Wide (r) Angle continued unequaled

Since the mid-1990s the Welsh Chris Healings and Mike Truman tinkering with the perfect electronic sound. They mate symphonic complexity with the most advanced production technique that you can get at the time for money. The first result of these efforts were initially countless remixes for renowned artists Alanis Morisette of, BT, DJ Rap, Jean Michelle Jarre, Moby, The Future Sound of London, Carl Cox, Radiohead, REM to The Crystal Method, The Orb and U2 - to name just a few. In 1999 she published her first studio album finally "Wide Angle", leaving both critics and fans marvel. Such a dense soundscape of strings, synths, drum cascades and with power only as bursting basslines you have not heard of this quality until then. Especially the track "Finished Symphony" became the prototype of the hybrid sounds and helped the style "NuSkool breaks" finally to the well-deserved public recognition. It was her second album "Morning Sci-Fi" not quite match what at times was due to excessively long tracks in which simply did too little. In 2006, she calmed her fans again because "we chose Noise" continued the high quality of "Wide Angle" and showed that the hybrid sound still has a lot of potential.

Now it's the year 2010, and now you get used to the mix of breakbeats, symphonic accompaniment, gloomy bass and electronic sophistication. Now it was necessary to invest even more detail in the songwriting. Healings and Truman therefore joined in 2008 with singer / songwriter Charlotte James together, the missed many of the new tracks the finishing touches. That was necessary because although hybrid could always build bombastic soundscapes, yet catchy hook lines get them rarely. On her latest album "Disappear Here" they also wanted to contribute their experience as a live act more leave (live drums, greater importance of guitars and piano ...). Therefore, some tracks sound much straighter than about the "Wide Angle" and remind partly strongly "Morning Sci-Fi". Trance fans should particularly like that. All others should initially invest two hours and listen to the album alone.

"Disappear Here" opens with the straight "Empire" - just one of those tracks that are reminiscent of a more simple drum track to live performances of hybrid. Nevertheless, here nobody has to do without the typical gloomy basslines and strings. The latter played a time, the Prague Symphony Orchestra. While "Empire" by his trance surplus rather disappointed, it comes with "Can You Hear Me?" out all the stops! Charlotte James proves that she can suffer at least as emotional as Ruth Anne Boyle of Olive. In addition, hybrid play with the handset, because the track begins initially as a pop ballad, only to turn into a world-class NuSkool Breaks Firecracker later. The same applies to the title track of the album - "Disappear Here". The chorus of "Original Sin" can turn hybrid sound like garbage. With "Green Shell Suite" the Welsh convert on New Age-paths and sound like a synthesis of Jean Michel Jarre and Wangelis in 90s Ambient garb. While this is OK, but felt a thousand Café del Mar compilations we have something already heard too often. The highlights of the plate come anyway just before closing - "Take a case" (with guest vocalist Tim Hutton) provides the complex known drum cascade Album and "Break My Soul" includes the oriental string parts in the epic narrative of " Finished Symphony "of" Wide Angle "at. Here at last prove Hybrid that they feel completely well as film music producers. They have proved that recently with the score to "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". Similar to "Morning Sci-Fi" include hybrid with a ballad. Unlike "Black Out" of Charlotte James track "Numb" is more reminiscent of a classic pop song as a Ambient anthem.

My conclusion: "Disappear Here" developed the hybrid sound further, but without making too big leaps forward. The album was most similar to "Morning Si-Fi". Charlotte James but the project done well. In addition, you can hear out the two years of production time and the wrong effort from almost all songs, which is why the album sounds extremely good. Although "Disappear Here" not the hoped-for musical quantum leap, but still one of the best records of the young year. "Wide (r) Angle" remains the measure of all things - for five star it is enough but of course still!

PS: Here it is worth buying the audio CD, because only this unfolds the full sonority and is definitely worth the extra cost compared to the MP3 downloads ...