Hatchback - Zeus and Apollo

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4...according to our Business Lady on Thu 24 Mar, 2011.

'And So Begins The New Age Of New Age' is the quote on the back of Hatchback (a.k.a. California man Sam Grawe). There are a few artists out there working in the left-field and synth community that have already begun the process of revitalising the once frowned upon sound of New Age music and I've been surprised and, in some cases, amazed by the results. Dolphins Into The Future, Stellar Om Source, James Ferraro, Oneohtrix Point Never, Ducktails, Emeralds and some of the earlier efforts from L.A's Growing spring to mind. Hatchback is a sincere New Age project that looks to Eno, Cluster, Vangelis, Michael Rother, Harold Budd, Iasos, Popol Vuh, Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream for inspiration then sugars those influences with Californian sunshine and lashing of powerful marijuana. 'Zeus & Apollo' is essentially about synth worship so every tone and parameter here sounds studious and considered. It's pure subtlety, nothing leaps from the speakers with any urgency yet audio satisfaction is guaranteed if you're patient. Probably help if you are baked too. I'd be hard pushed to claim that this sounds like a modern reinterpretation or revamp of the New Age sound, if anything it's pure homage. Other than the tell tale signs of modern production techniques 'Zeus & Apollo' sounds like it came straight from the late 70's/early 80's. This is no bad thing, in fact, I like it a lot It's true synth appreciation music of the highest calibre. Total Vangelis yo!

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“‘Welcome to the new age of new age’. So says Hatchback’s Sam Grawe on his second outing for Lo Recordings, the new CD and double LP ‘Zeus & Apollo’. Like its predecessor ‘Colors of the Sun’ this is an album full of California sunshine and open space, but this time Hatchback ventures further afield, crafting a widescreen epic that travels deep into a territory once considered off limits… the new age.

Could it really be that a new age of new age is upon us? You can find it in the melodic arpeggios and beatless vistas of acts like Oneohtrix Point Never and Emeralds, and entrenched in the vibes of further out leftfield acts like James Ferraro and Ducktails. Although resuscitating out-of-bounds areas of the record shop has become something of a hipster calling card (witness the revivals of folk and disco), Hatchback has had a lifelong appreciation for the genre, stemming from summer nights listening to public radio’s Music From The Hearts Of Space and years spent scouring without irony the $1 new age bins for synthesizer based artists. While he, like the rest of us, suffered through the dark time when Windham Hill’s particular brand of antiseptic piano wash soured us all on the concept of new age music, Sam never lost interest in the genre’s foundations - the experiments of Vangelis, Cluster, Michael Rother, Brian Eno, Harold Budd, Iasos, Popol Vuh, Klaus Schulze, and Tangerine Dream.

‘Zeus & Apollo’ pays tribute to those ‘gods’ of new age, while stepping boldly into the 21st century. Beautifully constructed and produced, the intricate layers and melodious tones will send you spinning effortlessly out into the galaxy. Find yourself a piece of sky, put on your headphones and let Hatchback take your mind in hand— once again space travel is affordable to all.

Tracklisting:

CD

1. Sunrise Prototypes 2. Zeus and Apollo 3. Orinoco Waltz 4. Tapir Tango 5. Hotaru 6. The Violet Sequence

2LP

A1. Sunrise Prototypes A2. Zeus and Apollo B3. Orinoco Waltz B4. Tapir Tango C5. Hotaru D6. The Violet Sequence

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