In case you don’t know, 313 is the Detroit area code but when you’re as beat savvy as Mark Pritchard, getting in touch with your Detroit side is not that difficult to do; and when he gets into machines and hardware, it’s even better.

You’ll remember Aaron ‘Time To Rearrange’ Jerome released his debut single ‘Man Troubles’ as a tribute to Mark Pritchard. As ‘Trouble Man’, Pritchard released Time Out Of Mind (on Far Out Recordings) and has a career in music going back to Global Communication in 1994 and loads of other aliases and collaborations including Harmonic 33 (with Dave Brinkworth) and you’ll remember Harmonic 313’s re-edit of Azymuth’s ‘Melô Dos Dois Bicudos’).

When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence is even more proof that Pritchard is one of the most discerning and focussed producers around as he excells at futuristic techno funk tinged with electro, hip-hop and dubstep.

Kicking off with ‘Dirtbox’ for fans of Bass Clef’s A Smile Is A Curve That Straightens Most Things and then there’s the very dark Detroit of ‘Cyclotron’ (homage to Cybotron?) And talking of homages, who’d do you think ‘Köln’ tips its hat at; I’ll plump for Conny Plank.

Tracks like ‘Call To Arms’ is so up MamikO’s (Amsterdam) street and talking of all things beats, Mary Ann Hobbs had a killer of a show a couple of weeks ago starting with Mark’s track ‘?’; that’s the show that’s the talk of the message boards with two killer mixes, one by Paul ‘For You And Me’ White and the other by Floating Points.

When Machines is so hot right now as on the hip-hop side, you’ll remember the Flylo remix of Dabrye’s classic ‘Game Over’ on the Get Dirty 12” and the new one by Dorian Concept (as on the previously mention Floating Points mix on MAH) - well Phat Kat features on ‘Battlestar’ with Elzhi (Slum Village) ‘replacing’ Guilty (so to speak).

Talking of computer games, there’s the arcade of ‘Cyclotron C64 SID’ but more obviously ‘Word Problems’ is console games influenced and it’s well worth checking out the Harmonic 313 site (see links below) for some HAL type fun.

Someone who is always a star, with a lot better voice than any computer, is Steve Spacek. A regular on the Brownswood Bubblers comps (Three and One) and his own Black Pocket to name just a few of his projects. Spacek features on ‘Falling Away’ that goes to show that soul and machines can go together.

There’s a couple that are on the darker side of Syntheme’s Lasers ‘N’ Shit on the electro knob twiddle but the best of the lot is saved ‘til last with the track ‘Quadrant 3’. Simple up and down beats with space age, harmonic, mesmerising overtures encapsulating the warmth of a soulless machine as the inanimate takes on human qualities. A stunning contrast to the current bassline sounds but makes for a truly successful album covering all Detroit inspired techno and hip hop.

You know you can’t go wrong with anything Pritchard releases or any of his artist aliases or on the remix. He’s currently living in OZ where he’s spent the past month gigging so expect a massive rush for tickets on his return home for his release party show at Plastic People on 17th February.

And if you haven’t guest that his guy is held is high esteem by his musical contemporaries, no less than Richie Hawtin picked a track by Link (Pritchard with Tom Middleton) when, given the choice, the last track he’d ever hear - how awesome is that? The track is ‘Amenity’ on the compilation Final Song#1 with a review coming HERE soon.

P.S. Not only was the Global Communication album 76:14 voted album of the year by the Guardian, it is said the Pete Lawrence and Katrina Larkin thought up this idea of The Big Chill Festival listening to the album - Big Chill 2009 will be the 15th anniversary and there’s going to be compilation album 15 by 15 with a review coming HERE soon.

Forthcoming Dates:
13 Feb 2009 - Fabric, London
19 Feb 2009 - Plastic People, London
20 Feb 2009 - 24 Carat, Rome
21 Feb 2009 - TBC Milan
27 Feb 2009 - TBC, Amsterdam
07 Mar 2009 - Sunshine, VIenna

Reviewed: Harmonic 313 - When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence (Warp Records) Cat, No. WARPCD175 Release date: 2nd February 2009
Tracklisting:
1 Dirtbox (4:29)
2 Cyclotron (4:42)
3 No Way Out (4:22)
4 Music Substitute System (0:43)
5 Köln (3:46)
6 Galag-A (3:36)
7 Word Problems (5:24)
8 Battlestar featuring Phat Kat & Elzhi (3:04)
9 Cyclotron C64 SID (1:08)
10 Call To Arms (4:35)
11 Flaash (6:38)
12 Don’t Panic (4:43)
13 Falling Away featuring Steve Spacek (4:16)
14 When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence (0:31)
15 Quadrant 3 (6:05)

Links:
www.myspace.com/officialmarkpritchard
www.harmonic313.com
Just a little plug for the Redbullmusicacademyradio:
Harmonic 33 presents - Really strange music
http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/PLAYLISTS.139.0.html?act_format=37
Troubleman Presents - Music to clear dancefloors
http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/PLAYLISTS.139.0.html?act_format=42www.reloadonline.com
http://libidosounds.com
www.myspace.com/zhifi
www.ronniecash.com
www.myspace.com/phatkatakaronniecash
www.myspace.com/stevespacek
www.warprecords.com
www.myspace.com/warprecords
www.bleep.com
www.myspace.com/aaronjerome
www.cybotron.com
http://maryannehobbs.blogspot.com/2009/01/paul-white-vs-floating-points.html
Mary Ann Hobbs :: Wednesday 21 January 2009 :: Paul White vs. Floating Points
Mark Pritchard - ‘?’ (Ho Hum)
Joe Brook “I was born and raised in Detroit” www.joebrook.com
15 Feb 2009: Paxahau and 323 East Launch Contest to find Theme Designer for 2009 Festival
Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival is having a contest to find the theme designer for the 2009 festival. Visit mydemf.com to enter your design or vote!