Ewan Hennelly, aka Herv, has become one of Ireland's best-known electronic musicians over the past number of years, amassing a considerable catalogue of releases on labels both at home and abroad.
Herv’s music is a frantic swarm of 8-bit melody and syncopated percussion, punctuated by warm wind instrument and layered violin and cello lines. Live, Herv works solely with a laptop and Nintendo Gameboy. While much of his recorded output concerns itself with complex melodic and percussive interplay, his live sets lean more towards the harder end of the electronic spectrum, mixing chaotic chip tunes alongside breakcore and gabba. In the past, Herv has played with artists such as Venetian Snares, Shitmat, Jason Forrest, Duran Duran Duran, Dev/Null, Xanopticon, Hrvatski, Chevron, Aaron Spectre, Dj Scotch Egg, Ove-naxx, Doddodo, and Max Tundra.
Recently, Ewan has been busying himself preparing releases for several online labels such as Wrong Music's "Net-Lab" and completing a series of EPs of improvised and pure electronics under the name "Muttermal" for labels such as France's Digitalbiotope and Portugal's Test Tube.
Herv also co-runs Irish electronic label Go Away RecordingsHerv is playing alongside Kid 606 in the Village on the 24th August. Doors are at 8pm, so don't be late! Tickets are available through the Wav Box office (at the side of Whelan's I believe) or Abbey Discs. Check out myspace.com/fireatnight for more details.
"Like watching late period Rick Wakeman being attacked by robots made out of old spring coils. And if you don't think that's a pretty appealing vision, well then, you're missing a few mental teeth." - Byron Coley, The Wire
"Through all the complex arrangements and mathematical structures, theres a sense of fun involved but also a sense of maturity. From the first listen you are sucked into a world of twisted robots and deranged handhelds all woven together with carefully crafted circuitry." - Craig O'Halloran, Foggy Notions.
"Herv [has] created an album well beyond the standard of breakbeat and gabba core music, but something that is also well enjoyable for the more adventurous lover of electronic music, especially techno (and related) musics. Me personally I do like breakbeat in it's purest form only when served in little amounts, but Herv is the positive exception: love it all!" - Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly.
"Herv offers electronica from an alternative perspective; real electronica, some would say. Rather than just offering pretty songs that happen to be made from beats rather than instruments, Herv alters the structure completely, delving into something far more complex but ultimately also more rewarding." - Michelle Dalton, Eclectic Honey.