Rhys Fulber – Rogue Minority (Years of Denial Remix) [FR Recordings]

The covid pandemic had a great impact on humanity, on the way we relate to each other and on many other sociological aspects that conditioned our daily lives for a time. It also limited the economic stability of artists, programmers and club owners, however, and in reference to the artists who were unable to work in front of their audiences, some were able to delve into other artistic subjects derived entirely from creation. Rhys Fulber took advantage of this period of reflection to integrate himself into a different creative medium, influenced especially by the effect of human beings on nature. Brutal Nature was born as a consequence of the confinement, released in November 2021, and among its qualities we must highlight the introspective character of the Canadian producer, as he manages to adapt his hard and forceful style within a sensitive harmonic atmosphere.

Brutal Nature continues two years later with six versions by different authors. Brutal Nature Redux features the participation of artists and projects from the contemporary electronic music scene such as Years of Denial, Sarin, Evitceles, Qual and Vanity Productions, and another legend of the Canadian industrial scene, Orphx.

Years of Denial’s take on “Rogue Minority” injects some emotion and humanity into the stark and aggressive original while preserving the driving bass riff and lifting it into the sound of a futuristic tribal gathering. Berlin’s Sarin is up next, leaning into the future EBM style he also shares with Fulber but amping up the intensity and apocalyptic dance floor elements of Central State Institute. Night Render is given a darker and more sinister sheen by up-and-coming Bulgarian producer, Evitceles. The nature elements of the original are replaced by a cinematic dystopia, akin to salvaging lost technology in a ruined city.

Orphx add their rhythmic sophistication to “Stare at the Sun, tripping and refining the original down to its base elements while tuning Sara Taylor’s (Youth Code) screams across what appears to be several channels of short wave radio. Qual’s radical re-interpretation of “Pyrrhic Act” brings elements of Fulber’s past history in EBM right to the fore, creating a groove that’s both retro and very modern, slowing it down so the tension hangs heavier in the air. Lastly but certainly not least, Vanity Productions highlights the “nature” of “Fragility”, accentuating it with delicate clouds hanging in an air of contemplation; darkness and light coexisting in thick emotional textures.

Release date: July 14, 2023.