A Hutchie - Potion Shop (2020)

Rapidly following the cinematic avant-croon of his 'Executioner'
single from David “Egyptrixx” Psutka’s Halocline Trance label,
polymorphous Hamilton, ON producer Aaron Hutchinson returns
with his debut LP, Potion Shop.

This concise eight song collection is aptly named, given the
eccentric and intoxicating stylistic concoction it serves to
unsuspecting listeners. Ostensibly a vehicle for songs by a
diverse cast of guests (spanning everything from ethereal folk
to esoteric rhymes, from sunburnt soul to lysergic lullabies),
Hutchinson’s distinctive and decidedly psychedelic arrangements
tie it all together. Crisp wind arrangements crawl forth from
thick synth haze; 808 drums rain down on choruses of birds, and
muffled pianos meander past distended, muck-encrusted drum
samples.

Potion Shop’s extensive list of collaborators speaks to the
wildly varied nature of Hutchinson’s rich musical life. It
includes contributions from Hamiltonian vocal protagonist Sarah
Good, Benita Whyte of Persons, Doom Squad’s Allie Blumas,
pre-eminent MC Emay, celebrated musician and slam poet Ian
Keteku, and even Kirk Starkey of classical fusionists Quarteto
Gelato. The record will be available on LP, CD, and in digital
formats, but visual artist Eccina has also crafted an
interactive and thoroughly hallucinatory landscape that can be
downloaded to offer listeners complement to the album.

Hutchinson has been a vital contributor to his hometown’s
burgeoning underground music community. He co-founded the
recently-defunct venue HAVN (Hamilton Audio Visual Node) which
was touted by Vice as “the Best DIY Venue in Hamilton” in 2015.
He also spearheaded their in-house label whose roster included
Eucalyptus whose Kick It Till You Flip It was one of Magnet
Magazine’s best Jazz releases of 2019. In addition to winning
several local prizes including the Shirley Elford Emerging
Artist Prize in Music, Jazz Recording of the year from the
Hamilton Music Awards, and an Emerging Artist in New Media
(Hamilton Arts Awards), he’s a member of several crucial
Hamilton outfits. There’s the FX-mangled free-jazz duo
Eschaton, whose Arachnidiscs tape Torus sees them collaborating
with Matt Tavares and Leland Whitty of Bad Bad Not Good.
Meanwhile in the vibrant jazz-fusion/ hip-hop anomalies Haolin
Munk, he acts as drummer and producer. Hutchinson also been
heard collaborating with everyone from fried dance music denizen
JFM to sleek electro-pop songstress Allie X, not to mention the
likes of Lea Bertucci, Ellis, Zoon, YlangYlang, and Daniel
Romano.

Pop the cork on Potion Shop and drink it down for an
all-too-fleeting trip across a musical terrain that’s
disorienting but also warmly familiar.