 type of feel: all carefully syncopated and superbly crafted rhythms, heavy basslines, and plenty of static. Pritchard also creates a vintage feel by splicing dated-sounding synths with anachronistic hip-hop rhythms, as shown on tracks such as the dark “Call to Arms” and “Don’t Panic”, the latter being a woozy, swirling mess of almost corny-sounding synths and acid-dripped madness that somehow all makes sense after subsequent listens.

When Machines is almost completely instrumental, which is by no means a bad thing, especially considering most everything here---from the meandering chillness of “Koln” to the noisy, suffocating “Quadrant 3”---is engaging enough on its own. However, as “Battlestar” proves, Pritchard’s spacious and repetitive beats may be best suited for a vocalist to embellish on. “Battlestar” features Elzhi and Phat Kat---two extremely talented rappers that hail from Detroit---and, while Pritchard doesn’t offer his greatest beat for these two visionaries to spit on, the duo’s slick rhymes more than make up for any ineptness. It’s easily the most entertaining track on the album, suggesting that When Machines would’ve been even better with a few more guest spots.

When Machines unfortunately is slightly homogeneous: unlike Los Angeles or Donuts, this album fails to strike out any form of identity or image for its creator, instead just blending with a increasingly saturated genre. For what it is, When Machines is a reasonably entertaining collection of spare beats, courtesy of a long-hibernating maestro that’s just trying to get back in the game.

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