HEX Recordings: the new record label of HEX is here

HEX is now ready to face a new and very important phase for the movement, the launch of its own music label: HEX Recordings. A platform to diffuse its own sound and cultivate talents of the Techno scene.

The first EP of the label comes from PØLI and Lorenzo Raganzini, resident artists and founders of the movement. 4 original tracks, that together with 10 remixes by a varied selection of international artists, represent the music vision behind the label and the international support already received at this early stage. The idea behind the release is to present the HEX Sound through different artists and their diverse shades of Techno, ranging from ambient, beatless compositions to the most ravey sounds.

The release is out both on vinyl and digital, with a double vinyl EP that includes the 4 original pieces and 4 remixes from prime Techno artists: Regal, VII Circle, Zanias and Insolate. In addition to this and exclusively on digital, there will be 6 other remixes from some of the most talented and respected artists of the underground scene, including VSK, AWB, Svarog, Nico Moreno, Farceb and Alignment.

The singularity of the creation process in this release is also represented by the way used by PØLI and Lorenzo Raganzini to compose the original tracks. They decided to go on a 10-day retreat in a professional recording studio in the countryside of Spain, completely isolated with no phone and no outer communication. During this time, they only focused on music creation for the EP, using analog machines, both modern and old, and recording the atmospheric sounds of the environment around them. A documentary has also been released, revealing more details from this journey and what is behind HEX.

Visual experiences are a key part of HEX since its inception, a characteristic also present on the label. Each original track will come out with its own videoclip, telling the story behind every composition. There are 3 videoclips out, the first one being ‘Raving In Paris’. Filmed between Barcelona and Paris, it represents the strong connection of the two raving cultures, the French and the Spanish one.

Loops. More loops. In the background of this videoclip, the monotony, the fear of being trapped in the routine. “The Last Station”, the fourth piece of Omala Kcohs, represents the vital path of a human being. The blows of life are transformed into claps and the tension of the protagonist is nothing more than the fear of falling again. It is necessary to escape, even if it is risky, even if it brings us closer to drowning, even if it involves playing with death. The ascents and descents of “The Last Station” are also visually captured in the changes of tonalities and textures. The more distance travelled, the less monotony, the less loops. The final pads take us to salvation, back home alive, surviving the last station.

Behind this minimalist video, PØLI and Lorenzo Raganzini are conceptualising the idea of the artist-object. “He” becomes “It”, with no feelings and almost no soul. Just a single object exposed to the love, obsession, judgment or even hate felt by his public. This love which can be so intense, so strong that it could destroy It.
With this absurd scenario, HEX wants to break this idea and finally make ravers and artists equal by giving to the music and the respect of human beings all the meaning of techno.

What about the 4 original tracks created by PØLI and Lorenzo Raganzini?

A1 – EL TRAPEZISTA

This track was thought with the aim of being an emotional intro. The starting point of its creation are the voices recorded at the local circus of the town where PØLI and Lorenzo Raganzini went on a retreat to produce the EP. The intention of the track is to replicate the same tension that the trapezist feels during his performance, when he goes back and forth between stressful moments and the pleasure felt when walking on the thin rope in a successful way. In the same way, “El Trapezista” moves the listener from one feeling to the other by stimulating the ears with a pulsating and breathtaking heartbeat.

A2 – NO ESCAPE

With a strong and industrial kick, the fast 140 BPM beat goes unstoppable with PØLI’s perpetual ‘love is useless’, until the electric synth breaks the silence. At this moment, Lorenzo Raganzini enunciates a quote from the British-American philosopher Alan Watts, which reveals to people that no matter what they do, at the end, there is no escape. An evocative speech that perfectly represents the dark vision of the two artists.

B1 – RAVING IN PARIS

After a trip to Paris, PØLI and Lorenzo Raganzini decided to stamp their experience and respect for the French rave culture forever on a musical piece. A culture based on a mix of different types of people with varied lifestyles that dance to the hardest beats for days and feel unified by the music. This track is a restless sequence that keeps the energy to the maximum level from start to finish and includes a 90’s-influenced drum and bass break, along with some background voices dictated by PØLI.

