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Rating:  -
Some excellent tracks, especially Higher than a Skyscraper; This is a completely new sound from Wide Angle, however, be warned.
Rating:  -
In 2003, buzz surrounding the release of Hybrid's second album was omnipresent among dance music cognoscenti. The breakbeat production duo of Chris Healings and Mike Truman had first come to the scene's attention when Sasha championed their track "Symphony", and their first album WIDE ANGLE stunned critics and listeners alike in 2000 with its cinematic scope and glorious mixtures of strings and rigourous intelligent dance music. A single in early 2003, "Visible Noise"/"Gravastar" foretold a darker, more agressive sound.
When MORNING SCI-FI arrived in the autumn we met a rather different Hybrid than before, though the project retains many trademark features. In taking its material live, Hybrid had to grow from a duo into a little family. Two members of Hybrid Live, Adam Taylor on bass and Tim Hutton on guitar, continued on to MORNING SCI-FI. There's also a guest appearance on bass by Joy Division New Order alum Peter Hook. A controversial decision, however, was the inclusion of a permanent vocalist, Adam Taylor, about which more later. But just as the first album had Hybrid working with a string orchestra, here a couple of tracks feature an ensemble from St Petersburg.
MORNING SCI-FI begins with the brief intro "This is What it Means", like the "Opening Credits" on WIDE ANGLE. The first full track, "True to Form", then enters. Immediately the listener will revolt against the juvenile lyrics and the dull vocals of Taylor. Just under three minutes into the track, however, Taylor stops singing and some sick breakbeats drop in, and things get much better from there. About half of the material consists of instrumental tracks. "Marrakech" delights with its vaguely global (Thievery Corporation-like) soundworld. "Visible Noise" is a masterpiece of thorny angular sounds on top of a driving (and purely 4/4) beat, ditto for "Gravastar". "We Are In Control" is the only dud among them. Especial mention must be made of "Higher Than a Skyscraper", MORNING SCI-FI's strings extravanganza, just as glorious as "Finished Symphony" from WIDER ANGLE.
The vocal tracks are tainted by the presence of Adam Taylor, with "I'm Still Awake" approaching pop banality, and "Out of the Dark" lacking direction, though "Steal You Away" limits his involvement to brief lines that fit in well enough with the music. The last track on the album, "Blackout", features vocals by ubiquitous house diva Kirsty Hawkshaw and moving strings, with fine results, probably the second best track here after "Skyscraper".
The album is supplemented with a DVD featuring a documentary of their 2000 tour with Moby. The documentary serves to show the faces behind the sounds one hears. Some of their zany adventures, like a hitchhike with an aging hippie in Colorado and their city-to-city encounters with dedicated groupies, are quite amusing. There's also interviews with the duo, and two live songs, "True to Form" and "Out of the Dark". One regrets, however, that there's nothing live from WIDE ANGLE, it would be nice to see video of "Finished Symphony", for example.
If you know nothing about Hybrid, I think WIDE ANGLE is a flawless effort that any eclectic fan of music must own. MORNING SCI-FI's inclusion of a permanent male vocalist and lesser songwriting power keeps it very much in the shadow of Hybrid's debut album. Still, fans of the production team who got the first release should move on to this, as what is good is very good indeed.
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This, IMHO, is one of Hybrid's best works.. All can say is, if you are here, while you are here..BUY THIS you will NOT be dissapointed. Brilliant!
Rating: -
You know the saying never judge a book by its cover, well i do, i have for years, i do this for two reasons, one i am a graphic designer and am interested in design, two i believe that a cover should reflect the mood and style of the music, forget all that pop crap im talking about the real stuff. i bought morning sci fi and it is absolutely fantastic. so so worth the money, the cover did the cd justice, i have now bought three other hybrid cds.
the music is a hybrid of cinematic, electro, drum and base i would recommend this to anyone who enjoys any type of music, it is easy listening with each song complimenting the other. i have bought copys for my mates that hate with a passion electro, trance and d&b and theyve loved it so it must be good.
Rating: -
Hybrid, the welsh duo of Mike Truman and Chris Healings, has done it again with their followup album to Wide Angle with an amazing array of new beats and vocals to keep you bopping you head. All though this album isn't as upbeat and energetic as the first album back in 2000, the feel and creativity of Hybrid is still very much present.
Starting out with "True To Form" gives a good varity of beat and vocals to start off the album. People argue that the vocals on the track aren't fit, but I think it adds to the orginiality of their sound. The darker sounds gives some mystery to their collection of songs and numerous remixes.
Songs like "Know Your Enemy", "We Are In Control", and "Visible Noise" bring back Hybrid's hard breaks, which is what most know Hybrid to do best with. They sound at the top of their game when you listen to this beautiful haramonized songs and always leave you waiting for more.
This CD Is a great addition to your collection if you are a longtime breakbeat fan or someone who is looking for a good start to the world of electric music alike. A very rare find these days!
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