dogrush
URUZ by Hermetics
This piece immerses viewers in a frozen, biomechanical landscape where beings emerge like vegetation across a desolate valley by the icy ocean. Utilizing Unreal Engine 5 and real-time 4K rendering, the video was crafted with Cienfuegos VJ, a custom plugin developed by dogrush.
2024
Exploring a Frozen Biomechanical Landscape:
This video clip invites viewers into a frozen, barren land where biomechanical beings emerge like vegetation across a desolate valley by the icy ocean. These entities imbue the landscape with themes of death and desolation, creating a haunting atmosphere.
Directed by Alejandro Rodriguez / Dogrush, the visual composition leverages the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5. Utilizing real-time 4K rendering, the video incorporates custom VJ software, Cienfuegos VJ—a plugin developed for Unreal Engine—to craft an immersive experience with high-quality visual impact.
The soundtrack by Hermetics echoes the intensity of a Viking ritual, blending human vocals with industrial steelwork sound effects. "Uruz"—which takes its name from the second rune of the Nordic alphabet—follows a harder, darker, and more dramatic path. It combines slow-motion techno and half-time drum & bass to evoke the archetypal tale of an untamed warrior being tested by the fires of battle.
The artistic vision behind the video was to create a visualizer that tells a story, engaging viewers over the duration of the extended soundtrack. By constructing a compelling visual universe, the aim is to encourage the audience to invest their time and immerse themselves in both the visual journey and the auditory experience.
Credits:
Director: Alejandro Rodríguez (dogrush)
Soundtrack: Hermetics
Curation: DjNim (ZZK records)
TORNA #1
New York. London. Berlin. These places are often regarded as electronic music’s most important hubs, but anyone who’s been paying attention during the past few years knows that the genre’s most interesting contemporary rhythms are coming out of Latin America. Reggaeton, cumbia, guaracha, raptor house… that’s just a partial list, and while these sounds have been popping on Latin dancefloors for decades, they’re no longer a strictly regional concern.
Ravers around the world have developed a taste for these mutant (and usually bass-heavy rhythms), and TORNA is here to give them what they crave. A new offshoot of ZZK—a label which has been pushing the limits of Latin music since 2008—TORNA is a new release series that’s specifically focused on the dancefloor. Its name is inspired by the concept of “La Torna”, an economic institution developed by indigenous Atacama Lickan-Antay, Aymara and Diaguita peoples (in territories now occupied by Argentina, Bolivia and Chile) with the aim of working together for the common good, for the benefit of the whole community.
This new iteration of TORNA takes a similar approach, providing a platform for groundbreaking Latin artists whose view of electronic music looks beyond the usual European and North American canon.
First up is Hermetics, a Buenos Aires-based Colombian producer who’s previously appeared on powerhouse labels such as R&S, Optimo Music and Multi Culti, and has also been tapped to remix the likes of Nicola Cruz and Chancha Vía Circuito.
Curated by ZZK co-founder DJ Nim, the two-track TORNA #1 puts Hermetics’ talents front and center, along with his penchant for psychedelic atmospheres and hybridized sounds. “El Cordón Dorado” (“The Golden Cord”) taps into an ancient current of ancestral knowledge, its hypnotic Andean flute and fortified dembow evoking the magic, mysticism and wisdom that’s been passed from one generation to the next over the course of several millennia.
“Uruz”—which takes its name from the second rune of the Nordic alphabet—follows a harder, darker and more dramatic path, splicing together slow-motion techno and half-time drum & bass as it evokes the archetypal tale of an untamed warrior being tested by the fires of battle. TORNA is rooted in Latin America, but it’s aimed at dancefloors around the globe, and this is just the beginning.