B2 – THE LAST STATION

The fourth composition represents life. A very enveloping low-end drives the whole track as the basis of a human who goes through his existence, and a constant clap hit represents the various hits that are received along the way. The whole progression of the track, composed by up and downs, brings the listener from the most negative and apocalyptic situation until the so called ‘the last station’ (a state of salvation) narrated by the celestial pads in the end.

The authors of the remixes gave their feedback on the originals, a few insights into the creation process of the remixes and the ‘why’ behind those ideas.

REGAL

The original has a groove and an energy that I liked a lot since I first heard the track, and I used to play it quite often. The idea was to try to maintain the original groove but adding a bit more dynamism so it wasn’t that ‘lineal’, that’s the reason behind all the changes throughout the remix.

It came out like that naturally, I started making various trials on sound and structure, ending up with this version in a very fluent way.

VII CIRCLE

We like the choice of the sounds that make up the mix, selected with great care and authenticity. In particular, the insertion and the evolution of the atmospheres make the track immediately recognisable and very convincing. It will be an essential weapon in our next gigs. The idea was to be able to manipulate and process the basic elements of the original track, making use of them to get something that combines the strengths of our project with the one with which we had the pleasure to collaborate.

The final result is always very unpredictable and very interesting for us too. Every remix we have the honour to make is an opportunity for us to grow artistically, learning from those who share their visions with us through their productions, always of the highest level.

Because, in our opinion, it’s a track that can reconcile the atmospheres of the two projects in a great balance, but at the same time it has our characteristic sound, plus some experimental elements. We hope that the result of our work will be appreciated.

ZANIAS

The ominous and emotionally heavy atmosphere, particularly in the pads. I wanted to use the pads as a basis for a melody and build more of a ‘song’ around it, so after restructuring I added drums and then just sang what came to me.

The vocals are all one take so it’s as natural as possible, to extract the purest essence of the atmosphere I found so intriguing. Why like that? Because it’s how I choose all my ideas… it’s what felt right at the time!

INSOLATE

In the original I loved that 90’s rave feeling. I wanted to make the remix in my own style and feelings. Still a little bit trippy and mental but with rave elements of the original and with the vocal that I love so much! I just followed my guts to do it.

VSK

I really liked the main synth-bass on it. The track is really functional on the dance floor, and also the vocal got my attention. The original version has cool Rave vibes, really dark and strong. The idea was to keep this mood, adding some sound design elements on it, such as FX and percussions. Almost all the new elements come from the original sounds. Actually I would not say idea but rather “intention”. Every time I make a remix, I try to give the original version my imprint, but always keeping the initial concept strongly recognisable.

AWB

The things I liked in the original were the vocals and the intensity of the drums. Originally, the idea was to bring on different drum proposals but I came into a straightforward 4/4 kick with a different and evolving bass line, taking small FX elements coming more often, bringing another dimension to them. I chose this idea because of the direction’s request from the label and what I felt from the original.

SVAROG

Most likely, the things in the original track are the two shades of different textures with diverse moods. The main idea for the remix was to pass it through my concept of art, that means the track has to be one piece of sound with a kaleidoscopical structure. Why this way? I think remixes also have to reflect my style of sound.

NICO MORENO

What I liked in the original track were the vocals and ambient sounds, which make the track ‘spatial’. My idea was to make the track more rhythmical and fast, and I chose that because it’s my style and I like to surprise people with a remix that is completely different from the original one.

FARCEB

Great production on the original! I wanted to make a version closer to my style, applying the pads over my interpretation. I generally do the same with all the remixes I make, depending on the elements I have at my reach.

ALIGNMENT

The hypnotic and powerful vibe, combined with the vocal elements, make it a really solid song. I started with the idea of producing a powerful remix for the dance floor, but but usually I never have a precise idea when I start a new track, I simply start working and don’t stop until everything sounds good.

In this case I created a track for the dance floor, because I don’t really like conceptual things. I think club music should be music to dance, it must be direct and powerful and I create every song trying to reach a final result that leaves a mark in a DJ set.

You can listen to all the tracks from the EP on Spotify and Soundcloud here:

HEX Recordings: the new label of HEX is here