CD Review of Soundsytem 01 by Hybrid
Recommended if you like
Massive Attack, Deep Forest, The Orb
Label
Hope Recordings/Nettwerk
Hybrid: Soundsytem 01

Reviewed by James B. Eldred

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H
ybrid is back with the deceptively titled Soundsystem 01. It's doubly deceptive, in fact; not only is it their third mix compilation, but there are two complete mixes on the two-disc set. Third mix CD, two discs, Soundsystem 01…whatever.

To be fair, Soundsystem 01 is different than the group's other remix compilations, so maybe the 01 designation is a sign of that. Their first remix CD was titled Remix and Additional Production by... and was a collection of other artists songs remixed by Hybrid. Their second, Hybrid Re_Mixed, was the opposite, andfeatured remixes of Hybrid (duh) by other artists. Soundsystem 01 is more of a mixtape or live set, splicing in original material, remixes and other artists songs into a two separate and entirely different mixes.

The mix has the vibe of a cinematic score, which isn't terribly surprising since a third of the disc is taken from film scores. Some, like the selections from “Man on Fire” and “Kingdom of Heaven,” were collaborations with Hybrid and the composer Harry Gregson Williams. Others, such as the snippets from “28 Weeks Later,” were not. They all fit in perfectly well together, though, especially a section in the middle that weaves back and forth between different scores. About the only time things become jarring is near the end, when vocals begin to show up with Charlotte James' “Shadows in the City” and Ryuichi Sakamoto's “World Citizen” (taken from the soundtrack to “Babel”). However, things are saved at the end with Hybrid's remix of the “Man on Fire” theme, which includes the haunting, ghostly vocals of Lisa Gerrard.

The second disc is more traditional, and finds Hybrid in their element, mixing together ambient and house tracks by relatively unknown artists (aside from Sasha of Sasha & Digweed fame), including Quiver, Elite Force and Lank. The tracks are good, but the standouts of the mix are the two new tracks by Hybrid themselves. “The Formula Of Fear (Hybrid Remix)” is textbook Hybrid, with pounding beats, orchestral overtones and distant vocals (provided by Charlotte James). “$50 Pistol (Shifter & Carvell Mix)” deviates a little from the norm, and is more traditional trance. Gregson Williams also gets a co-credit on that song, which most likely means it's part of a film score – although the linear notes fail to mention which one.

The liner notes are probably the only negative aspect of this album. Since this is a mix CD, it would be nice to know where some of the songs originated, but that information is nowhere to be found. Even stranger, while some film scores are properly credited, others are not (two tracks from “28 Weeks Later” are not credited as such). It's not random either; the scores that Hybrid or Gregson Williams worked on get full credit, while the other scores are not – that is what we call in the biz “kind of a dick move.” And poor Trentemøller & Buda get their song misspelled (it's “Gamma,” not “Gama”). Hybrid is generally regarded as one of the best production teams in electronic music today; that should at least spill over a little bit into the actual production of their product. It's nit-picking to be sure, but it is still incredibly annoying, and there's no excuse for it.

However, when the only thing worth complaining about is the packaging the album comes in, that's telling you something. This is a must-buy for fans of Hybrid, and it's also a great starting point for electronic music newbies looking to get into the hard-to-understand world of trance music.

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