I Choose Noise

by

Hybrid

Edit

For a good reason Hybrid has been hailed as the most forward thinking act of the club music. This is true, but rarely have I read any proper reflection on what this actually means. Back in the 80's music press used the word `wagnerian' to describe high profile productions in the style of Trevor Horn. Bands like ABC and Frankie Goes to Hollywood were certainly well-produced but in the end they had nothing to do with Wagner.

This certainly is the case with Hybrid's music. It is post-romantic classical music (fex R. Strauss, Mahler, Wagner, Schoenberg) transposed to club music. It has similar kind of velvety quality which comes from the extensive use of over octave harmonies.

How does their third CD place itself into above framework? Expect their most uncommercial release. The title "I choose noise" is symptomatic in the sense, that the progression from WA via M-Scifi has been ever increasing presence of stabs of colours created with different kinds of sound effects. This record more than its predecessor points ahead. The future sounds more pointillistic or even atonal, if (like this record would suggest) more and more prominence is given to singular layers of sound colours.

To get a proper picture of this, just compare 'Snyper' from WA to 'I choose noise' of ICH. They both have in their core the solid cornerstones of tonal orchestration, but whereas in the first case the whole piece almost as if awaits for the orchestrated parts to enter the piece (and in this sense gets it's fulfilment in their introduction), in the second tune the reference to tonal structures is more allusive. The piece is as fast and unpredictable as a stream of lava and the tonal structures seem to float on this colourful texture like vaporizing icebergs.

The CD is one solid masterpiece to the degree, that I would not single out any personal favourites. The only thing I suggest the listener to do is to pay attention to the similarity of some chords in `Secret Circles' and `Just for today'. The first one is a prelude of the whole record and sounds in some parts like a variation of the coda at the end of `JFT', which I guess proves the claim of one solid piece of work...

Hybrid's third release I CHOOSE NOISE continues the production duo's highly individual vein of breakbeat with a cinematic scope. It follows in the mood of their second album Morning Sci-Fi, with a soundscape more dark and brutal than their debut, Wider Angle. Unlike earlier efforts, however, this is less a collection of individual songs and more a complete set. Each track, if you listen to the album as a whole, contribute to an incredible buildup. However, some of these, such as "Hooligan Spirit", "Keep It in the Family", and "Last Man Standing", are pretty anonymous on their own. Major exceptions are the four vocal tracks, two of which may even be radio-friendly. Thankfully, Adam Taylor, whose vocals made MORNING SCI-FI less than entirely entertaining, is absent here. Perry Farell's turn on "Dogstar" works well, as does John Graham's on "Falling Down" and "Until Tomorrow". "Choke", however, is a disappointment, unpleasantly reminiscent of mid-1990s Radiohead and incongruent with the rest of the album.

With each album, Hybrid have trimmed down the string arrangements that initially won them such acclaim. On one hand, one regrets the consequential limitations of the harmonies; musically much of the album approaches Swayzak in the simplicity of its construction, though with faster tempos and spicy breaks. Hence my 3-star rating. On the other hand, the spare use of strings here only increases their effectiveness when they do appear. The album's closer "Just for Today" is an extravagant blend of electronic and orchestral sound that is just as memorable as "Finished Symphony" from WIDER ANGLE.

If you are new to Hybrid's music, I'd recommend starting with WIDER ANGLE, one of the most elegant electronica albums ever made. If you like what you hear, pick up MORNING SCI-FI and I CHOOSE NOISE. Hybrid is a band with their own distinct sound, but they constantly find some new vein to tap in each release and, while no longer revolutionary, they tend to entertain.