Welcome to our sixth Bad Haz Techno track review with a new team of guest reviewers from the techno community - Hegstraction, Andrew Saitta, Mike Spinx, Jerdie, & Seoul Aes Sedai. This month we are reviewing Peter Harich's latest release, Harðr, which is also the debut release on our very own Bad Haz Techno label. This track broke into the Beatport Hype Top 100 Techno (Peak Time / Driving) chart reaching a high of 39th in January 2023.
A DJ & Producer from Sweden, Peter Harich has previously released tracks with Magnetfeld Records, Electronic Alliance Records, Zafrica Music, DeepDownDirty, as well as independently: "Harðr was supposed to be part of a collection of tracks inspired by the raw nature of Scandinavia - granite rocks, brooks and woodland forests. I completed around 8-9 tracks, but Harðr stood out from the rest, making it hard to release the others; they are still in my vault of uncompleted tracks. It took me around 2 weeks to complete. The most challenging part of the track was creating the melody synth part in the break; it had to be very subtle to not compete with the voice and bass. The kick is my favourite part of the track; I always make my own kicks, and I try to outdo myself on every track I make."
You can play the track here as you read the review:
Hegstraction is a minimal & techno producer from the UK & also runs Bad Haz Techno - "When I was choosing this track for the debut release on the Bad Haz Techno label from the selection Peter sent me, I instantly knew this was the one after hearing the intro; I think of the Bad Haz style as quite dark with hard edges, and this was a great fit. That combination of dirty bass synth with the subtle echo synth grips my interest from very early on. Peter's put a lot of work into his kicks over the last few years, and he's really done well in creating a signature hardness; this one also has some grittiness to it that goes so well with the bass synths. Really, you could loop that intro, and I'd be pretty happy, haha, but the track progresses nicely, introducing the melody in a subtle way before expanding & becoming a more focal point of the track. The melodies combined with the darker elements, for me create an exciting, mysterious, futuristic, sci-fi feel, hinting at hope & positivity coexisting in a dangerous environment."
Andrew Saitta is an Italian DJ & Producer from Rome (his 6-track EP, Inner, was one of our top picks from 2022): "I really enjoyed this track; a nice dirty groove that you never get tired of. The kick and bass lines create a very pleasant distorted atmosphere; the artist was good at saturating the sounds a lot without creating confusion, giving a solid and pleasant character to the overall sound of the track. The melodic line has the important task of balancing this high energy, and does it very well; it also increases the spatiality of the track. I also like the drums, which are a bit dark and not harsh at all. I think that sometimes they are not very present in the mix, maybe an additional parallel treatment would have given it more solidity. The mix sounds very good; there are so many different sounds, but the artist has managed to create space for all of them. There is a lot of definition on the high and medium frequencies; maybe I would have pushed the lows a little more to emphasize the already powerful groove even more. I love the contrast between the distorted atmosphere created by the kick and bass, and the melodic lead. Congratulations to the artist; he really created a nice particular sound that captured me from the first moment."
Mike Spinx is a UK based DJ, Producer (specialising in driving melodic techno) & Spotify playlist curator: "Harðr is a power debut track for the Bad Haz Techno label. Energetic from the get go with a heavy kick and pure bassline, I personally love the melodic elements, which give the track a great balance and a lovely contrast from the powerful synth stabs punching through the track and giving it its character. Great debut release, and I look forward to what else is to come from this label."
Jerdie is a DJ & Producer from the US; she has a quickly growing YouTube channel featuring weekly live sets of techno sub-genres, thoughtfully crafted with great visuals & track selection: "One of the first sound design techniques I learned that excited me was the rumble kick, and this is satisfyingly crunchy. Nice use of saturation and distortion to keep a dark feeling while still sounding clean overall. The variation in different synth sounds adds a nice progression alongside the pleasantly repetitious percussion elements. I especially enjoyed the refreshing breakdown at around 2 minutes that adds a nice airy atmosphere in contrast to the dark mood of the rest of the track. I think this is a techno adventure that clubgoers will get lost in."
Seoul Aes Sedai is our resident techno super fan with a vast knowledge & experience of techno music, lifestyle & culture: "The heavy beat and initial industrial noises immediately pulled me in. The lighter melody later on brings a nice contrast to uplift listeners. When the bass leaves, it sounds a bit trancey, which could work great in a club, though personally I'd prefer to hear a bit more of the noises and harder stuff from the beginning. The ending makes me feel like I'm witnessing the sunrise - very emotive. Great track worth listening to on repeat."
Many thanks to all of our guest reviewers!
You can find Harðr on the following links:
You can also find Peter Harich on social media:
Thank you for supporting Bad Haz Techno, and we look forward to bringing you more techno blog post track reviews in 2023.
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