T.S. Eliot’s poem The Hollow Men is a gritty look into despair, existential dread, and the empty shell of modern life. Written in 1925, it captures the disillusionment of the post-World War I era, painting a world where people drift without meaning or purpose, like “hollow men” who are spiritually and emotionally bankrupt.
The poem splits into five parts, each one peeling back another layer of desolation and fragmentation, hinting that people are full of fluff, not substance. The imagery is stark and surreal, filled with death, dryness, and decay. The kicker comes in the last lines: “This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but a whimper.” It sums up the poem’s bleak view of existence as a slow fizzle, rather than a grand finale.
Fast forward a century, give or take, and we’re stuck in the same sorry state. Despair and dread have donned new disguises. The Jay Gatsbys of the world are now chattering social media shams; Orwell’s ominous warnings are old news; Huxley’s horrors of drugged docility are daily doses. Art and music are mangled for money, and we’re floundering in global fights, environmental emergencies, political plunder, and swelling fascism. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Maduro’s newest opus, End In Noise, nails Eliot’s Modernist message with a mirror to the visual and auditory agony of a world in constant conflict. Hailing from the heart of Washington, D.C., Maduro is a seasoned sound sculptor, orchestrating shifts for over two decades. This dark electronic maestro wears many masks, merging edgy EBM, grinding industrial, kinetic techno, and brooding darkwave. To this potent potion, he adds a compelling splash of New Beat and breaks rippling through the atmosphere, distorted yet captivating, layered over squalling, buzzy synthesizers.
“Everything is full of noise – the internet, media, propaganda, warfare, consumerism, data, consumption, entertainment,” they say. “The Hollow Men (said) that the world would end “Not with a bang but a whimper” – I disagree. We are saturated with noise.”
Featured single Lips Like Venom captures that feeling of quiet dread, with a robotic voice coming through the chatter of samples, stomping beats, and noise static.
Listen to End in Noise, below, and order here:
End In Noise features music, lyrics, and vocals by Dave Buracker, with mastering by Adam Stilson (Pixel Grip, Ritual Howls) at Decade Music Studios.The striking cover imagery was inspired by the early Dadaists who embraced the absurd and asymmetric in the noise of terror and apathy during World War I.
Maduro’s sonic mastery has sparked acclaim worldwide, with his work surfacing on a slew of label compilations from Alfa Matrix to Universal Music Group. He’s teamed up with industry heavyweights like Miss Kittin, the Horrorist, Wumpscut, Jean-Luc De Meyer, Amon Tobin, Venetian Snares, and Muslimgauze, among others.
His talent shines in the remix realm too, where he’s reworked tracks by artists such as Dean Garcia, HEALTH, Violent Vickie, and other notables. Maduro’s knack for manipulating sound is nothing short of astonishing, as he relentlessly pushes the boundaries of electronic music with his bold compositions and daring designs.
“Shellshock and madness are not silent,” concludes Maduro.
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