Bludgeoned Future: Best of Somatic Responses - 3+ Hour DJ Mix by Jon Zaremba - 100-205 BPMs

Somatic Responses (John and Paul Healy) are the unsung antiheroes of Third Millenium electronic music. Although in the press, Somatics were overshadowed by the fancy lads of Warp, Rephlex, etc…their music cast a shadow much darker, more menacing, and with more aggressive brutality than their contemporaries. In the early 00s, I craved something heavier than Aphex Twin, something smarter than Alec Empire, something more dystopian than Front 242, and something that pushed the boundaries of music to the threshold of glitch…right up to the edge…but without crossing the line. This was an era when many electronic artists followed Autechre’s purely random glitchwork by abandoning the organic energy that formed the foundation of their music. The brothers Healy had enough aesthetic sense to ignore the pervasive algorithmic trends of the day. I was just beginning to feel hopeless about the future of electronic music when Somatic Responses came into my life. It was either Adverts or Dying Language, I can’t recall which, but I know my first experience was provided via a CDR sent to me by Paul Simpson. Since then, Somatic Responses has been a staple in my record collection. As an author, I listen to their music frequently while writing. There is a slithering, grudge-like, lacerative quality to their cyborg music (even when pounding) that strokes my imagination. I say “cyborg” because there is humanity within (or below or maybe atop) the spastic beats, noises, and sonic bursts. Often, the arrangements don’t quite line up and, in general, the recordings aren’t entirely logical (like humans). Rarely will you find a recognizable bassline, and as soon as you sense a melody (or god forbid, a hook), it is rightfully strangled. Their cyborg music is the sound of humanity’s reluctant integration with the machine. In this regard, Somatic Responses is perhaps the most Giger of all the H.R. Giger-inspired music. My primary reason for making this mix was to assemble my favorite tracks into a nearly four hour file for writing inspiration. But secondarily, I wanted to pay tribute to Somatic Responses. They still haven’t received the attention and praise that they deserve. I believe, in time, when the human race is wiped out, we’ve all disintegrated, and the followers of some new puny god discover the dying language of our species’ creations, those beings will find that Somatic’s radiation rhythms touched the void of a strange future unlike the Healy’s glitzy rivals. This Bludgeoned Future mix was made from my own personal music collection, mostly either ripped from CD or purchased digitally from Somatic Responses. It begins at 100 and ends at 205 BPMs, more or less accelerating linearly, although the line may be augmented at times. If you enjoy this, please support them directly here: https://somaticresponses.bandcamp.com... TRACK LISTING: 0:0:00 - Accidental Happiness 0:5:48 - Automata (Sonic Empire) 0:11:23 - Wandering 0:15:50 - MSBT 0:20:24 - Monitor 0:24:43 - Adverts 0:27:14 - Threat Detection Protocol 0:31:17 - Ecothermal Intimidation 0:33:31 - Toxic Mind 0:38:13 - Metallic Spiralling Clouds 0:41:39 - MCATXT 0:47:26 - The Storm 0:50:43 - Approaching Menace 0:54:05 - Spatial Awareness 0:58:46 - Conspiracy Signals 1:01:13 - The Illusion of Control 1:06:43 - Dead Space 1:10:46 - Giorni di Malattia 1:14:56 - Radiation Rhythm 1:18:59 - Falling Through Ice 1:22:11 - Tori Drwg 1:27:09 - Mutating Virus 1:30:12 - They Have Names Aka STI9900108 1:34:31 - Empty Arena 1:39:50 - Warm Layers 1:44:22 - Combined Forces 1:48:09 - Deadzone 1:52:22 - Contrast to All Endings 1:56:00 - Shadow Hunting 1:58:03 - Melange (The Place) 2:01:52 - Thrash and Disappear 2:05:49 - Fourty 2:09:43 - Quartz Riot 2:13:18 - Tau Ceta F 2:16:06 - Equinox 2:19:09 - Caves of Steel 2:23:32 - Strange Future 2:27:25 - Human Bass 2:30:37 - Let’s All Distintegrate 2:33:49 - Puny God (Smash Mix) 2:39:44 - Umbrella 2:42:27 - Grey and Red 2:45:51 - Nowtro Music 2:49:50 - Simple Acid Blaster (Morpheus Mix) 2:52:49 - First Day Back 2:57:05 - Magma Flow 3:00:35 - Concrete Glider 3:05:04 - Dead Flies (Part 2) 3:08:40 - FUQHUP 3:12:36 - Hostile Planet (First Exploration) 3:17:43 - New Door 3:20:10 - Green and Grey 3:23:15 - Diffusion Grafitti 3:26:52 - Clode D 3:29:44 - Bushido 3:33:16 - Critical Path 3:38:04 - S.N.I.S. Plus 3:43:45 - Pounded Mass From the albums: Accidental Happiness [2001] Adverts [2003] An Introduction to Hatred (of Hardcore) [2017] Astral Destroit [2011] Augmented Lines [2000] Circumflex [1999] Clone Aware [2010] Concrete Glider [2011] CUL-LORS [2012] Dead Flies [2010] Digital Darkness [2008] Disruption of Space [2011] Dying Language [2002] Gamma Ray Bursts [2014] Giauzar [2006] Hard Landing [2014] Hostile Planet [2016] Let’s All Disintegrate [2014] Mercury [2009] Obscure the Future [2014] Pounded Mass [2005] Reformation [2009] Strange Future [2012] Tachyon Attack [2012] Touching the Void [2002]