It’s truly spectacular that a cult cassette label like Harsh Riddims has amassed such a wide variety of releases within the past three years. The complexity and variety of the label is a reflection of founder Ryan Parks’ embrace of his outsider status and a willingness to incorporate everything from angular experimentalism to pulsing dance beats within his vision. Harsh Riddims 2013-2016 is more than a fierce, zoned-in mix. It’s an expansive take on the place of Harsh Riddims within Atlanta, and even if unintentional, a claim to the throne amidst a growing horde of electronic artists and underground synth wizards.
When he’s not performing as Fit of Body, Parks has been forging an underground empire since 2013. Though offshoots have spread from NYC to Montreal, the label is firmly grounded in Atlanta. Still, in order to achieve his vision for the retrospective, he needed help, and who better to turn to than 2MR’s Mike Simonetti? After cofounding Italians Do It Better, Simonetti started 2MR with help from Captured Tracks’ Mike Sniper in an effort to promote legitimate techno in a world saturated by festival-focused EDM. This co-release might be evidence of Harsh Riddims’ ever-increasing alternative cachet, but the 11 tracks are as accessible as they are entrancing.
Rarely has a retrospective felt so locked into the present. Even though tracks like B L A C K I E’s “Hot Livin’N tha South” and Divine Interface’s “House Divided” are throwbacks to Harsh Riddims’ first comp, they feel remarkably fresh. The entire album plays like an evolutionary tree, linking Harsh Riddims’ two compilations with a few additional tracks. TWINS’ remix of Love Letters’ “Nag” is especially notable. The digital bonus track burns with an urgency nearly too tumultuous for the dance floor without overstaying its welcome.
There is an obvious pride behind Harsh Riddims 2013-2016, but the quality of the tracks keep it from devolving into any sort of self-serving “greatest hits” collection. As such, don’t expect anyone from the label or any of the artists on the compilation to get caught up in their own hype. They’re too busy challenging expectations of what a small tape label can and will do.
The dichotomy of Parks’ levelheaded chaos is balanced between chill vibes and endless party energy. This accentuates two closely linked facets of the compilation. It is both the perfect introduction to the label for the uninitiated, as well as an expansive building block for the mythos of Harsh Riddims. Together these facets are vindication for those who have followed Parks’ work since the beginning and proof the label’s tracks hold up after a few years in the archives, a notable accomplishment for any music tied so closely to the ephemeral beast of nightlife.
Harsh Riddims will celebrate the release of Harsh Riddims 2013-2016 on Sat., Oct. 29 at 691 John Wesley Dobbs. There will be a listening party. TWINS and WGM will perform live along with DJ sets from Stefan Ringer, Divine Interface, and Anonima. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $3.
More Info
Web: www.harshriddims.com
Bandcamp: harshriddims.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @harshriddims
Twitter: @harshriddims