8 Tracks: For The Future That Never Was With Halvtrak

Music

Henri Puolitaival, whose work under the name Halvtrak posits him as an ascendant figure in the new generation of Finnish techno producers, has spent the past few years quietly amassing a stellar discography with flawless releases on Acid Waxa, Don't Be Afraid and Topic Drift. Those who keep up with him on his various social media channels will already be aware of his deft ability to unearth brilliant industrial relics and document them as photographs. That same fascination is tangible in his recordings, in which old school Chicago and Detroit flavours are combined for results as sweet as they are sour.

Never one to sing his own praises, Puolitaival is of a school who prefer to let their warped analogue productions and the fictional universe they inhabit speak for themselves. With a new EP fresh out of the stable, we figured that now would be an opportune moment to have him tell us more about his influences, and to delve deep into the mind of Halvtrak.

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Musicology - Hall Of Mirrors

Thinking man’s Techno. Music for the future that never was. I could have picked anything from the early B12 catalogue, but this very recording captures the feeling and the essence. I wouldn’t be surprised if the title pays respect to Kraftwerk’s The Hall of Mirrors.

Musicology - Hall Of Mirrors

Thinking man’s Techno. Music for the future that never was. I could have picked anything from the early B12 catalogue, but this very recording captures the feeling and the essence. I wouldn’t be surprised if the title pays respect to Kraftwerk’s The Hall of Mirrors.
N.A.D. - Distant Drums

Up there with Wladimir M’s early recordings on Eevo Lute Muzique. Not for the floor as this takes a much more thoughtful outlook on how something can move you, gazing inward!
Tim Harper - Ozone

Being “lo-fi” for the sake of it doesn’t really do it for me. But then there are cuts like Ozone. Harsh, rugged 3 minute stomper by Tim Harper. A continuous source of inspiration and an introduction to Chicago’s underground.
Hot With Fleas - Severed Heads

I am convinced that Tom Ellard is a genius. I remember listening to a Severed Heads song called Power Circles with headphones and being amazed by every little detail. The effective use of sampling and looping, taking notes on how the hi-hats were programmed.
Cabaret Voltaire - Why Kill Time?

Cabs have influenced me a great deal both musically and aesthetically. The original sound of Sheffield, without a doubt. Richard H. Kirk has put out an incredible amount of music under different aliases and went on to be one of the pioneers or bleepy, clonky Techno with Sweet Exorcist, a collaboration with Richard Barratt.
Portion Control - Hit The Pulse

File under “Hard, rhythmic electronics”. Active since 1979, Portion Control was Acid, Electro and Techno before any of that really existed or had a name. They’ll chew you to bits.
Front 242 - Operating Tracks

And the sound of Belgium in general, of which this is one of the most profound examples. An inspiration for the likes of Jeff “The Wizard” Mills, this is the sonic link between Europe and Detroit.
Alien Sex Fiend - I Am A Product (Live At The Tin Can Club In Birmingham, Uk, 1983)

As their ambition to be the first group to play on Mars, musically, they have done it all as this Roland CR-8000 driven, ghoulish take is unleashed to haunt you.