Australian artist Gerry Hawkins has long been celebrated as one of Alfa Matrix’s most prolific and versatile dark electronic creators, known for his work with Avarice in Audio, Prozium, and Dream Recall. But before those acclaimed projects took flight, there was Cryogenic Echelon—the original spark that set his creative journey in motion.
The story begins in 2008, when a 17-year-old Gerry stumbled upon a Grendel track on Limewire. That discovery sparked a deep fascination with the late-2000s aggrotech wave, inspiring him to write demos, develop new musical concepts, and collaborate with Ayax of Ascension EX. Early releases on Crunch Pod and later work with the CRL Studios collective helped Gerry shape his first musical identity.
By 2012, Cryogenic Echelon was making waves with albums that drew remix support from scene icons like Dawn of Ashes, Psyclon Nine, and Studio-X. A creative partnership with Lawrie of Studio-X would soon blossom, resulting in dozens of genre-spanning tracks that became the backbone of Cryogenic Echelon’s intense and eclectic catalogue.
Yet, that very diversity proved challenging. Touching on everything from aggrotech and drum & bass to dubstep, EDM, and industrial, Cryogenic Echelon refused to be boxed in—sometimes making it tough to satisfy every listener. The relentless pace led to burnout, and on Christmas Day 2013, Gerry placed the project on permanent hiatus, stepping away from music entirely… or so it seemed.
A year later, Alfa Matrix reached out, inviting Gerry back into the fold—this time under a new name. Avarice in Audio was born, while Cryogenic Echelon was left as a cherished memory. Until now.
Gerry Hawkins returns to his roots with ‘A Monument To Me’, an anthology that gathers 37 tracks from the original 2008–2013 era. This collection is a testament to the raw creative energy that predated all his later projects. Hard-hitting, melodic, and emotionally charged, these songs reveal the DNA that would go on to define Hawkins’ multifaceted career.
The anthology features collaborations with Psykkle, MiXE1, vProjekt, Lucidstatic, Sleepless Droids, Ascension EX, and includes remixes by Grendel, Psyclon Nine, Dawn of Ashes, Freakangel, Modulate, Studio-X, Sirus, Ruinizer, Vicious Alliance, and many more. Most importantly, it restores material that never received a proper label release and, until now, was unavailable across digital platforms.
‘A Monument To Me’ is more than just a retrospective—it’s a celebration of creative beginnings, a tribute to artistic resilience, and an essential listen for fans of dark electronic music eager to discover the origins of one of the scene’s most inventive voices.
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Source: Alfa Matrix
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