Giant Step | Mixing different styles of electronica, techno, trance, and more, many of Scott Hardkiss‘ song titles are both self-explanatory and satirical: Beat Freak encompasses a wide variety of different beats, both percussive and synth-based, while others like The Revolution Has Begun are less genre-bending revelations than catchy, quirky observations on electronic music’s self-indulgent obsession with retro effects. Star Power, with its satirical view of trite celebrity fashion concerns, could be a newer mix between Right Said Fred and Rick James, while What We Got is somewhere between self-deprecating and genuinely just plain fun.
On Technicolor Dreamer, Hardkiss breaks a bit further away from his God Within moniker to focus more on this specifically solo musical venture; fans familiar with his jazz and funk influences will find a great deal more of both at play than on other outings. But Hardkiss seems intent on both covering familiar ground as well as surprising the listener: On tracks like It Comes From Above, many of those familiar Euro-pop elements mix with a simple five-word mantra, all in praise of electronic music’s more intangible and ethereal qualities.
Words by Jeff Nau
Scott Hardkiss – Come On, Come On
