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Beyond Humanity v2.0 - CD 2006
Chain DLK
Side-Line
A Different Drum
Gothic Paradise
Synthpop.net
Gothtronic
Virus Magazine
DJ Copper Top
Beyond Humanity (demo) - CD 2005
Chain DLK
RemixWars
REVIEWS
Virus Magazine
...this CD will definitely find favor with club patrons and
those who like to move their booty.
Review by
Virus-Magazine
Gothtronic
The long-awaited follow-up to their 2002 breakthrough "Angels in
Disguise" was recorded entirely in the computer environment, and
reflects a more focused and aggressive sound than its predecessor
while retaining founder Eric Eldredge's melody and songwriting
touch.
Review by
Gothtronic
Synthdicate (Russian Page and
letters)
To read the review of this page, please follow the
LINK.
Chain DLK
Beyond Humanity, the third album from New York-based Interface,
offers a refreshing earful of forward-thinking, futuristic
electro-pop. This highly-charged melodic escapade expands outward
from its understated opening track, “Gravity,” accelerating from
zero to sixty in the blink of an eye. Staccato beats and fluid
arpeggios sizzle around the vocoded articulations of singer Eric
Eldredge as “Age of Computers” kicks into high gear. “Mind Killer”
shows off the programming and arrangement skills of Eldredge and
band mate Jon Billian, as this highly infectious dance track
palpitates like a heart on the verge of infarction! The place slows
a bit on “Wonderland,” but cranks back up again on “Despair,” a
repetitious but energetic instrumental. “Stranger in a Strange Land”
incorporates samples and some nicely executed vocal melodies in a
very palatable fashion. The vocoder returns on the title track,
“Beyond Human,” along with some very familiar, euphonic retro beats
and effects – musically and thematically, one must believe there’s a
nod to techno godfathers Kraftwerk in here somewhere! “Insomniac”
slams on the breaks, its slow, flowing beat giving it a much darker
sheen than the rest of the album. “Nobody’s Hero” is definitely a
cut above, and should emerge as a dance floor favorite for club
goers this summer. “Faith in Nothing” closes out the album nicely,
though I had to laugh while listening to the chorus, as I was
reminded of the nihilists from “The Big Lebowski” – we believe in
nothing! As this is an Expanded Edition, six additional remix tracks
(some from deleted releases on the now-dormant Tinman record label)
have been included on the disc. Contributors to this effort include
Assemblage 23, Stromkern, Combichrist, Imperative Reaction, and DJ
Sean Tyas. “Clear Night,” remixed here by Sean Tyas, originally
appeared on 2002’s “Angels in Disguise.” “Doubts and Fears,” an 80’s
new-wave influenced track originally available via the internet, was
previously only available in CD format on the “State of Synthpop
2005” 5-disc set. The other remixes feature songs from this album
that sound significantly different from the originals, making for a
really nice mixture of styles. Jump on this!
Review by Ian Hall for
Chain DLK
Side-Line
Hailing from the brighter parts of NYC comes interface . This act
has elements of EBM from bands of past and present , from vocal
effects like KRAFTWERK to the thumping kicks like RETROSIC , and the
funkier percussions of a Daniel Myer project . Their influences can
be heard throughout the album (if one were to listen carefully)
mixed with their own style . Random movie clips are inserted in
various tracks but don't obstruct or take away from the songs . The
cd comes right into your face with the song "Age Of Computers" and
makes you want to dance right away. The track "Despair" an
instrumental has elements of all good things EBM and trance mixed in
. a great darker track "Mind killer" is made for the dance floor ,
with great synth lines , harsh vocals followed with the angry kick
so you can make your expansive personal space on the dance floor .
"Beyond Human" has many elements of a good KRAFTWERK song mixed with
new EBM flavor . "Nobody's Hero" storms at you with all the things
that make up a great FUNKER VOGT dance track . Also on the cd are
remixes by bands such as ASSEMBLAGE 23 , COMBICHRIST , IMPERATIVE
REACTION and STROMKERN . All the songs bring something a little
different to the table from hard ebm to synthpop elements and anyone
should enjoy this album .
Review by
Side-Line
A
Different Drum
Interface "Beyond Humanity" -- This new album by Interface presents
a collection of pounding electro-dance tracks that cross over from
the electro-industrial dance audience to the hard-edged synthpop
fans. Some of the vocals are covered with fuzzy effects, but quite
often the voice is left clear, though still rough around the edges.
