a negative hallucination is an idea that was first put forward by sigmund freud in 1890. he used the term to describe how a hypnotised person could be led to be unable to see a person or thing that was right in front of them once out of the hypnotised state, creating a gap in their reality. sadly, this gap in reality seems endemic in the minds of many in the world, whether from lack of access to facts or from wilful ignorance. the result is the same regardless: a world where many oppressed peoples reality is edited out of the conversation. noleian reusse (half of africans with mainframes) and thomas cox (one third of pittsburgh track authority) got together in the studio in pittsburgh during a week of extreme social unrest in the usa in late 2015, resulting in these recordings. the tracks are crafted with a stripped back electronic funk and a stark, relentless feel that reflects the energy in the air at the time. as long time fans of politically and socially charged music like public enemy, underground resistance, nwa, dopplereffekt, and gil scott-heron, noleian and thomas have taken these influences and mixed them with their own styles to come up with a modern dancefloor version of those ideals. lead track solidarity fills the whole a side with its optimism. soulful melodies and strings conquer the driving rhythms, bringing a sense that through sticking together, a better future is possible. the b side s perspective is darker. police state is a crazy raved out banger that combines gritty acid and harsh tones that channel the day-to-day existence for far too many urban people. the third and final cut, surveillance, is a paranoid, spacey techno track that would be ideal as a soundtrack for closed-circuit television video reels. this snapshot of urban life is tied together through artwork by andrew burger, whose mix of throwback style and current ideas nails the dystopian existence that is now reality as predicted so long ago by orwell, huxley, lucas, and many more.
