Artist: Steve Hauschildt
Title: Tragedy & Geometry
Record Label: Kranky
Rating: 6.5

It’s a peculiar sensation when you hear an electronic artist that sounds retro. The synthesiser is the musical instrument of the future, even if the song was composed in the 1960s, and it still invokes the imagery of flying cars, robot butlers and of course the uprising of the machines! However with technology expanding at an alarming rate, it is no wonder that the electronic artist can start to sound a little nostalgic.

Maybe it’s because of Tron, or maybe it’s because electronic music has enjoyed a resurgence over the past couple of years, but I can’t help but think this latest musical offering by Steve Hauschildt carries a whiff of nostalgia about it. Hauschildt, who also performs with band Emeralds has produced a record that flows well and has all the staples you’d expect from an electronica record. The digital landscape on Tragedy and Geometry stretches out for as far as the eye can see; all played out on waves of synth and digital flourishes that sparkle and blink with every pulse. But this LP doesn’t have the tenacity to grab hold of the listener and demand their attention. Tragedy and Geometry seems happy enough to soundtrack something that could be conveyed as remote isolation.

Hauschildt throughout his teenage years was far more interested in the world of electro and techno than the harsh and abrasive genre of punk. As his work has gone onto prove, Hauschildt appeared far more content in exploring the deep realms of a digital galaxy than the spit soaked floor boards of any punk show.

It has been documented that Hauschildt created Tragedy and Geometry to illustrate the ever marching expansion of the information age, the fact we are a generation with so many channels of communication at our finger tips hasn’t escaped Hauschildt. A further notion that hasn’t escaped the synth wizard is that with all this conveyer belt of technology, comes complacency and disposability. Which sadly is a theme for this record; Hauschildt has created a document of an isolated time, but in doing so has manifested an album which detaches the listener.

Words and Thoughts of Adam Williams