This is a cool release for future pop fans as well. Plus, after the
10 regular album tracks, you get another 6 bonus remix tracks to
keep the beat pumping even longer, including mixes by similar bands
like Assemblage 23, Stromkern, Imperative Reaction, etc.
Review by
A Different Drum
Gothic Paradise
Even though this is the first time many of us have heard of the band Interface,
this is actually their third full-length album. On Nilaihah Records it comes
presented as the "Expanded Edition" which contains ten solid original tracks
and six bonus tracks that would have probably been released as a separate single
in other circumstances. I always think this is a nice approach to have them
bundled onto one disc since the days of buying a "single" in the store is a
thing of the past with the digital music revolution and being able to buy single
tracks at a music download site. However I still think the best albums and
bands are those that can package an entire disc in such a way that it's good
enough that it's best to listen to in it's entirety. And with this album
they manage to pull it together well in that sense.
The album starts with a short, spatial ambient intro with some sci-fi
post-apocalyptic spoken word samples and then jumps right into the pounding
beats and futuristic theme with "Age of Computers". The vocoded vocals are a
nice touch on this track giving it that mechanical and over-the-top digital
feeling (or lack of feeling). However, the melodic vocals interspersed between
the mechanical gives the track a human touch and should really please synthpop
fans. This theme of Beyond Humanity remains strong throughout the album providing
a cohesive theme and smooth transition between tracks making the entire album
nice to listen to. A few tracks have various samples included which add some
nice accents to each piece. "Mind Killer" builds on this feature and some
harsher vocals and heavy bass and beats for another excellent dance track that
has quickly become a favorite on this disc. This heavier, more aggressive tone
and harsh vocals is actually more of the exception, which is nice in today's
onslaught of vocals that sound like the vocalist has gargled gasoline.
Adding some nice variety to the album are the mid-tempo pieces "Wonderland"
and "Insomniac" with a heavy, but smooth trip-hop beat and non-distorted
vocals. "Stranger in a Strange Land" also moves away from the industrial
edge with some smooth, melodic synth loops and clear vocals. We're also
treated with a moving instrumental piece "Despair" which builds on some solid
synth loops and dance-friendly beats. And really moving into another realm
is "Beyond Human" which takes the name to a new level with all computerized
vocals while the music creates a moving, dance-friendly atmosphere. And to
wrap up the original tracks on the album is the track "Faith in Nothing" which
jumps back into the harder edged industrial rhythms and slight distortion.
This powerful piece provides a nice ending to the regular album tracks ending
on a strong note.
The bonus material presented include two mixes of "Age of Computers" by
Assemblage 23 and Imperative Reaction. Stromkern lends their unique flavor
to "Wasted Time" and Combichrist pumps up the intensity with a remix of
"Faith in Nothing". "Clear Night" appears as a bonus piece, this version a
remix by Sean Tyas. The original versions of both "Clear Night" and "Wasted
Time" originally appear on the band's 2002 album Angels in Disguise. The
2004 internet-only track appears here as the finale to the album presenting
the heavy 80's new wave influence that is so catchy and makes a great way to
wrap up the album. All of these bonus pieces are really great. I'm not
always a huge fan of remixes, or singles with tons of remixed tracks, but
each of these are done really well, so I have to say that this album comes
highly recommended for electronic music fans.
Gothic Paradise
Synthpop.net
This is Interface's third full-length album, here released in a expanded edition that
includes 6 bonus tracks taken from previous limited EP's and singles. The album was
released in 2006 on Nilaihah Records, more than ten years after the inception of the
band in 1993. Interface is made up of Eric Eldridge (everything) and Jon Billian,
keyboardist, and is based in New York. The musical style presented on this album is
dark EBM and Industrial, with enough pop elements blended in to make the music accessible.
The opening track, "Genesis", begins with a eerily desolate musical landscape, which is
then joined by a disturbing sample from the movie Equilibrium. "Age Of Computers"
follows, and this track seems tailor made to be a anthem for those involved in the
technical profession. Not only that, it's a excellent dance track as well, and the
remixes by Assemblage23 and Imperative Reaction only serve to emphasize that fact.
Thankfully, that's not the sole highlight of the disc. The hard-edged EBM of "Mindkiller"
immediately follows "Age Of Computers", and shortly thereafter is the excellent club
track "Despair". "Stranger In A Strange Land" is probably the most synthpop-oriented
track on the disc, but that isn't a negative comment at all - more of a reflection of
how many styles this disc successfully incorporates along the way. "Beyond Human" has
very Kraftwerkian vocal effect used throughout, but the modern EBM music style keeps
the track feeling very fresh. The non-remix portion of the disc closes with "Nobody's
Hero" and "Faith In Nothing", both excellent EBM tracks.
