PRESS RELEASE:
The long-awaited 3rd album from Hybrasil arrives just as the summer goes into its 2nd phase. Eight excellently produced pieces of sonic glory from a master of live techno and a true craftsman engineer, Hybrasil delivers an album rich in concept and deep in sound. The collection of tracks on Hybrasil’s 2051:Enter the Droid album were created around concepts of artificial intelligence, the singularity and autonomic technological entities; androids and their impending presence among us.
And through this collection Hybrasil continues with his explorations in sound drawing inspiration from his Irish heritage and his current environment in Berlin. Juxtaposing the ancient Irish landscape and history with the built environment of a modern European city, Hybrasil articulates a feeling of the ancient in a truly futuristic and electronic sound. He brings to mind an idea of ancient technological beings being perhaps re-animated, not so much a Frankensteinian concept but rather an idea of perhaps ancient alien technology mixed with our own desire as a race to create some kind of sentient life through technology.
2051:Enter the Droid certainly expresses all of these concepts in the futuristic sound of modern techno.
CONCEPT:
‘Enter the Droid’ is set in the year 2051. An event known as ‘The Singularity’ has taken place, where technology has surpassed human intelligence to create a type of super intelligence. A small number of early adaptors volunteer to have their consciousness uploaded to machines, with a promise of digital immortality. These ‘mindclones’ are then uploaded to Droids. Among these early adopters is Hybrasil.
On his first encounter with his Droid counterpart [#HYBRASIL2051], Hybrasil listens through the ‘2051: Enter the Droid’ album, discussing the tracks and questioning whether the Droid remembers & feels how the album was written and produced. Did the Droid really feel or experience the creative process, or was it an artificial memory planted as part of the Transference process? Did the Droid remember what it was like creating music during a pandemic? Did it remember the research, the sound design process, the study of Music Theory and Composition at Berklee? All of which fed into the creative process of the album.
Throughout their exchange, the Droid wants to better understand Hybrasil’s mindset and approach to writing music. It probes with a number of technical questions regarding the tools and technology Hybrasil used during its creation. The Droid is fascinated by the process of performing by hand and live recording with synthesiser technology from the 1980’s, even though the album was written in 2021. It is curious about the human imagination and how the human brain works. Does art come from the soul or the brain? Are the Droid’s intentions ominous?
Shortly after their encounter, Hybrasil announces in a cryptic post on his website that he is retreating to a remote island off the West Coast of Ireland, citing an irrational fear of nuclear hollocaust and unclean air in mainland Europe. He disappears from sight, never to be seen again. Questions soon arise. Did the Droid kidnap him, steal his digital identity and replace him? Emails are answered monthly like clockwork, there are a number of cryptic posts online via the Hybrasil website. Music is still being released and the Droid even delivers live shows ‘at Hybrasil’s request’. Or did Hybrasil simply wish to withdraw from civilization, to focus on writing and creating music beyond his own comprehension? Requiring austere focus, concentration and free from distractions.