CD Review of I Choose Noise by Hybrid

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Hybrid: I Choose Noise Label: Distinct-ive Records Released: 2006

Hybrid was been cited by many as one of the most-important trendsetters in the nu-break style of electronic music.

Having said that, I have no idea what “nu-break” means. As a way to describe a genre of music, Nu-break is about as descriptive and appropriate a term as trip-hop, goa, funky breaks, new jack swing or any other pathetic over-trendy term used to differentiate whatever is considered good and intelligent dance music from the rest. The term nu-break seems to imply a focus on hardcore breakbeats, and while Hybrid’s latest, I Choose Noise, is full of them, it’s also full of beautiful symphonic melodies and even some stand-out singing from a wide variety of guest vocalists. Categorizing Hybrid into a genre of techno based on their beats is about as productive and useful and categorizing the Beatles by their bass lines.

Hybrid’s form of dance music is slightly more pop-friendly that many of their contemporizes, a fact that can largely be contributed to the fact that the two main members of Hybrid (Mike Truman and Chris Healings) started out as producers and remixers, contributing their work to artists as diverse as Radiohead, Filter and Moby. This isn’t to say that their music is nothing more than candy-coated dance beats; Hybrid’s trademark sound is full of intricate and intense beats which are frequently complemented by symphonic melodies (usually performed by entire symphonies) they just somehow manage to package these incredibly complex and complicated tour-de-force combinations of classical and modern music into tidy pop-friendly packages.

I Choose Noise is probably the best example of this. A beautiful record full of meticulously created soundscapes, it can deservedly stand next to the duo’s first two albums as yet another crowning example of what electronic music can sound like when high production quality meets emotional impact.

Of the 10 proper songs on I Choose Noise (the first track is just a 50 second intro) about half of them feature guest vocals by one person or another. Perry Farrell drops in first, singing in a style reminiscent of classic Jane’s Addiction with “Dogstar.” Full of fast-paced break-beats and nary a guitar in sight, it’s still more rock ‘n’ roll than anything you’re likely to hear from anyone else who used to be in the seminal ‘90s rock band (Dave Navarro and your sideburns…I’m looking at you.)

Electronic producer John Graham lends his singing talents as well with the track “Choke.” Slow and methodical, Graham’s distorted vocals combine with pulsing beats and ringing synth-loops create a sound very reminiscent of ‘80s dance – albeit with a bit more technical flair. Imagine Soft Cell’s first album redone by Underworld, and you get a good idea. Graham pops in again on “Until Tomorrow” which beings as a quiet acoustic-guitar driven tune that slowly builds and then explodes into a crescendo of nonstop beats. If American radio played music like this, it would easily be a hit single.

Singer Judy Tzuke (who had a brief stint of popularity in the mid-‘70s) contributes her stunning voice to “Falling Down” – a song that is easily one of the highlights of the album. Tzuke’s haunting refrain of “Tumbling, Tumbling” echoes over a harmonizing string section, which in turn is matched by another standout beat on an album full of great beats.

The instrumental tracks also showcase Hybrid’s amazing diversity and ingenuity. The title track is a great example of progressive house music, and with vague vocal samples fading in and out over strings and hard-hitting beats. The only weak spot on the entire record is “Hooligan Spirit.” With a name like that you’d expect some slamming drum-and-bass or at least some fist pumping hootin’ and hollerin’, but instead all we get is a very weak industrial track. The album does finish strong, however, with the epic “Just for Today,” a song with that’s equal parts classical and house – a welcome return to the sound that Hybrid claimed as their own with their first single in 2000, “Finished Symphony.”

If you like a little brains and some thought behind your dance music, then you probably already own the first two Hybrid albums and will be picking up this one regardless. If you’ve never experienced high-quality house music, trance or “nu-breaks’’ as the kids are calling it today, then I Choose Noise by Hybrid is a perfect jumping on point, as it combines the highlights of those genres (non-stop beats, haunting melodies) with traditional song structure and amazing some stellar guest vocal performances.