release date:
january 23 2019 (mondo edition, blue and black swirl w/ green splatter, 400 copies)
february 22 2019 (streaming platforms)
march 1 2019 (retail edition, blue vinyl, 200 copies)
format: lp / digital
label: death waltz originals
stream
bandcamp
spotify
deezer
apple music
youtube
download
beatport
bleep
boomkat
juno
traxsource
info
The long awaited new LP Open Sea by Dutch artist Hunter Complex will be released on January 23 2019 on Death Waltz Originals, sublabel of Mondo Records and Death Waltz Recording Company. The LP was mastered by James Plotkin; the stunning artwork was created by Eric Adrian Lee.
Open Sea (a wholly instrumental affair) is the third Hunter Complex record to date and the follow-up to the critically acclaimed LP Heat from 2013. MOJO Magazine praised the ‘techno-pop and movie score dramatics’, Norman Records rated the album 9 out of 10 and the Quietus praised ‘the strong positivism that leaks from the melodic and warm synths’.
Spencer Hickman (label manager Mondo Records / Death Waltz Recording Company) on Open Sea: ‘The long awaited new LP from Hunter Complex features ten tracks of supreme synth goodness that are at the same time retro and totally futuristic. It’s musically rich in ideas: melodies intertwine with soaring synths and 80s style drum machines, but it never feels like a pastiche or a carbon copy of a bygone era. The hooks on this record are incredible, it’s mix of warm analog and bright digital synths are at a layer of complexity that most records in this genre can’t manage to achieve.’
death waltz
Death Waltz is famous for its tasteful reissues of legendary soundtracks by John Carpenter, Fabio Frizzi, Ennio Morricone, Angelo Badalamenti, Bruno Nicolai and Riz Ortolani, as well as bold new work from the likes of Steve Moore, Rob, Clint Mansell, Umberto and Jeff Grace and groundbreaking new excursions into sound (courtesy of the Death Waltz Originals imprint) by Deadly Avenger, Graham Reznick, Pye Corner Audio, Antoni Maiovvi, Pentagram Home Video, Le Matos, Wojciech Golczewski and Timothy Fife.
hunter complex
Hunter Complex is the moniker of Lars Meijer, a well-known figure in the Dutch underground and co-owner of the Narrominded label. In the late 1990s, Meijer began releasing music under the name, Larz. His early releases are best described as lo-fi pop. Meijer also released several albums with the improvisational electro-acoustic band Psychon Troopers and electronic music duo Living Ornaments before he started working as Hunter Complex in 2008.
tracklisting
side one
1.night city
2.the heart of high places
3.chase manhattan
4.we fought for america
5.crows zero
side two
1.white water
2.a float for a marker
3.original vision
4.white sunlight
5.account of the moon
press downloads
reviews
‘A masterfully produced work and a pleasure to listen to.’
3,5 / 5
festivalinfo
‘Synth-tastic musical magic.’
4 / 5
red dirt report
‘The songs are well-crafted, revealing beautiful synth passages.’
side-line
‘Open Sea‘ is a very worthy successor to Heat.’
8 / 10
dark entries
‘Many intertwined melodies, thoughtful constructions, diversity and yet homogeneity, past and future coming together, … It is all present on Open Sea.’
damusic
‘Pastiche of 80s synthwave, but not as overbearing as those releases with black and neon cover art; more like Bill Nelson’s early-80s material.’
burl veneer music
‘An international masterpiece.’
synthwavefan
‘Echoes of German acts like Roedelius and Tangerine Dream.’
oor
‘Going by track titles alone you would expect numbers like Night City, We Fought For America and The Heart Of High Places to sound like they’d been nicked from an 80’s action movie OST, and their clattering programmed drums and burbling basslines more than deliver on that promise.’
bleep
‘Open Sea isn’t one of those abstract modular jamming records: it is full of melodic interests and rhythmic fun, although it does also have a great textural richness.’
norman records
‘Being completely instrumental, Open Sea is like a soundtrack to an 1980s B movie. (…) Like Thief, Escape From New York, The Running Man, American Gigolo, or more obscure ones like Trancers or Xtro.’
chain d.l.k.
‘Open Sea is richer and more complete than the previous Hunter Complex albums. This also is due to the deeper layers, and the more present hooks and melodies.’
written in music
‘Rather superb (…) vintage filmic crush of mid / late 80’s soundtrack electronica.’
the sunday experience
‘The music still feels like it’s the result of someone’s endless ‘labours-in-synth’ at the end of a long corridor, locked away from the rest of the world.’
louder than war
‘It combines the best in 80s synth pop, Italo disco and cosmic synth, but all within the length of a pop song. All of these pieces are highly melodic, ranging from minor chords to jubilant major ones. Sad at times, joyous at others; fat bass lines, analogue synth arpeggios and sometimes very crispy digital ones. (…) Another first-class record by Hunter Complex.’
vital weekly
‘Open Sea is an album that can grab you immediately, but will only reveal its deeper layers with repeated listening. (…) They are clever, well-worked out compositions that are far from clinical and also leave something to the imagination. Excellent.’
opduvel
‘The Death Waltz Originals release sees Meijer at the very top of his game. Open Sea is a shimmering oasis of 80s-inspired rhythms and crystalline synthesizers that act as a soundtrack to some non-existent place in 80s history. It’s gorgeous, mysterious, and captures your attention from the moment you hit play.’
8,2 / 10
complex distractions
‘A versatile and compelling beautiful album.’
de subjectivisten
‘A bastard child of Kraftwerk and Klaus Schulze. Ambient with balls.’
frnkfrt
‘Hunter Complex, AKA Dutch musician Lars Meijer, pairs dreamy and majestic cinematic synthscapes with a tight synth-funk and synth-pop foundation, creating an atmosphere of endless possibilities with the kinesis of the dance floor.’
vehlinggo
‘Synth scores that are nearly futuristic yet universal.’
brutal resonance
‘Open Sea by Hunter Complex is like watching the 1980s film adaption of Dune while playing Out Run on a Sega console and seeing your kids play with an unknown but familiar dog on the beach with the skyline of San Francisco in the background.’
theo ploeg