holymachines

We Have Never Been Modern EP


out 2024  via Average Negative

holymachines is the electronic music project by Berlin based drummer, producer and sound artist Chris Hill. Through the use of digital technologies, he absorbs small fragmentary snatches from contemporary culture, deconstructing them and reassembling them as bold new sonic gestures. The pieces meander between Ambient, Noise, and Collage and even touch on abstracted Beat Music.


„We Have Never Been Modern“ EP is the follow-up-EP to Chris’ 2016 debut „Image Version“ and presents itself as a colourful, melodic & expressive 4-track musical statement that touches on pop music’s emotional core.

Intro Track „Waves“ sets the tone for the whole EP and finds ample common ground between avant-garde jazz and ambient experimentalism.

The title track’s  „WHNBM“ unspooling is captivating, with slow variations on a theme over an ambiguous chord progression, cascading in a cerebral ending of midi-generated noodling fest.

„Systems“ and „Hybrids“ are both dusty & minimalist excerpts of a long form improvised piece that layed out the foundation of the record, mimicking digital chamber music with echoes of distant strings, flutes and reeds, bathing in static.

The EP is inspired by philosopher’s Bruno Latour’s "anthropology of science" that explores the dualistic distinction modernity makes between nature and society. Pre-modern peoples made no such division. Contemporary matters of public concern such as climate change, the global Pandemic, and emerging technologies mix politics, science, popular and specialist discourse to such a degree that a tidy nature/culture dualism is no longer possible.

“We Have Never Been Modern EP” is out early 2024 via Average Negative Records

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Written & produced by Chris Hill
Mixed by Chris Hill & Jian Liew
Mastered by Enyang Urbiks
Photography by Jian Liew

Label: info@averagenegative.com
PR: shilo@alphapuprecords.com
Sync: aaron@perfectdismountmusic.com

Distributed by Alpha Pup Records