Simon Holmes shows the melodic side of Breakbeat Hardcore with a full LP ‘Machine Learning ‘
People often think of Rave/Hardcore as loud, brash and manic but with Simon Holmes, the beats are tough and the melodies deep.
Take track one of Machine Learning, ‘Stars’, the track kicks off with highly polished breaks, a deep, throbbing bass and the gradual introduction of spacial keys before a chorus kicks in akin to the whimsical tones of the Chromatics
‘Straight Up’ kicks in with pure oldskool hardcore beats and astral chords with Belgian Techno stabs and sirens floating in the background before a hands in the air 92 drop ups the euphoria levels along with some proggy acid and some pure 92 piano
‘Meditation’ is what you might call progressive hardcore rave with its blend of Jungle Breaks, warm rhythmic sound design and dreamlike, contemplative vibe
‘Right Here’ mixes up Progressive Trance and booming Speed Garage basslines for an exhilarating 4×4 workout that could easily fit into a faster paced Oakey or Sasha set, a club weapon waiting to be discovered and raved to
‘Onanon’ opens with exquisite piano, switching into beautiful, serene strings then flipping into a buzzing bass riff with sub aquatic FX and incredible emotive melody. This is hardcore with soul and a high degree of musicality
‘Relent’ opens on a trancey tone with 4×4 kicks, progressing into a Hard House style beat with requisite hoovers plus a stunning 90s Trance style extended drop
‘Rescue Me’ pushes the BPMs into Jungle/DnB territory but don’t expect your standard DnB rhythm here! A wash of 303 acid precedes the ethereal beauty of the opening drop and the ensuing intelligent amen breakage and oldskool rave piano combo that will leave your jaw on the floor!
‘Eternal’ is a rave rocket soaring through space, fresh off of the launchpad with firing bewats and all manner of deep, space age, ambient keys that take you up and up and higher than up!
‘Lost It’ is the essence of euphoric rave with pianos that bring back happy memories of Love Decade, Shades Of Rhythm and Bizarre Inc with slamming breaks and a wispy female refrain with the perfect midsection interjection of acid grooves
Don’t get us wrong, we love Hardcore Rave bangers but it cannot be denied that this LP is something very special indeed and it is no slouch in the bangers dept but it takes that formula and applies musical brilliance, feeling and heart that resonates in every kick, snare and synth
All Proceeds from this release will be donated to CALM – Campaign Against Living Miserably.
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