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When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence
 
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When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence

Harmonic 313 Audio CD
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
Price: £12.28 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence + Let England Shake
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Product details

  • Audio CD (2 Feb 2009)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Warp
  • ASIN: B001M9EYKU
  • Other Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 104,462 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

1. Dirtbox
2. Cyclotron
3. No Way Out
4. Music Substitute System
5. Koln
6. Galag-a
7. Word Problems
8. Battlestar - Harmonic 313 & Phat Kat/Elzhi
9. Cyclotron C64 Sid
10. Call To Arms
11. Flaash
12. Don't Panic
13. Falling Away - Harmonic 313 & Steve Spacek
14. When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence
15. Quadrant 3

Product Description

BBC Review

When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence documents the aftermath of a collision between sleek Detroit techno (313 is that city's area code) and the pedestrian body of hip hop. The result is a dirty, splintered cyborg lit by flashes of electrical current and alien rage. Lo-res synths accompany beats that march forward like a victorious robot horde. The title of third track No Way Out says it all - Harmonic 313 shows no mercy, join the march or be crushed underfoot.

Given the moniker, this project could easily be confused with Harmonic 33. Both are the brainchild of Mark Pritchard aka Reload, Global Communications et al, but Harmonic 33's take on library music makes for a very different outcome. Where that project was apparently benign in intent, When Machines... transforms a supposedly cute gizmo like a Speak and Spell machine into an implacable teacher: utterly remorseless in its enunciation of lyrical grist. The hip hop influence is at its most overt on Battlestar which sees guest Phat Kat and Elzhi declaim to harsh effect. Falling Away is the surprise exception to the rule - with its mournful soul vocals it adds a brilliant touch of humanity and pathos to the mix.

Music Substitute System states that, "music is now a thing of the past" in gentle feminine tones that recall One Very Important Thought, the outro to Boards of Canada's masterpiece, Music Has The Right To Children. Both projects reference the 1970s, the era of Logan's Run, Asteroids and 2000AD but Harmonic 313's music instead recalls the harsh tones of sub-aquatic documenters Drexciya. Draconian and eerily implacable, When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence succeeds in constructing a plausible dystopian future world out of its constituent parts. --Colin Buttimer

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Colin Mccartney TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Audio CD
This is not, as its title suggests, an ambient concept album about the far future. It is futuristic though, but in a 1970s/1980s BBC television kind of way: "Tomorrow's World", "Look Around You", "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy". Producer Mark Pritchard pays homage to the spirit of those programmes, but also manages to bring in something else and in doing so manages to avoid sounding out-and-out retro.

Along the way there are nods to Detroit (besides the obvious 313 reference) - particularly Drexciya and Dabrye - as well as fellow Brits Black Dog and Boards of Canada. The beats are kind of hip-hop, but for me this is really a techno record. The almost anthemic "Word Problems" is up there with the best UR material. "Köln" evokes memories of early 90s Planet E releases. "Flaash" is Phuture's "Acid Tracks" updated.

This is the third top quality release from Warp Records in as many weeks - a welcome return to "dance music with bleeps" from a label that has too often become sidetracked in recent years.

Someday all albums will be made this way...
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Robster
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Towering beats, bleeps & bass album here from Warp's Mark Pritchard... Interestingly this is Warp's most 'Warp-esque' release in a long time and as such could easily sit sonically with the best of Warp's mid 90's output (that's high praise indeed)... However, it's all served up with a healthly nod to grimey Noughties dance floor culture, has a serious retro twist and crackles with smile-inducing production values throughout...

Played through some Sennheiser SP-25's it's a triumph, with Pritchard's obvious love for all things synthetic shining through...

Echoing the precious reviewer, we can only hope that the label returns to nuture it's long suffering Electronica roots, but this is certainly a 'two-step' in the right direction...

Thoroughly brilliant.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
It's good but.... 6 Aug 2009
Format:Audio CD
....I'd listen to Dopplereffekt's 'Gesamtkuntswerk' from 1999ish to hear what might be described as the original version of this album. Homage? Maybe. Rip-off? Well, perhaps. 'An update' is prob'ly the best option.
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