- Lisbon's Photonz are a hard act to pin down. Their catalog includes everything from gnarled EBM to cosmic slow house, but in any capacity, they're clearly big proponents of tracky, classicist-leaning dance music. That said, like many of the releases on Unknown to the Unknown, Hurt Me Hurt Me imparts a dynamic, futurist spirit.
The ten-minute title track is thoroughly influenced by the synth pop and Italo disco that mark early Chicago house mixes, but it presents a comparatively pumped-up take. Photonz spend its duration weaving in and out of passages, and in this it recalls Ron Hardy's extended edits, sounding less like a solitary track than a sort of minimix. It culminates in some entrancing final minutes, wherein the prior elements lock into punishing repetition, underscored by a visceral shout.
"Veracruz" applies a similar palette to jacking house, allowing flitting arpeggios and molten, delayed square bass to roll over the drums. Shadow Dancer offer a complementary remix of the track, essentially speeding up its elements to match a booming, angular electro rhythm. It doesn't offer much beyond a genre adjustment, but to be fair, even the original is dwarfed by the bombastic "Hurt Me Hurt Me."
Tracklist 01. Hurt Me Hurt Me
02. Veracruz
03. Veracruz (Shadow Dancer Remix)