The Hacker needs no introduction. His 4-track 12-inch ‘Nancy’ on Electronic Emergencies finds him at his best – oscillating wildly from electro to new wave, his true musical roots. For the title track, he collaborated once more with post-punk hero Michael Zodorozny, vocalist of Crash Course in Science, resulting in a slippery wet dance floor killer. The three instrumental tracks have a gritty feel, breathing over the cold wave atmosphere.
We are honored to announce the latest album from Michel Amato aka The Hacker, ‘Le Théâtre des Opérations’. Michel began making music in 1989 a the age of 17 in Grenoble, France. He grew up listening to New Wave bands like Duran Duran, The Cure and Depeche Mode as well as the darker side of electro Kraftwerk, Cabaret Voltaire and D.A.F. In 1990s he released a series of 12” singles and an album of cold, calculating and relentless techno. In 1997 he teamed up with Caroline Herve aka Miss Kittin and to release landmark singles and albums that effortlessly channeled the carefree spirit of 80s electro pop (of which we released an EP of lost demos back in 2015). Michel’s new live project sees the enigmatic artist go back to his roots, performing a 100% analogue set directly inspired by his first true loves of New Wave and dark, powerful techno. ‘Le Théâtre des Opérations’ features 8 new tracks spread evenly across 2×12”s cut at 45rpm for maximum sound quality and DJ utility. The title comes from a metaphysical journal by French-born Canadian science fiction writer Maurice G Dantec. Passionate about avant-garde techno, The Hacker has taken his influences and crafted a potent homage to the power of the synthesizer. Songs veer from gritty, raw EBM to dark, subterranean electro, effortlessly channeling the strains of the Michel’s musical DNA: Front 242, Jeff Mills, Dopplereffekt, Drexciya. The only vocal track features an appearance by longtime friend and collaborator Miss Kittin, named “Time X” after the French science fiction television series Temps X. All songs have been mastered and lacquer cut by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Cover artwork features a collage by London-based artist Anthony Gerace, and each copy includes a postcard featuring a photo of a young Michel from 1989. Aion, or Aeon, in the tradition of Greek cosmology, was the personification of Time, with the more famous Kronos, corresponding to Saturn Latin. Revered as “Lord of Light”, Aeon (AION) represented eternity, infinite time, as well as the succession of eras. Just time talking this new vinyl published by JAM TAXX: somehow it shows how the same song, born in a given context in time and space (a marginal Italy of the late 70s sets in a still immature europe) can be re-interpreted 30 years later with a new spirit, remaining in part what it was originally, but also becoming another completely new thing (that didn’t exist before) … The statue of the boxer from the Roman stadium of the marbles, pictured on the cover, is juat Aion represented as an athlete who fights between light and shadow, past and future, divided in half just like in the inner label of this precious vinyl, in sharp contrasts and games of symmetries used in the graphics of this speial edition (white vinyl). … Heraclitus wrote: “the time (Aeon) of human life is a child who plays his games moving his toys: to a child belongs the sovereign power” What is a remix if not a game where you move elements to create something new? And of course to a child belongs the sovereign power, the demiurgic ability to redefine reality starting from what has been already done. And that child is us. Növö Diskö came out from the collaboration of The Hacker from Grenoble and HIV+ from Paris. 12″ maxi-single limited edition of 300 copies on 180 gr. high quality lacquered pressed red vinyl. |