An echoic take on rave and electronica, and a modern shapeshifting of styles that hints at more things to come; Berlin-based composer, producer and sound designer Ben Lukas Boysen reboots his experimental Hecq project with a new five track EP titled ‘Form’ on Max Cooper’s Mesh imprint
Exploring the outer realms of leftfield electronica, break-core and techno, Hecq’s previous albums included induction microphone-based recordings (‘Mare Nostrum’), dubstep, and tape loop investigations (‘Avenger, Chansons de geste’), providing many chances to dive into the vast cosmos of modern electronica. Though the first Hecq releases were heavily IDM influenced, it never had a real foundation or style. Ben explains “Hecq has always been a highly flexible project, latching on to whatever it was that interests me at that time. It’s a playground and every album can be a clean slate.”
In November ‘22, Ben premiered new Hecq material to a sold out crowd at London’s iconic Printworks venue. Five new tracks feature on ‘Form’, opening with bubbling synths and loose two-step beats resolving on ‘Gyro’. ‘Redom Solid’ stealthily changes through the gears from sci-fi-tech-step to deep, breakbeat house, while the pendulous rhythm of ‘MX River’ makes for a constantly shifting beast. The ascending progression of beatless title track ‘Form’ is a warm, soothing balm and the melodically innocent, tiki-taka movements on ‘BKN’ trip out in time for a final third of a muted, solo arpeggio.
Ben says,
“As a huge fan of what Max Cooper has put out on Mesh over the last year, the prospect of releasing the first Hecq EP to come out in a long time on his label was extremely flattering. The attention to detail and thought that goes into a release is amazing and feels like the right home to relaunch this project that started everything for me. ‘Form’ pays homage to some of my earliest musical roots and the foundational inspiration for the Hecq project”.
Born in 1981 as the third child of opera singer Deirdre Boysen and actor Claus Boysen, his classical music training on piano and guitar began when he was seven years old. Recorded under his own name, these musical roots inspired three critically acclaimed albums for Erased Tapes, merging programmed piano pieces with live instruments. His last Ben Lukas Boysen LP ‘Mirage’ was followed by ‘Clarion’ in 2022, featuring remixes from Mogwai, Foodman and Kiasmos.
Ben has simultaneously established himself as a trusted composer and sound designer, working for a wide array of clients including Amnesty International, Amazon, Sony Playstation, Unicef, Nike and Marvel Comics; composing for feature films, television, games, art installations and VR experiences. Ben recently completed co-scoring a feature film with Jon Hopkins called ‘Falling Into Place’, due for release later this year, and is soon starting work on the score for season 2 of ‘The Lazarus Project’ for Sky TV.‘Form’ is set for release on 12” vinyl and digital formats on 14th July 2023 on Mesh
Hecq – Form
Tracklist:01. Gyro
2. Redom Solid
03. MX River
04. Form
05. BKNStay tuned at Futuristic Tracks of the Week selection and Listen to Hecq’s new music first