Just about all the remixes are also outstanding. The "Faith In Nothing" remix seemed
to tip the scales just a bit too far in regard to the original song versus new elements.
Other than that one issue, this is a great crop of remixes, and add a lot of value to
the album. I think that if you enjoy bands such as Endanger or Namnambulu, but prefer
a more EBM slanted approach, you'll love this disc. I know I do.
Jason Baker @ Synthpop.net
Chain DLK
Unbelievable that this band is currently not signed! After the demise of their label Tinman which quits
its business in the last year, this band is looking until today for a new and professional label. And
with music like on this new full length CD "Beyond Humanity", I would like to advise the management of
this band to contact the best and biggest labels of the scene. This release is currently self-produced,
but it needs to be heard in all corners of this world! I am normally not to much into music somewhere
placed in genres like Synth-, Future- or Electropop, but here I have received an unbelievable exception.
They have also supported ASSEMBLAGE 23 on parts of his "Storm" tour, and I am sure that a lot of you out
there saw on stage. "Beyond Humanity" is simply the best album out of this genres I have heard for a
long time. People like mostly comparisons, so I would say that INTERFACE produce a fine mixture between
A23 and CUT.RATE.BOX ("The Age Of Computers", "Faith in Nothing" ) with the tendency on the harder tracks
(like "Mind Killer", or the dark "Insomniac") to get compared with the Australian ANGEL THEORY. The
vocals are of course mostly clear and smooth and luckily not to much placed in the foreground. On some
tracks they also integrate some cool KRAFTWERKian vocoder effects, especially on "Beyond Human". There
is also an outstanding instrumental piece here with "Despair", and the band can enjoy with some well
worked out melodic synth pads. My favorite next to the harder "Mind Killer" is the dancefloor smasher
"Nobody’s Hero" with an unbeatable refrain and outstanding melodic synth play. If music done by the
mentioned acts is your style you should hurry up now and start to purchase this one. Again - this band
is currently not signed - labels, wake up and make your contacts!
Marc Tater @ Chain DLK
RemixWars
The third album from Interface arrives finally after a long 3 year wait since Angels In Disguise in July 2002.
The album begins with a moody sample taken from the film Equilibrium, setting the futuristic and somewhat
dystopian theme of the album as seen from the full opening track The Age of Computers, its a strong dancey
number that should be popular on the dancefloors. The next track is the first display of the harder Funker
Vogt-ish feeling of some of the tracks here. Wonderland is a slower paced tune that really displays the
bands song writing skills, it would work well in acoustic form with just guitar and vocal. Track 5 - Despair,
is an instrumental ending in a nice uplifting almost euphoric trance style. The albums title track Beyond
Human continues the futuristic theme with heavily vocoded Kraftwerkian voice accompanyied by electro beeps
and moving again into a straighforward almost euphoric trance for the second half. It can appear to be an
odd mix if you arent famililar with the genre, with some loving the first half but not the final half
because of the change into openly trance influenced coming into effect so sharply. More science fiction
theming in Stranger In A Strange Land, another slower paced track about change, the fear of it and its
necessity. Track 8 - Insomniac is the albums weakest track for me with just not alot happening in it.
Nobody"s Hero could be a long lost Funker Vogt track as it follows that bands style and construction pretty
much perfectly but here thankfully the band didnt remake this track 10 times for the album. The similarity
is apparently accidental including the name having no relation to FV"s Tragic Hero or Fallen Hero. Faith
In nothing, the penultimate track should again have the dancefloors filled everywhere without too much
trouble. Finally Darkness Prevails closes things with more Kraftwerkian electronica and serious vocoding.
Despite the pessimistic name this mostly instrumental seems to speak with some hope to me for a bright
future if we want it.
Overall its a more harder edged album than the previous but unfortunately theres no Wasted Time or
Angels In Disguise tracks on this one although to be honest those were standout excellent tracks,
Angels being my favourite by some way.
Its a strong listenable album and one worth trying out. Lets hope this one isnt deleted before it
even gets released!
Shrike @ RemixWars
DJ Copper Top
INTERFACE: Beyond Humanity - I am SO GLAD these guys got
signed!! I have some of their original stuff from way back in 2000
and 2001. Drive and determination got these guys there, and true
talent. This is a true album, mixing it up with trancey
instrumentals, synthpop, electro, intelligent experimental, and a
splash of EBM. Eat it up.
Review by DJ Copper Top
back to Interface - Beyond Humanity
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