Hadamard - Love Songs - Album Review

The recently released new Hadamard long player 'Love Songs', out now on Transient Force, features a number of elements that I love about electro music, and makes this an instant add-on to your music playback device of choice. Namely and in order - I love artists that aren't afraid to take the piss with ironic album titles, I love aggressive beats designed for the dance floor exclusively that retain enough funk to keep the ladies movin', and I love a healthy dose of ghetto bass influences. I also have a particular affinity for artists that don't follow preset patterns or guidelines - it's clear Hadamard enjoys Miami Bass and Detroit Ghetto Tech records - but instead of following the standard-issue producer-by-numbers method for making those styles, he morphs these productions into his own sound and manages to come up with something new altogether. The Dutch scene DJs and producers have been doing there thing for quite some time now, and I find it most interesting that they've taken the most to two very contrasting sounds - italo and ghetto tech sounds. They're also very willing to experiment with their sounds and concepts, and it's clear Hadamard's on the same path with this latest release.  Choice cuts? 'The Ass In Bass' with a hook so catchy, you'll get slapped by Human Resources if you repeat it at work, 'Badman' which somehow manages to mix up deep electro, dub basslines, and an 80s style vocal to much success. 'Its Hadamard Bitch' wins straight off from the title alone, and then further surprises with a deep building groover of an electro cut. 'Smooth Talk' strips it back to the basics with a knockin' 808 and claps throwback, which is offset by an excellent outtake on the classic pitch-down effect with some straight gangster talk. 'Love Is A Verb' catches you with instant-kopfnicken, featuring a dope call and response interplay between the basslines and the synthwork sitting on top of those bumpin' drums. That's fancy writing for basically saying this - the record bumps. If you're looking for a journey-style electronic long player, you're in the wrong place. But if you dig uncompromising electro bass, ghetto tech and a producer who's not afraid to smack your girlfriend in the face and ask you for a cigarette after, well s--t my friend, this is your album. Don't sleep. Finally, in the immortal words from the D.O.C during his N.W.A days, "Parental Discretion Iz Advised" Cop that directly from the label here Related: Dutch Electro Scene Documentary 'When I Sold My Soul To The Machine', Hadamard 'Studio Gangster' City of Bass: blogging daily about the electro music scene. Follow along via twitter or the RSS feed