Unlike the darkly lit ambience of
Harmonic 33,
Mark Pritchard's alternate similar-titled project,
Harmonic 313, is much more beat-oriented, leaving
When Machines Exceed Human Intelligence to fall somewhere between the categories of instrumental hip-hop and dubstep. It's fitting that
Pritchard adapted Detroit's area code into his new project's name, with more than a few reference points stemming from the 313. As well as sounding like a slowed-down version of early Detroit techno -- borrowing cues from
Cybotron,
Derrick May, and
Freq --
J Dilla's influence looms heavily. Slick, wobbling 909 kicks, snare slaps, bass envelopes, and video game synth blips snake throughout. But, while the instrumentals give cause for heads to silently nod in appreciation, only a few tracks break away to make this something other than music suited for the background. "Battlestar" is a true in-your-face hip-hopper that features guests
Phat Kat and
eLZhi exchanging rhymes; "Falling Away" is a lulling, computer ballad with
Steve Spacek lazily yearning on vocals; and "Word Problems" features the sampling of a circuit-bent Speak & Math spelling out "H.A.R.M.O.N.I.C. 3-1-3" and robotically taunting listeners, "That's wrong. Try again." The rest of the album plays out in a steady, chilled groove with trippy mechanics, disjointed beats, and enough fresh electronic zest to keep even longtime fans of the Warp catalog on their toes.