side-line music magazine review: hours

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hunter complex-hours7 / 7

We last year reviewed the album Heat of Hunter Complex. The 2nd full length of the Dutch musician Lars Meijer holds onto the vintage electro-experimental touch and features pop elements.

Hours is the 2nd single taken from this album and the least I can say is that this is an excellent title song. The EP opens with the ‘original’ version revealing a cool vintage electro-pop style animated by fine bleeps and embellished with sweet vocal parts.

We next get 2 remixes of songs originally released on Heat as well. The remix of Serious Glass by The No is driven by a bombastic repetitive rhythm and vocals reminding me of shoegaze productions. It’s an interesting experimental pop music format. The minimal approach of the Highway Hypnosis-remix by Drvg Cvltvre is another interesting cut. Next to the minimal style there also is a rather evasive melody part totally achieving this remix. This is a beautiful song.

I regret there’re no remixes and/or alternative versions of Hours. I think it would have been a bonus for this EP. Hours wants to ‘persuade the listener to tune in to a strange mix of Tangerine Dream and John Carpenter film scores and ’81-’82 era Simple Minds’. It’s a rather strange definition claimed by Hunter Complex, but it probably says something about their potential sources of inspiration.

Conclusion: Hunter Complex composes a very own pop-style, which is merging retro-electro influences together with a pure experimental & minimal element.

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chain d.l.k. review: hours

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hunter complex-hoursThis new release is a digital single from the already reviewed last album from this outfit. As stated in my review, the musical outcome is ‘a sort of modern postcard from a distant era’ and is something that, perhaps for the nostalgic effect, is really easy listening in the best meaning of the word. The first track is the second single taken from Heat and is constructed as an almost classic synth pop track from the early ’80s with luminous melodic development. The really interesting part is the two remixes: the first one, from The No, is focused on the juxtaposition of an hard edge beat over the melodic lines of Serious Glass, while the second one, from Drvg Cvltvre, entirely deconstructs Highway Hypnosis taking it in darker and more evocative territories making and interesting use of noises as it doesn’t erase the pop allure of the tune. As almost every single this is a collector’s item, however the Drvg Cvltvre remix is something worth a listen and could even acts as a possible line of development for Hunter Complex. Nice.

Andrea Piran

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peek-a-boo magazine review: hours

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hunter complex-hoursPeople who are familiar with the Dutch label Narrominded probably will agree that Hunter Complex, the project from Lars Meijer is the most radio friendly artist in their catalogue. Not that they play it on the radio, but it could be.

Hours is the second single that is taken from the Heat-album and you’ll find, apart from the title track, two mixes from both Drvg Cvltvre and The No.

It’s hard to pin down the style but I think that you can say that Hours sound like a minimal version from a Miami Vice added with a touch of early Clan Of Xymox. Yeah, I know…talking about strange combinations!

But seeing that this single has been made with the heavenly Yamaha DX7 makes me feel that I’m right! And before you start laughing, Miami Vice is the coolest thing I can think of.

Didier Becu

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the belbury parish magazine review: heat

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hunter complex - heat frontWe were very excited to discover this amazing LP from Holland’s Hunter Complex, it’s a simultaneously glitzy and unsettling excursion into a sparkling early midi world of Tangerine Dream Soundtracks and Michael Mann movies. The man behind the music, Lars Meijer explores a fascinating soundworld and captures the pivotal point in cultural history where analogue handed over to digital. Driving sequencers, sparkling DX7s, power leads and smokey vocals stride into a bold over saturated VHS future world. Cool as flip.

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