In psychological terms, haptics may refer to both the sense of touch and to kinesthetics (the sense of body or limb motion). In regards to music, haptics can have certain practical applications, despite its separation from audition. For example, think of the musician who monitors the vibrations of their instrument for tuning or for making sure a certain note is properly settled. The term can also have more abstract implications for music; it's not uncommon to describe music in terms of “texture” or as possessing a certain “warmth” or “coolness.” Admittedly, these descriptors are not always used with a purely tactile sense in mind, but it is not such a far leap to imagine music’s ability to tap into aspects of different sensory modalities. Indeed, on an album like The Medium, with its rumbling low-end, sharply metallic tones, and liquid textures, the music seems to be felt as much as it's heard. Of course, I’m sure a healthy dose of acid couldn’t hurt this process either.
Based in Chicago, Haptic’s core members -- Steven Hess, Joseph Clayton Mills, and Adam Sonderberg -- are no strangers to a good collaboration. Notably, Hess operates as one-half of ON (alongside Sylvain Chaveau) and has provided percussion for Pan American, while Mills and Sonderberg have worked with Jonathan Chen and Civil War, respectively. The trio has also contributed work to the Dropp Ensemble, a group of international musicians who operate through a mail-based data-transfer method. Continuing with this communal approach, Haptic has been known to include additional members in their own work as well. On The Medium, the trio is joined by Boris Hauf, Tony Buck, and Olivia Block, each established musicians in areas including free-jazz, electroacoustics, and sound installation.
Fitting with the FSS label’s emerging aesthetic, The Medium effectively conjures up a dark, encompassing atmosphere. Although the sounds on both sides of the LP can be characterized by drone and dark ambient elements, they are played with a certain concreteness and intensity that's more akin to experiencing a live jazz performance, albeit as heard resonating beneath the floorboards of some Lynchian night-club somewhere. Despite this overall tension and foreboding mood, Haptic aren’t afraid to let certain frequencies slowly recede or add gentle vibraphone notes to show a faint light at the end of the tunnel. Likewise, with its murky and dense qualities, it is easy to miss the music’s finer details on initial, more passive listens. However, a more active engagement allows the subtle moments -- such as the vibrating guitar strings at the end of side one or the textural field recordings courtesy of Olivia Block throughout side two -- to become all the more effective and tangible. You can almost feel the drenched layers as they brush past.
Taken together, these qualities result in a highly challenging and impressive debut album by a core of talented collaborative artists. Regardless of whether it succeeds in fully establishing them apart from their contemporaries, The Medium may still provide the first glimpse of Haptic becoming an important voice within the American avant-garde community.
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