Now, normally we don’t do this, but if Sarah S. wants to look back a little on one of our Hassle Fest 7 performers, and I might add, one of our favorite New England electronic music makers of all time, then why not??? – ed.
As a veteran of the Providence noise scene, Unicorn Hard-On AKA Valerie Martino has been actively making music since 2003. Between split releases with collaborator Container and miscellaneous recordings put out by Breathmint and her own label Tangled Hares, funnily enough the only full length, exclusively Unicorn LP is 2013’s “Weird Universe.” For listeners, it’s an investment in quality over quantity.
The album plays out like the best rave you’ll ever go to; the rhythm hypnotizes listeners to their feet without seeming overtly choreographed. Dance, don’t dance — no pressure. These are drone heavy beats, (a Providence noise motif), with the addition of otherworldly blips and bleeps that help create entire soundscapes to live in. Each of the six tracks are small stories, digitized, downloaded, and demanding of further exploration. Like colors on a pixelated spectrum, we truly do live in a weird universe.
Industrial/electronic fans will be happy to hear that Unicorn Hard-On is one of our Hassle Fest 7 performers! See her live on Day 2 of the fest at the Brighton Music Hall on November 6th!