Hypnobeat Ritual Fire Dance EP

Following recent releases from Vakula, Alex Danilov and Andrey Zots, Arma turns its focus towards the unique, transcendental sound of Hypnobeat. The project has its roots in the DIY industrial scene of Frankfurt in the early ‘80s, spearheaded by Perlon affiliate James Dean Brown (Narcotic Syntax) in collaboration with artists including Tobias Freund, Victor Sol and Pietro Insipido. Aside from a few underground cassette releases, the project was mainly a live venture made up of polyrhythmic workouts on an array of drum machines and effects units, long before the practice became so fashionable. After many years in the wilderness, Hypnobeat received a shot in the arm thanks to the increased interest in obscure tapes from the early industrial period. Given her own modern explorations of raw drum machine science, Brown invited Helena Hauff to join him in performing Hypnobeat live with a setup that revolves around three 808s and an assortment of other rhythm boxes, a formidable arsenal of effects, and no preconceived plan. As well as shows at Les Siestes Electroniques and CTM (where the duo shook the walls of Berghain), Brown and Hauff were invited to perform for the Save Festival at Arma17 in Moscow in March 2015. It is from this set that the material on Ritual Fire Dance is gathered, aptly titled as the interlocking percussive rumble takes on a cyclical, tribal quality as aligned with traditional music as it is with contemporary electronics. The recording has been edited into two sections that adorn each side of the 12”, peppered with enthusiastic approval from the crowd to affirm the intensity of the moment this incendiary music was performed live.