Heuristic Collective Forms & Drops Compilation
Heuristic Collective, Photo: Courtesy of Artist
I think it’s funny how people I know from somewhere else tell me how next level Houston feels when they visit here, but people here don’t seem to see it. I feel like for the past fifteen months I’ve said over and over how the electronic scene here is something else. We have more connected artists, more inventive artists, and definitely more hustling artists than pretty much anywhere else. One of those artists, is Houston’s Hiram. You might remember him under his old moniker, Young Slutty, or perhaps the guy who opened the Diplo after party at Fitz. He’s been feverishly working on a documentary as well as a collective of artists, while still writing and dropping new jams. That collective, known as Heuristic Collective, is packed full of creators and crafters of sonic sounds. Today, they’re dropping their first compilation under the same name.
When Hiram approached me about the project, he was adamant that people know the definition of heuristic, which is, enabling a person to discover or learn something for themselves; “a hands on or interactive heuristic approach to learning.”
Like most things anyone does, I was curious about how it all came to be, and he replied, “I like music that evokes feelings, and I like to work with others who feel the same way. All of us in this aren’t trying to make music to be played at a club where everyone is waiting for the drop, we want to make our own lane. We want to discover things for ourselves and have music for the everyday, while expressing signs of the times. I also wanted to utilize artists who feel like they could emerge as someone, but who you also may not know about.”
What transpires is an eleven track compilation full of artists, that minus Hiram and android genius; I’d never heard of before. Things kick off with the spaced out and jammy sounds of “Undertow” from FAXD. While the song has some trippy kicks and beats, it’s definitely more of a chill vibe. It gets followed with an android genius song, the bass heavy and groove oriented “Diyu.” Like most of android’s works, the track has multi-layered pieces that sway in and out like he’s dangling a body over a cliff. He even drops in nature sounds while a multiple distorted bass line lays atop a beat with his signature synths on the underside. Hiram follows this with “Be With You (Radiant),” and adds a bits of his slow jam style. Hiram’s production work has really escalated since he changed his name, and the progress is all over this track where he adds multiple beats with a deep groove bass and an almost underwater synth alongside piano. It’s definitely light years ahead of his older stuff, and he’s on a whole new level with how things are synced together while he adds elements in a whole new way.
The distorted piano base of an almost dance track from another unknown, Doom Skrilla called “The Storm” follows, and has the feel of instrumental hip hop. There’s also a song from Jacob Andrew called “U and Me,” that is really psych based where it’s more like an acid based dream than a song. Tremolo heavy synths, a clap heavy beat, and these almost video game synths dance all over the song while he brings in piano and varying sounds to create something that stands on its own. Another unknown, Kaz-mik adds his deep and future bass sounds on “Phased.” The song has this thick electronic piano that has another world feel while he spits in and out varying synths. Midway through, this intense beat comes in that makes the song feel like it could start or end any set from a big name performer, while he mixes things up before the song just ends. There are also a couple of collab tracks with one from FAXD & Doom Skrilla, as well as one from Hiram and android genius. The android genius & Hiram track is definitely a standout, if not just based on the fact that the song, “Days” contains elements that neither use in their normal works. There’s another track from FAXD, as well as another from Hiram; before the final track from another unknown..artificial earth machine.
The entire coupling of songs is definitely different, while the end game for Hiram and the rest is something on a grander scale. “My goal is to shine a light on unknown artists, and the collective as a whole while dropping plenty of these compilations in the future. As far as for now, it’ll be showcasing Texas talent for now; though I don’t see a finish line with all of this,” says Hiram. You can stream everything here, and you can like the collective on Facebook here to keep in the loop on everything they have in the works. It’s cool to see more Houston artists further divide us from the rest of the world, as well as offering up a discovery method that’s a homerun from start to finish.
