The releases on Hive Records are usually interesting, though not always very easy to digest. Musicwise they can be situated somewhere between IDM, industrial and electro(nica). The same can be said of this album by Photophob from Austria, which really impresses me. There are broken and glitchy sounds and complex beats, but also moody and melodic ambient synth layers. It is a perfect hybrid between experimentation and accessibility, for which you don’t have to be a highly experienced IDM listener to appreciate it.
“Your majesty machine” seems to deal with machines and robots in relation to human beings and has great artwork. The instrumental album sounds futuristic, though certainly not clinical, but often gentle, like the friendly robot on the cover. A nice mix of IDM structures, restrained breakbeats and dreamy ambiance make this into my favourite Hive Records release so far.
