Label stalwarts Hidden Empire are back at it this winter with the first volume to their new diptych release. Comprised of three cuts that span the pair’s sonic universe far and wide, ‘Beyond The Realm’ packs the very kind of hair-raising fuego to turn any dance floor upside down and have you zoning out to unknown spheres in the blink of an eye. Inspired by a journey to Mexico during which they could experience the country’s deeply mystic atmosphere and its vibrant, colourful culture, this new effort’s aim was to “catch the spirit of the time, infusing it with a danceable rhythm that wraps around you like a hypnotic spell” the duo explains. All about “embracing the now” and “creating an emotional journey that’s both introspective and irresistibly groovy”, ‘Beyond The Realm’ summons the hi-NRG chug of heavy-duty techno wares and laces it up with a tang of balearic-flavoured melancholy and thunderous EBM/dubstep, wobbling with menacing presence as the groove unfolds, languid and sensual.
Attacking pedal to the metal, the title-track is archetypal Hidden Empire at its most driving and mesmerising. Fusing the washed-out serenity of coastal house with rogue dubstep outbursts and modular-like escapology, all treated to a gridlocked 4×4 pattern that creates this sort of unsuspected floor alchemy, ‘Beyond The Realm’ encompasses the pair’s motto to a T, full with that “melancholy that uplifts, that makes you want to dance through the bittersweet moments”. A more prog-minded affair, the second number ‘Take You For A Ride’ reels off a straightforward tech-housey groove and fleshes it out with synth-heavy, peak-time-ready breaks and drops that get the adrenaline rushing wildly as the tension builds up and swoops down upon you like a bird of prey. Shutting the blinds on this new transmission, the Italo-infused ‘Wanna Dance’ rounds it all off on a supremely sexy finale of whispered sensuality, steely keyboard onslaughts and proper thrilling sequencing, swinging the pendulum between unbridled backroom cheekiness and relentless autobahn-surfing vibrations.

Catalogue number: SVT347