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MH-272 Andre Afram Asmar - Harmonic Emergency  Shortly after Andre Afram Asmar began working on Harmonic Emergency, the follow up to his acclaimed 2003 Mush debut Racetothebottom, he suffered an aneurism that left him with only half of his faculties intact. The completion of the album became the most therapeutic practice Asmar would undertake, and he sought out musicians to help him realize the vision that he feared he might have lost. With an international list of collaborators, including legendary reggae bass player Fully Fullwood, drummers from all over Latin America and the Middle East, and vocalists from Syria and Israel, Asmar collected hours of original source material for Harmonic Emergency. Combining epic arrangements, flowing production, and a master’s touch on the board learned at the feet of some of dub’s greatest mixers, Asmar breathes true urgency into Harmonic Emergency; frequencies clash to uneasy resolutions, genres pile atop each other with astounding effectiveness and live percussion is suddenly overwhelmed by adrenalized electronics. As the third world struggles to make itself heard from outside the halls of power, Harmonic Emergency seeks to project the intensity of that very voice from within. |
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| Reviews Summary |
| Dub reggae messes with sounds through addition, subtraction, distortion, and sudden shifts - iTunes / Harmonic Emergency was primarily a dub-rooted project with sound fragments looped and echoed into oblivion - Prefix / AAA may well be on a road leading through dance clubs - Rap Talk / Far to much to savor with just one dose - Aiding & Abetting / This is an album that is made from love of life and all it has to offer - Scratched Vinyl |
| Reviews | |
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| Shortly after Andre Afram Asmar began working on Harmonic Emergency, he suffered an aneurism that left him with only half of his faculties intact. The completion of the album became the therapeutic practice he would undertake, and he sought out musicians to help him realise the vision that he feared he might have lost. With an international list of collaborators, including reggae legend Fully Fullwood, drummers from all over Latin America and the Middle East, and vocalists from Syria and Israel, Asmar collected hours of original source material. Combining epic arrangements, flowing production, and a master’s touch on the board learned from some of dub’s greatest mixers, Asmar breathes urgency into Harmonic Emergency; frequencies clash to uneasy resolutions, genres pile atop each other with astounding effectiveness, and percussion is suddenly overwhelmed by adrenalised electronics. As the third world struggles to make itself heard from outside the halls of power, Asmar seeks to project the intensity of that very voice from within. Andre Afram Asmar takes an approach far different than that of most electronic music producers. With equal parts influences from hip-hop, dub and world music, Asmar most often builds around live instrumentation, utilising samples and effects as accents to the acoustics, ethnic percussion and live vocals found in his work. Whether working with underground MC Circus (Shapeshifters), dub pioneer Scientist, or any of a host of instrumentalists, percussionists and vocalists that can be found nightly at his Los Angeles recording compound, Asmar finds a way to twist the end result into a product that is uniquely his own. - Rhythm Online |
