German electronic producer Christoph de Babalon has one of the most consistent discographies you could imagine. In a sense, the revered cult status of his ’97 album If You’re Into It, I’m Out of It is a shame. Its enormity dwarfs work deserving equal time in the spotlight, and can direct attention away from de Babalon’s still-vital contemporary stuff. Listeners need only investigate 2018’s Exquisite Angst—or this latest portion Hilf Dir Selbst!—for a first-hand understanding.
Hilf Dir Selbst! is frantic even by de Babalon’s standards. The EP is a dark set whose sound is saturated in primacy and mythic terror. It shares DNA with Gazelle Twin and NYX’s monstrous album Deep England; hooking itself into a twisted and archaic folk universality, then distorting things almost beyond recognition. The face of the past leers into the future.
It feels trite to compare de Babalon to a contemporary act—he as good as invented this sound. Unchanging through a storm of fickle fashions, de Babalon has weathered the years and gained recognition just by sticking to his guns. It’s like he could see the future when naming his trend-dodging If You’re Into It…, knew he simply had to lie in wait for the dummies to catch up. It doesn’t matter that de Babalon’s sound is largely unchanged from the early years; not when the sound is still so refreshing and inimitable.
It’s in this EP’s little touches. The drums of ‘Hung on a String’ move in marching-band mechanicality. Like a military drill, the track subtly gestures towards violence and death. ‘Cool Priest’ (whose title can’t help but make me think of The Fall) balances its tortured breakbeats and frightening vocal stabs over a bed of sweet legato pads. Soothing and crepuscular horror like this is de Babalon’s forte. Listening to it is like sitting between a neck and a vampire.
Hilf Dir Selbst! is available for purchase and streaming here.
Words: Andrew O’Keefe