Eighth Dimension Records is pleased to announce the release of +++, the fourth artist album by Hawke, the song-crafting nome-de-plume of producer/DJ Gavin Hardkiss. Recorded in San Diego and San Francisco between 2004 and 2009, the album was conceived as a creative statement of naive beauty and possibility. “At times I tried to imagine what it would sound like if I was a teenager again making this music alone in my bedroom,†Gavin says. “Romantic and futurist, confident and vulnerable, sexually charged and childlike, anticipating something big to happen.â€Drawing inspiration from the electronic/â€alternative music†hybrids prevalent during the late 80’s “Second Summer Of Love†+++ is awash in stylistic curiosities, spirited lyrics, evocative instrumentation, and solid melodies. Its genre-blurring disposition is evident in such gems as “Inside Job†(a dub-influenced ode to theft and temptation penned with original Steve Miller Band guitarist David Denny), the exuberant “Monday Comes And Goes†(a defiant stand against the Monday morning condition), the playful “Everything Is Happening At The Same Time“, and “Bob’s My Uncle†(Gavin’s take on the classic Happy Mondays’ song).
For Hawke’s +++, Gavin Hardkiss draws deep into his influences, referencing songs and memories from his youth, but still reveals his place in “electronic music royalty†(according to Wired Magazine) with psychedelic dance flourishes. The gorgeous and cascading “My Mom Is Your Dad†would not have been out of place on the seminal Hardkiss album Delusions of Grandeur. And “These Combinations Have Not Been Before†(featuring, as Gavin says, the voice of “a being from another dimensionâ€) is filled with a thorough introspection which almost disguises its hypnotic, steady dance rhythm.
