Review Summary: "Separate who you are from who you want to be."
Haywyre is a very unique project to say the least. Unlike most other electronica projects, Haywyre contains rather strange ideas compared to typical mainstream electronica like Daft Punk, combining many elements of different sounds that many fans of the electronica/house genre have listened to before. Not only that, but Haywyre doesn’t stick to just one formula of sound but rather experiments with other genres to create a rather lush and lavish concept throughout his music. That’s where
Two Fold Pt. 1 comes in, as it’s probably the most complex, professional and ambitious record that Haywyre has made to date. Containing different attributes of EDM, Jazz, a somewhat new genre known as Glitch-Hop, and the musical fad that we all know as Dubstep,
Two Fold is as what some people might find, rather interesting.
I don't claim to be an expert of the genre, but I feel like it is difficult to bring out a concept within electronica music. For the most part, you have no lyrics to directly send your message out clearly to your listeners, and you’re limited in your musical diversity knowing that a lot of dance/pop/house music nowadays seems to sound that same the more we hear it. And while Haywyre’s message isn’t completely clear as to what you might expect, it does show itself rather well thanks with the help of its collaborative artists. Some may say that it’s lazy or that Haywyre doesn’t have the complete talent to bring out the concept all by himself in doing so, but instead of affecting him negatively (for the most part anyway) it does in a way help the message become clearer to astute listeners. Even so, the guest artists will only be noticeable to those who have actually listened to them, and since these artists, including Haywyre, aren’t that well known, that number of people are relatively few.
The overall sound of this record in particular is rather incomparable. Honestly, I can find relatively few artists, if any, that contain even the broadest amount of resemblance as to what
Two Fold sounds like. Instead of constant bass drops and catchy beats, Haywyre’s production of his most recent record is a rather simple one. He keeps the sound fresh and light-hearted, not constantly becoming nothing but noise that relies on being catchy. It doesn’t feel like it's trying to force every single second of it's heaviness or catchy rhythm down your throat as if it's constantly believing that complex production design will win fans. This record takes its time, as much of it is smooth and laid-back. If anything, this is the first record that Haywyre has made that differentiates his sound to almost any other record that he or most other electronica records, has made to date. It almost completely pulls him away from his comfort zone compared to his last album
The Voyage and his
Infinite EP. For the relatively few fans that Haywyre has,
Two Fold is practically a milestone for his career, but for others, some might just scratch their heads asking how this is a remarkable achievement. With that being said,
Two Fold seems to be an album for fans only, obviously not saying that those outside his fanbase aren’t going to like it.
I can’t guarantee that
Two Fold will likely get you to draw yourself into the huge electronica/house fanbase that it is now, but I can guarantee that there will be some listeners who are at least curious as to what Haywyre has to offer. Aside from some repetitiveness and monotony,
Two Fold is a rather enjoyable experience for those who are yearning for something new. Consisting of some rather unique talent to his credit (listen to
Prologue (Part One) or the preview of
Moral Compass (which is not in this album) if you want to listen to some of the incredible abilities that Haywyre has to offer) and excellent mixture of different sounds,
Two Fold is an inventive blend of music and a curious case for what is to come for the future of both Haywyre, and electronica in general.
