Altered Zones

The Emeralds synth man's last song, "Batteries May Drain" might've made you worry about the mortality of your everyday portable electrochemical cells, but with this new MP3, you don't have to live your life worrying anymore. Hauschildt consoles us with a song of regenerative introspection in "Already Replaced," taken from his latest, Tragedy & Geometry, which dropped yesterday on CD and double LP on Kranky. --Ric Leichtung, Altered Zones via The Fader

MP3: Steve Hauschildt: "Already Replaced"

With all of the attention given to Mark McGuire's prolific 2011 output and John Elliot's Spectrum Spools imprint, it's natural to wonder what the most mysterious Emerald, Steve Hauschildt, has been cooking up. In a few weeks he'll release his proper solo debut for Kranky, Tragedy & Geometry, a self-described treatise on the effects of Information Age technology on people's interpersonal relationships. In "Batteries May Drain," there's a sense of liberation from the endless chatter of myriad devices as they silence themselves; there's a brief and sweet respite in its modern take on classic kosmische sounds. --Matt Sullivan, Altered Zones

MP3: Steve Hauschildt: "Batteries May Drain"

Tragedy & Geometry comes out November 14th on Kranky

Some website told me that the Summer solstice began on June 21st at 1:16 pm EDT, but I'm going to go with Steve Hauschildt on this one and lay it down: Summer starts July 7th at 12pm-- right here, right now. One of the three Emeralds, Steve also has a slew of releases under his own name, and heads up the fantastic Cleveland-based label Gneiss Things. He's been nice enough to help us forget the intermittent rain and wind with a glorious "First Day of Summer Mix." Opening with a too-good-to-be-true cut from '60s LA outfit The Fraternal Order of the All, the collection cycles through some classic B52s, a hip-hop yarn from 805 Locos, and a slice of sexy from The Controllers before moving into a brand new Fennesz track and some Ken Seeno. We close with some syrupy melodies and jangles from The Dovers before reaching "Responsitrannity," a timeless cut from everybody's favorite drag queen, RuPaul. This summer, take RuPaul and Steve's message to heart, and remember that we are all stars. --Daniel Gottlieb, Altered Zones

Steve Hauschildt: First Day of Summer Mix

Last week, Emeralds' Steve Hauschildt made a guest mix for No Conclusion focusing on the beginning stages of an artists development. Hauschildt writes:

“It is something of a study in both new and old musics, often synthesizer-centric, covering many types of media (compact disc, vinyl, film, video game, training video). Regionally it is mostly American, although some French, Japanese, and British tracks are included as well. Stylistically not ‘really’ bound, except by certain structural conventions across popular and rhythmic musics. Rather, it is biographical in a sense, many of the songs are more obscure tracks by well-known artists/public figures... I am interested in that embryonic moment before stardom, an impulse that may or may not culminate into ‘success’ and how it may be sublimated in the music, itself a contour of a personality and life events. There is a kind of glaze over some of the songs here, they are imbued with meaning that unfurls after repeated listens.”

Peep the tracklist featuring "Jim Ferraro", Madonna, and Dam Funk at No Conclusion, download the mix here

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