feature: brooklyn, ny digital hardcore musician dreamcrusher shocks & awes all at once on ‘hackers all of them hackers’

Before you turn on Dreamcrusher’s Hackers All of them Hackers project, you will notice that there is a picture of a man with long and gappy teeth showing. Some people will turn away directly after, but if you stay the course and listen to the album, what will emerge is a ten-second squeal of feedback before dissolving into distorted noise and more feedback. You find it a bit jarring, but you stay the course. If you are patient enough to do so, you will find this collection of noise has turned into a beat. You will want to bop your head to this beat, rap or sing over it. The noise turns from a frontward focus into a key element of the music. Somewhere in between listening to the track, you hear faint noises of bellowing lyrics. The track in question is “Fear (and No Feeling)”, which could also be found on Deathbomb Arc’s EVIL compilation. It, along with the whole album will be the most jarring yet head-bopping album you forgot to check out later last year.

By Lightning Pill, AFROPUNK Contributor

It’s a new year, but as the year ends, you will notice that there are always a few albums that just bypass you on your way to listening to Kendrick Lamar, Alabama Shakes, Raury and the Like. Some albums are buried deep underground that deserves some attention whenever they can get it. I was recommended this album by a blogging colleague of mine, and it’s safe to say that I feel pretty bad for not listening to it right then.

If you have ever wondered exactly how hip-hop, digital hardcore and noise will evolve after Death Grips, B L A C K I E, Mykki Blanco, and even Atari Teenage Riot, a good answer would lie in Dreamcrusher, who named their noise-punk sound “NIHILIST QUEER REVOLT MUSIK”. Over thumping barely audible drums and hidden/sharp melodies, Hackers All of Them Hackers doubles as a party album and a descent into a madness you’ve never yet imagined in music. “Vacuum” buries his vocals beneath noise and beautiful buzz synth melodies, but from afar, it sounds like industrial dancehall music from the hell of a passive listener. So, when listening to said track, don’t be surprised to find yourself rolling your body or two-stepping along with it.

If you should find yourself to “Trapdoor” featuring Secret Boyfriend (and I hope you are), you would come across a track that is the darkest of the collection. Beneath the distortion and white noise are near demonic vocals and a fatal melody. In other words, they are unwilling to just hand you the music easily. You have to dive deep to listen to it. And the moment you do, you realize that this album may be intensely stark, but damn, if it doesn’t make someone want to dance or lay their own vocals over it sometime.

Here’s what the label had to say about it:

“Crawling out of the depths of mid aught’s Myspace DIY culture and releasing a fervor of heart stopping densely beautiful albums and EP’s, ‘HAOTH’ sees Glass making moves toward melody in way wholly unique to the project. This self described NIHILIST QUEER REVOLT MUSIK transcends the internet and is truly best experienced immediately and with open mind and body. ”

The album is out now on Fire Talk Records. To hear more of their stuff, subscribe directly to their very own Bandcamp page.

Photos by Matt Wash http://mwashphoto.tumblr.com/

* Lightning Pill is a blogger, poet, singer-songwriter, composer, Aspie, etc. from Dorchester, MA. You can reach him at www.twitter.com/LightningPill or visit his Afropunk website. His Soundcloud can be found here and his main Bandcamp found here. Also here for the new agers.