Following a five-year hiatus from releasing on the label, Pearson Sound has returned to Hessle Audio with Alien Mode. The three-track EP is absolutely everything we’ve been waiting for; high-velocity, break-fuelled dancefloor melters that flawlessly capture the Hessle Audio spirit that punters fell in love with thirteen years ago.
Though the sounds on the label my have changed and developed over the years, their mark is unmissable. There aren’t many people in the scene who have made as much impact as Pearson Sound, Ben UFO and Pangaea as the Hessle Audio trio, so a release from one of the OG’s is like all our Christmases coming at once. Double the excitement if you factor in Pangaea dropping his Like This EP on the same day — really, what more could we ask for? As a label that could never be pinned to one genre, Alien Mode is a prime example of everything the Hessle crew represents — each and every corner of dance music.
Title track “Alien Mode” is an easy contender for one of the most exciting tracks of the year. Explosive breaks, booming bass, whirls, bleeps and mind-bending vocals make this track suitable for one place only — a dingy dancefloor in a dark corner of the UK. Chuck a Sinai sound system in there and you’ve got an unmatchable combination. The irony of the vocals claiming “you’re not losing your mind” is that in years to come, this is the sort of track that will still have absolutely everyone losing their mind. It’s a burner of the highest order.
As with everything Hessle Audio, no two tracks are of the same elk. “Cobwebs” flips a highly percussive sample from Adewale Ayuba, producing a straight to the point, 155bpm weapon of dancefloor destruction. It’s hypnotic, dizzying, and warped, projecting all the weirdness we have missed so much from the label. “Everything Is Inside Out” rounds the EP off with a more subdued, but subtly euphoric and nostalgic tone. Moving more towards the emotional end of the spectrum, it further demonstrates Kennedy’s masterful approach to production. The breadth of differences between each track makes the three-track EP feel like an album; it has everything you could possibly want.
Alien Mode can be streamed and purchased via Bandcamp.
