Hospital Productions US レコード& CD

Review: Following up the closure of his respected Jealous God imprint, former Sandwell District accomplice Juan Mendez returns to Hospital Productions to follow up 2011's bold outing Negative Fascination - presenting these modern EBM mutations in the same vein. Mendez captures the zeitgeist of classic early '80s industrial dance on the rusty rattle of "Harm In Hand", followed by more driving body music of the steelier persuasion on "Damage" and the pitch-black technoid riot "Death Of Decadence".

Review: Given his prolific nature, we were rather surprised to find that "Shadows of Death & Desire" is actually John Juan Mendez AKA Silent Servant's second album for six years. It's an impressive set, with Mendez offering up a stony-faced, steel-eyed shuffle through industrial-fired machine chug ("Illusion"), mind-altering EBM workouts ("Damage", "Harm In Hand", the throbbing "24 Hours"), icy electronic soundscapes (the vintage Autechre style dancefloor IDM of "Loss Response"), early '80s style Cabaret Voltaire industrial funk (the brilliant "Glass Veil"), and moody compositions where razor-sharp guitars and foreboding electronics envelop particularly skittish electro drums (closing cut "Optimistic Decay").

Review: Hospital Productions have been around for a hell of a long time, with releases dating back to 1998. For the last fifteen years they've progressed impressively and have grown by expanding their catalogue as far as black metal. Silent Servant, one half of the now defunct Sandwell District label, makes his comeback for the American label with sheer elegance and emotion. Negative Fascination is a true LP, with all the productions representing an entity rather than a collection of dancefloor tools. Tracks such as "Invocation Of Lust", which sway effortlessly across desolate plains of synths and distant melodies, fall neatly into place with others; "Moral Divide (Endless)" being its natural epilogue as ghostly sounds and transmuted effects are caught in a whirlpool of rough, analogue beats. Only certain parts such as "The Strange Attractor" could be bracketed as belonging to the techno realm, with most other tracks containing much more than just club antics. "Temptation & Desire" could only be considered techno in so far as its dark approach, but it's the ingenious sound arrangements that fall between their spaces which make this album a true gem. Highly recommended.

Review: ** Repress on clear vinyl ** Hospital Productions have been around for a hell of a long time, with releases dating back to 1998. For the last fifteen years they've progressed impressively and have grown by expanding their catalogue as far as black metal. Silent Servant, one half of the now defunct Sandwell District label, makes his comeback for the American label with sheer elegance and emotion. Negative Fascination is a true LP, with all the productions representing an entity rather than a collection of dancefloor tools. Tracks such as "Invocation Of Lust", which sway effortlessly across desolate plains of synths and distant melodies, fall neatly into place with others; "Moral Divide (Endless)" being its natural epilogue as ghostly sounds and transmuted effects are caught in a whirlpool of rough, analogue beats. Only certain parts such as "The Strange Attractor" could be bracketed as belonging to the techno realm, with most other tracks containing much more than just club antics. "Temptation & Desire" could only be considered techno in so far as its dark approach, but it's the ingenious sound arrangements that fall between their spaces which make this album a true gem. Highly recommended.

Review: Juan Mendez has pushed the largely abstract approach on his debut album towards the dance floor. Ironically though, the LP version of "Strange Attractor" was more brutal and upfront. On this version, Mendez lets the chain mail groove throb beneath layer upon layer of eerie chords, abstract whispers and what could be an angle grinder running in the background. This extended version of "Invocation Of Lust" has an eerie, garbled vocal in the background, but fused with spiky metallic percussion and a thumping kick drum and throbbing bass, makes for a compelling club record. Finally, "Utopian disaster (End)" is the most Sandwell-esque track on offer, its slamming rhythm, droning sounds and reverberating, doubled up claps sounding like a sequel to the Negative Fascination EP that was released on the seminal, now defunct techno label.

Review: Longtime techno innovator Silent Servant finds himself on the cult Hospital Productions to close out this year in visceral fashion. 'Harm In Hand' is many things - dark wave synth and jittery techno and it even has a hint of jerking EBM rhythms. It's a trip back to the future on a pulsing wave of menace. 'Damage' then cuts more loose, with spraying synths and crashing hits trapping you in dystopia and 'Death Of Decadence' bring all manner of raw textures, twisted synth lines and stark drums to a line techno groove.

Review: Given his prolific nature, we were rather surprised to find that "Shadows of Death & Desire" is actually John Juan Mendez AKA Silent Servant's second album for six years. It's an impressive set, with Mendez offering up a stony-faced, steel-eyed shuffle through industrial-fired machine chug ("Illusion"), mind-altering EBM workouts ("Damage", "Harm In Hand", the throbbing "24 Hours"), icy electronic soundscapes (the vintage Autechre style dancefloor IDM of "Loss Response"), early '80s style Cabaret Voltaire industrial funk (the brilliant "Glass Veil"), and moody compositions where razor-sharp guitars and foreboding electronics envelop particularly skittish electro drums (closing cut "Optimistic Decay").

Review: Juan Mendez took his Silent Servant project to another level when he released Negative Fascination on Hospital Productions in 2012. His EBM-informed, brooding slant on techno had already made its mark on Sandwell District and other such influential labels, but his debut album afforded the space to really shape out his seductive sonic dystopia. More than ten years on, it stands tall as a masterpiece in the space it occupies, seething with hard-boiled urban malaise but equally adept at using subtlety alongside intensity. This expanded edition incorporates the Extended Mixes 12" as well as additional demo versions for those who like the tracks a little rawer.