Return of the Hardkiss

Hardkiss are US 90s dance legends and they’re back.

It’s hard to overstate their importance to West Coast dance, taking that SF psychedelia that still existed from the 60s and melding it with the dance sounds of Detroit, Chicago and London to come up with something all their own. It was also a label started in 1991, largely responsible for helping shape the early SF electronic sound and scene.  There was Scott Hardkiss (God Within), Gavin Hardkiss (Hawke) and Robbie Hardkiss (Little Wing). They produced classics such as Raincry, The Phoenix and 3 Nudes In A Purple Garden. Anyone who has any interest in dance should own a copy of the double album compilation Delusions Of Grandeur (1995).

Scott Hardkiss sadly died last year (see here for a Q Burns A.M. post). Gavin and Robbie have now come up with a new single out later in the month and an album (called 1991). The single is the snappily entitled Retroactiv​eFuturisti​cPsychedel​icFunkBump. What it lacks in typability it makes up for in explicability. The single does what it says on the tin. There’s some 90s dance, mixed with their psychedelic twist and given a modern robot sheen. Comes with a bunch of remixes. James Curd goes for a light house reinvention whilst Hawke goes for a dreamy, wistful remix, just right for the Balearic beach sunrise. But best of all is Q Burns Abstract Message’s chunky version. This dumps some of the psychedelic sounds and gives it a grounded. pounding sound, locked firmly on the dancefloor. Provided I’ve got the embed to work correctly (no guarantee of that sadly), you should have the Q Burns AM mix and clips of the whole release below.

Gavin & Robbie Hardkiss – Retroactiv​eFuturisti​cPsychedel​icFunkBump

There’s also a mix of 30 sec clips of the 1991 album here. All sounds good but kinda hard to review on something so short.

YOU CAN PRE-ORDER 2X VINYL at: www.hardkissmusic.com

Blurb:

Not showing any signs of letting up in the new year, Whiskey Pickle Records keeps the funk rolling with a brand new single from the legendary duo of Gavin & Robbie Hardkiss. As founders of the classic U.S. rave progenitor Hardkiss alongside their sorely missed brother Scott Hardkiss, the pair have been mainstays in every aspect of dance music as producers, promoters, label heads, and world-class DJs.

Fast forward to 2014 and the lads are still at it, offering up their latest creation in the form of “RetroactiveFuturisticPsychedelicFunkBump,” the second single from their forthcoming album 1991 which is due later this year. A slick slab of electro-boogie rhythms, the single features vocoded vox and a nasty bass that’ll take listeners on an interstellar voyage from Cybotron to Planet Rock.

A release such as this requires some serious thought when considering remixers, and Whiskey Pickle spared no expense. Having such industry luminaries as James Curd (of Greenskeepers fame) and Q-Burns Abstract Message, as well as Gavin Hardkiss’ own Hawke moniker on board has proved to be essential in creating the total package. Each remixer finds a perfect, complimentary vibe to the original; whether it’s the glossy, disco-funk of the James Curd version, or the relentless 808 bass and layered breaks on the Q-Burns Abstract Message treatment … or maybe it’s the retro, balearic vibe of the Hawke remix that does the trick? Whatever the occasion, Whiskey Pickle has the correct medicine to ease any afflictions.

Label and Artist Links: www.whiskeypickle.com www.soundcloud.com/gavin-hardkiss

~ by acidted on February 2, 2014.