Audio: Hounds of Hate - A Guy Called Sony Playstation Mix

Hounds of Hate should be a secret; they're one of those groups you just don’t want to tell anyone about because they’re so enjoyable. As selfish as that sounds, when you connect deeply to something it’s a basic human emotion to keep it to yourself because you've taken something so personal from it and well, as a direct contradiction of our musical ear’s misplaced air of ownership (plus the fact niche press outfits have been on them since 2009) we’re here to shout to the highest realms of the internet about them. They’re a trio of musicians called Eren, Efes and Hassan (or Simon, Stan and Santi depending on which publications you’ve done your research on), two of whom are Canadian. They sample Peter Gabriel and make low slung, sub heavy music on an array of synths that sounds like this: To date they’ve self released a cassette with Hype Williams, another super respected outfit carving their own empahtic static soaked niche in contemporary music, alongside a duo of 12 inches on the Backyard and Italian Beach Babes labels, and their latest work, the bubbling sub low ‘Trident’ recently got played on Benji B’s BBC Radio 1 show and is part of the reason for the bold and engulfing opening statement. “I think the aesthetic of our music might be seen as a bit lo-fi in terms of the crunchiness of the analogue equipment but there is quite a high production aesthetic there,” Hounds of Hate mused whilst in conversation with Sweet And Sound recently. “The reality is it’s lo fi, but there’s no hate for hi-fi by any means. You’ve just got to recognise that to make the high-fi records, you’ve got be one of the big people. I mean as much as it’d be nice to have a perfectly produced record, that’s not what makes the song interesting. I think it’s kind of like the human aspect of things, not playing perfectly or sequenced.” With Hounds of Hate’s music, it’s this rugged and unpolished vein that provides a whole heap of the trio’s charm. Tracks like ‘Head Anthem’ veer through splashed cymbals and slow broiled drums with an unsettling cheapness present in the lead melody – it’s like the rawness of primitive idea shines through the mix in droves. Some of it feels like disco (‘Tumble Down Slow’ is a great example of HoH working at that pace) and some of it trundles at a hip hop tempo, veering though glimpses of texture, but all of it sounds enriched regardless of the lack of a massive production budget - it’s late night music that focuses on a groove and goes gung ho for it. Ahead of the trio’s forthcoming performance in Room Three for South London's Off Modern takeover this Friday (where they’ll perform alongside Becoming Real) they’ve given us the pleasure of passing out a mix that journeys from A Guy To Gerald to Todd Terry, Art of Noise and FSOL. Entitled ‘A Guy Called Sony Playstation’ it really is a slowed up and perfect insight into the hivemind of our new favourite band... Download: Hounds of Hate – A Guy Called Sony Playstation Mix Tracklist: A Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Ray Todd Terry - Sp1200 Shittt (Sergio Mavi) Omar Souleyman - Lansob Sherek Steve Poindexter - Work That Motherfucker Art of Noise – Donna Sleezy D – Lost Control FSOL – Papua New Guinea Hounds of Hate – Trident Koopsta Knicca – Crucifix Frayser Boy – Pistol Playa LB Da Boss – Tek Gun Shot 3-6 Mystic Styles – DJ Lu Intro With Sub Line Hype Williams - Find Out What Happens When People Stop Being Polite and Start Gettin Reel