2562 – Fever 8.7

               2562 set one limitation for this album: everything had to be sampled from disco albums. It is the best limitation he could have set. The entire album is so fantastic; I think I’ve finally been converted over to the church of dubstep.

                Previous efforts by Dave Husimans had been a bit less house-orientated. As a huge fan of house music, particularly well-done house, I think it is probably that element which won me over. While listening to this, I’m reminded this is only his third album. Those previous albums lacked a certain something; maybe they were a bit too sparse for me.

                “Winamp Melodrama” reminds me heavily of Oval gone dance. Yes, it is that good. Beats skip; melodies are lost in constant stutters and distortion. Glitch never sounded so good or purposeful. Other parts are reminiscent of late-period IDM such as “Juxtapose” which strongly suggests Jake Mandell’s work might have had an influence.

                Other songs show off certain spaciousness. “Intermission” with its heavy bass, ideal percussion and lush sound fills its 6 minutes with nothing but giant sounds. Faster songs exist on this album too, such as the hyper-kinetic “Brasil Deadwalker”. Countless allusions are made to the best of early 90s techno, whether it is the far off hits or stabs of melody.

                My personal favorite would have to be “Final Frenzy”. It has a great buildup in it. Perhaps if 2562 was interested in hits, this would be the radio single. I’m not sure; I’m pretty addicted to electronic music in general. 

                “Fever” is a full album. There aren’t any duds. Albums like this confirm my faith in electronic music in general. Occasionally I veer away from the path of pure electronic. 2562 reminds me of my favorite albums I listened to growing up as a kid and I’m thankful to him.

My Feelings about Technology

At some point, you have to figure out exactly where you stand on technology. Do you build a personal brand through constant obnoxious ploys, plastering your face all over the place? What motivates you to come onto the internet, do you have an insight or are you there to simply dispense your advice on life? Personally, I see a lot of what goes on as forms of personal curating, especially with music blogs. Old styles are swept old, new ones configured with whatever is lying around. Some nostalgia, is it 60s, 70s, or 90s vintage? Can you put a house beat to it?

My concern on this deals with how connected people really are. I’ve noticed a proliferation of phones and laptops meant to keep people in interaction at all times. Obviously this isn’t anything new; it has been a long process. But occasionally things like the “Don’t tase me bro” or Bill Nye’s sudden collapse captures my attention. How connected should we be? Is there such a thing as being too hyper-sensitive to one’s online news environment, and could it happen to me?

I wonder about this. How can one think without occasionally taking a break from everything going on? Consuming at some point requires a degree of reflection. My reflection occurs when I bike, when I travel, when I work. A large white brick serves as my phone, I’m happy I can receive text messages. I’m not sure if I’d feel comfortable diving headfirst into an IPhone or Blackberry. In some ways, I follow many online communities with a degree of dedication. But in others, I’m more than happy to get back to people on my schedule. Things can wait, things can linger. 

An alias works better for me in this format. If someone reading this saw or knew what I’d look like, then that could potentially change their opinion of what they’re writing. I understand why people do this. Plus, if people knew who wrote this, they might demand more or less from me. A suggestion or two would pop up, and I don’t know what I’d do. 

Occasionally I think this connectivity leads to hyperactivity. Though it is in some ways bad, maybe the brain re-wiring allows us to appreciate that time we spend alone. Productivity did increase upon the advent of the internet. But then as high speed internet became commonplace it faltered.

Could it be possible that there is a sweet spot of saturation? Where the amount of information you receive is enough, at that perfect point. You can take everything in while at the same time not being overwhelmed by various alerts, updates, etc. Due to these alerts I barely check my facebook, I try to avoid too much while I’m working or before I go to bed. I want to feel like a human being and not like breathing circuitry. 

 Smartphones will be lost on me for a certain period of time. I’m not sure if this makes me a late adopter, or if I prefer my space and quiet. Lately I’ve grown to appreciate that quiet as trains scream at me, as construction goes on into the bizarre hours of the night, and as I go into the bathroom I hear radio blasting from very far away. Being without distraction is a rare thing indeed, I guess I’m lucky to encounter it every so often. No phone should ever take that away from me.