Hans Dens returns with another master opus on vinyl, following up his other two epics of recent history, Future Life and Backworld. He morphs and molds twelve more lo-fi synthscapes that smack of his brand of electronics. However, with Terrestreality we find him a little more focused, honing in a particular form of ambiance. This more specific side of his project’s personality is one that seems to blend together a few common themes through the analog auras. There is a sense of a darker cosmos, an environment that is more subdued and less animated. There’s also an eschatological urgency, one that finds the end near yet only to give way to a fuller universe that expands ad infinitum. There is finally a more expressive angst to his repertoire, and this might be due to the subtler and maybe even mature approach on this one. I might be mistaking his softer, more introspective side for melancholia, but I get a sense of isolation and despondency. All of this makes for a cohesive listen that gravitationally pulls you into a futuristic space dream that has a despairing meditation at its center. Innercity proves to be an important act again and again—Terrestreality being no exception. If you like the quirky mayhem of some of his other releases then stay away from this, but if you like his zones that deliver unlimited contemplation then this will be irresistible. Don’t miss out! The visual aesthetic continues his faded computer-age abstractions that you find on the LP sleeves of his other records.
