29 Sep 2010 — Henning Lahmann
I'm not really sure how to start a piece about
Hype Williams. Considering all the others who have done write-ups already, there appears to be only one way: We don't know shit about this duo. So I'll simply enumerate the few facts that might be considered assured. Originally hailing from London, Hype Williams have recently relocated to Berlin. They call themselves Roy Blunt/Roy Nnawuchi and Inga Copeland/Karen Glass/Denna Frances Glass, and I will not start trying to figure out which of these aliases are the real ones (if any at all), cause seriously I don't really care. Actually, attempting to find out would probably involve the need to talk to them which is not the easiest task to accomplish (I've tried). For what it's worth, I can't really tell if interviewing either one of them
seems like a lot of fun or an outright pain in the ass, something you'd let your smug and complacent intern do in order to harass him.
So suffice it to restate that Hype Williams are "an enigma" (Dummy), "elusive" (Paul Lester, Guardian), mischievous (Fact) and "polluted and lascivious" (Pinglewood), let's get over this eventually and come to the music. In a recent review, The Wire's Joseph Stannard has descibed some of their music as "sweaty, slick and sexy in a slightly soiled and compromised fashion, like unfinished coitus", and that's more or less all it needs to grasp the phenomenon that is this duo. All obvious resemblances to contemporary American hypnagogists aside, Hype Williams' lo-fi and distinctly eclectic approach towards modern pop music is still very unique and among the most amazing stuff you'll come across this year. Their first, rather recently released but already sold out untitled 12 inch (
Carnivals) assembles mesmerizing, 80s infused samples and blends them into awesome tunes driven by slowly captivating beats, resulting in an effort I'll simply don't grow tired of listening to. Even more startling is
The Throning, the duo's dismantling and sick re-configuring of Sade's classic
Sweetest Taboo into a piece that's at the same time laid-back and strangely unsettling, an absorbing and hypnotizing dub beat that will slowly intoxicate and eventually kill you while you lie there watching your own end in full consciousness. The tune has already been floating around for a while (you can stream it below) but has only now finally been put on wax, being the b side of Hype Willams' terrific new and strictly limited 7 inch
Do Roids And Kill E'rything (white label). Highly recommended, you better be fast.
The duo has announced two upcoming releases,
Find Out What Happens When People Stop Being Polite And Start Gettin' Reel (12",
Destijl Records, November 2010) and another untitled 12 inch, put out by
Hippos In Tanks early next year (March, probably).
Last, though it is by no means guaranteed that the artists will actually show up in person, if you are in Berlin you have the opportunity to watch Hype Williams perform live, supporting
Sun Araw at
West Germany on October 26.
Untitled 12" (
Carnivals, sold out)
Hype Williams - Untitled (A2)Hype Williams - Untitled (B3, "Problem Chalice Pt 4")Do Roids And Kill E'rything 7" (white label, edition of 500; order
here or
here)
http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F4218531&show_comments=false&auto_play=false&color=ff7700
hype williams - the throning by
dennafrances
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I'm not really sure how to start a piece about
Hype Williams. Considering all the others who have done write-ups already, there appears to be only one way: We don't know shit about this duo. So I'll simply enumerate the few facts that might be considered assured. Originally hailing from London, Hype Williams have recently relocated to Berlin. They call themselves Roy Blunt/Roy Nnawuchi and Inga Copeland/Karen Glass/Denna Frances Glass, and I will not start trying to figure out which of these aliases are the real ones (if any at all), cause seriously I don't really care. Actually, attempting to find out would probably involve the need to talk to them which is not the easiest task to accomplish (I've tried). For what it's worth, I can't really tell if interviewing either one of them
seems like a lot of fun or an outright pain in the ass, something you'd let your smug and complacent intern do in order to harass him.
So suffice it to restate that Hype Williams are "an enigma" (Dummy), "elusive" (Paul Lester, Guardian), mischievous (Fact) and "polluted and lascivious" (Pinglewood), let's get over this eventually and come to the music. In a recent review, The Wire's Joseph Stannard has descibed some of their music as "sweaty, slick and sexy in a slightly soiled and compromised fashion, like unfinished coitus", and that's more or less all it needs to grasp the phenomenon that is this duo. All obvious resemblances to contemporary American hypnagogists aside, Hype Williams' lo-fi and distinctly eclectic approach towards modern pop music is still very unique and among the most amazing stuff you'll come across this year. Their first, rather recently released but already sold out untitled 12 inch (
Carnivals) assembles mesmerizing, 80s infused samples and blends them into awesome tunes driven by slowly captivating beats, resulting in an effort I'll simply don't grow tired of listening to. Even more startling is
The Throning, the duo's dismantling and sick re-configuring of Sade's classic
Sweetest Taboo into a piece that's at the same time laid-back and strangely unsettling, an absorbing and hypnotizing dub beat that will slowly intoxicate and eventually kill you while you lie there watching your own end in full consciousness. The tune has already been floating around for a while (you can stream it below) but has only now finally been put on wax, being the b side of Hype Willams' terrific new and strictly limited 7 inch
Do Roids And Kill E'rything (white label). Highly recommended, you better be fast.
The duo has announced two upcoming releases,
Find Out What Happens When People Stop Being Polite And Start Gettin' Reel (12",
Destijl Records, November 2010) and another untitled 12 inch, put out by
Hippos In Tanks early next year (March, probably).
Last, though it is by no means guaranteed that the artists will actually show up in person, if you are in Berlin you have the opportunity to watch Hype Williams perform live, supporting
Sun Araw at
West Germany on October 26.
Untitled 12" (
Carnivals, sold out)
Hype Williams - Untitled (A2)Hype Williams - Untitled (B3, "Problem Chalice Pt 4")Do Roids And Kill E'rything 7" (white label, edition of 500; order
here or
here)
http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F4218531&show_comments=false&auto_play=false&color=ff7700
hype williams - the throning by
dennafrances
