With Artificial Intelligence on the rise, it seems as though we are racing to reach the singularity. Roko’s Basilisk is upon us. Compared to y2k, our modern tech doomsday is subject to our machines inevitably taking over. y2k was supposed to be then end all be all for humanity, “HOW CAN OUR MACHINES CONTINUE WORKING IF IT CAN’T DECIPHER A 0?!” (that really was the premise behind y2k doomsday). With y2k, came the y2k aesthetic, which coupled the ideas of doomsday and future tech, which fundamentally I believe is the essence of y2k aesthetic. y2k aesthetic was born out of web 1.0, as such the aesthetic really belonged to the internet and what was popular at the time. That's what differentiates retro from y2k. Retro is to computers, as y2k is to the internet. Lately the y2k aesthetic has been making a comeback and it seems more fit now than ever, we truly are living in the future. In this era of hyper loaded content and overstimulation one y2k artist stands out far beyond most.

I’ve been following HVNT.TER’s work for a little over a year now and this guy never fails to deliver. Everytime I think he’s reached a peak he comes out with some new banger furthering and expanding his flow. Given the boom in y2k aesthetic, HVNT.TER is easily leading the curve twisting y2k into his own style implementing metal, goth and organic looks to his pieces. Aside from Photoshop & Illustrator, HVNT.TER also uses Blender for a lot of his works, a software slightly uncommon among graphic designers. HVNT.TER’s foresight to use Blender in his illustrations show how far into the future he truly is. It’s not that Blender is a new software, but his ability to use Blender to his liking goes to show the direction that illustration and logos are going. Although most graphic designers get by with just Photoshop and Illustrator alone, if Illustrators wish to be able to compete with the likes of HVNT.TER and other artists at his skill level it seems as though Blender might soon become an industry standard. Having dabbled with Blender myself, I’ve realized first hand that Blender is not for the faint of heart, it’s a completely different beast outside of any adobe products; creatives who seek to be dominant in the industry and ahead of the game must take it upon themselves to start diving into 3D rendering softwares for illustrations as it seems it’ll be the next step in evolution for illustrations and rendering.

HVNT.TER’s work perfectly encapsulates that which is y2k, both apocalyptic and futuristic. Not all, but a lot of his works carry that grungy feel that makes one feel as though they just hit CTRL-ALT-DOWN and are teleported into a new realm of cyberspace. So familiar are his works that one could browse through a pinterest y2k board and decipher exactly what works belong to HVNT.TER, because of their look and authenticity. At this point and at his skill level, HVNT.TER should be working with the likes of Post Malone, Trippy Redd or Frank Ocean; unbeknownst to me, he may be and I wouldn’t be surprised.

Sometime around April 2021, I was curious to see how much he’d charge for a logo and I was quoted at 400$, which is a hell of a bargain for his quality of work! HVNT.TER is definitely not an artist to be sleeping on and I’m eager to see just how his style progresses into web3.0. It may not be a bad idea to invest in and acquire some HVNT.TER NFTs as they may become the next hottest commodity in the interweb world.

Think Led Zeppelin and Tame Impala had a baby that loves psychedelic drugs, that’s King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, or as the Aussie girls in the crowd referred to them, “King Gizzzzyyyyy and the Lizzzzyyyyyy Wizzzzyyyy” know how to draw an intresting crowd. What leaves me perplexed is the amount of people that are unaware of who KGATLW is.

Why this band remains a cult favorite and rather slept on remains a mystery to me. These guys are literally modern day rock stars. Travel back in time and they would have given Pink Floyd and Zeppelin a run for their money. Is it that this music is out of style? Or maybe that it’s too weird? Who knows, but if you haven’t had the pleasure of giving these guys a listen, you should definetly check them out.

Their lot of albums ranging from Western Folk to Psyche Rock and Metal has a sound for just about every music lover. That’s the beauty behind their music, they are master composers unconstrained by any certain genre. Truly genius. Fans speculate that their next album could be trap music and frankly I wouldn’t be surprised, these guys could pull it off.

In 2017 when KGATLW announced that they would be coming out with 5 albums that year. Listeners were sceptical and weary that in an effort to meet the deadline, they would sacrifice the quality of their sound to do so. That was not the case. That year KGATLW delivered their promised 5 albums each drastically different from one another, a solid flex demonstrating their range and ability to come out with a bulk load of music.

KGATLW is a force to be reckoned with, as goofy and as ridiculous as they may come off, these guys are the real deal. Outside of your traditional rock band instrument kit, KGATLW also boasts their abilities to implement flute, harmonica and sitan into their music. Granted these guys are almost always off the rails, that’s the reliability and consitency you get from KGATLW, you never truly know what you’re going to get, but you can trust that whatever you do get, will melt your brain.

Given that they have such a wide spectrum of music and albums it could be quite daunting to know where to even begin listening. Most agree that their 2016 album, Nonagon Infinity, is the best starting point for any KLATLW listener as it embodies and best sums up their sound. I was first introduced their music through their 2017 album, Flying Microtonal Banana, and was drawn in by how weird it was. But without a doubt any and every music lover has to get around to listening the Rattlesnake at least once in their lives.