Spencer Hardwick‘s Introspection arrives not so much as a collection of tracks, but as an enigmatic signal from an uncertain future. Released via his own VAST imprint, this digital dispatch draws from the shadowy corners of Blade Runner-esque existentialism, where identity flickers like faulty neon, and memory is as unreliable as dream logic.
“Are These My Memories” sets the tone with spiralling synths that loop like déjà vu on repeat. Ghostly spoken fragments float in and out of the mix, never quite intelligible, as if eavesdropping on thoughts that don’t belong to you. Then comes “Is This Real,” a question we may never answer. Its tense, glimmering arpeggios hinting at something slipping just out of reach, like a waking dream fading too fast.
On “Why Can’t I Tell Anymore,” the spiral deepens. Melodies bend and distort under the pressure of inquiry, evoking a disoriented search through internal archives for truths that may have never existed. The track offers no firm ground, only shifting layers of unease.
Mike Derer and Jason Patrick provide alternate realities of “Are These My Memories” Patrick’s dubby rework echoes through virtual corridors, while Derer’s take blurs perception with psychedelic flair and sonic mirages dancing just at the edge of comprehension.
Together, these five tracks feel like fragments from a consciousness fraying at the edges—uncertain, immersive, and wholly hypnotic. Introspection doesn’t promise answers, only the thrill of the search, and in that ambiguity, Spencer Hardwick crafts something quietly profound, which has gained supporters such as Laurent Garnier, DJ Hyperactive, DVS1, The Advent, and more.
- Reviewed by Jack! Who? for deathtechno.com
