Disappear Here

Since first bursting onto the scene with the now classic album, 'Wide Angle', in 1999, the Swansea, Wales-based Hybrid have been known as one of the most forward thinking & technically skilled acts in electronic dance music.

Blurring the line between in-studio production & live presentation, Hybrid are one of the few remaining dance acts to perform live with a classic band set-up. Though, much has changed on the road to Hybrid's fourth artist album, 'Disappear Here'... Most notable is the addition of Hybrid's newest member - singer / songwriter, Charlotte James - to go along with founders, Chris Healings & Mike Truman.

Charlotte's impact is marked as 'Disappear Here' is truly an album of real songs and not merely dance beats with vocals on top. It offers a lot more than anything Hybrid has ever previously written and pushes boundaries in every way. With 'Disappear Here', Hybrid have managed to create an epic & unique sound, which has progressed dramatically from their original "dance" inception, but still retains much of what makes electronic music so exciting. "This album offers a lot more than anything we've managed to write in the past", says Chris. "Charlotte comes from that singer / songwriter / performer world and she really inspired us to write something much more song based. Working so much with her we feel like there's a feeling of going somewhere else or doing something that will last longer in a live capacity. The music definitely reflects our desire to be a band but firmly rooted in dance music."

As the opening track for the album, "Empire" meets Chris' statement of intent for the album. Its pounding live drums + moody, tense atmospherics set the stage and gradually build layers of electric guitars & sweeping strings, performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. "Can You Hear Me" is a shining moment combining the vocals of Charlotte & Tim Hutton (who also plays bass for Ian Brown as well as The Prodigy), while "Green Shell Suit" is a swirling chill out reprise. "Every Word" brings a warm, organic feel with the combination of haunting slide guitar; a warm arpeggiated acoustic; and a brace of wonky but playful sound design. Album title track, "Disappear Here" mixes a powerful piano driven song over the crunching Hybrid production and the stadium electronica of "Formula of Fear" presents one of the album's most intense peaks. Venturing further on, "Salt" is encrusted with warped bass lines & brush drums; "Original Sin" is a soundscape house music monster; and "Take a Fall" features a rock-breaks edge, with Tim grabbing hold of the mic again. Before closing out with the divine "Numb", Hybrid presents the album's touchstone, "Break My Sol". It's all cinematic, from the triumphant chorus & "Day in The Life" styled strings, to the haunting breakdown + filmic overtones.

One constant that's remained with Hybrid since its inception is the advanced way in which Chris & Mike create music. In an era of laptop production, Hybrid are notable in their use of top analogue gear + full orchestras on their recordings. When the computer does come into play it's typically complicated sound design software like Native Instruments' 'Reaktor' & Symbolic Sound's 'Kyma X' that's used to create unique stylized sounds. This skill opened up an entire new world for Hybrid in the area of music production for television & feature films. A frequent collaborator with major cinema composer, Harry Gregson-Williams, Hybrid has music production credits in major blockbuster movies, including: 'The Taking of Pelham 123'; 'Wolverine - X-Men Origins'; 'The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian'; 'Deja Vu'; 'Domino'; and ;Man on Fire;. Hybrid have also composed the entire score for films, including: 'Catacombs' (2007) & 'Exit to Babylon' (2011).