(Distinctive Breaks/DMC)

Side A: Higher Than A Skyscraper (Satoshi Tomiie Mix) 11.19
Side B1: In Good We Trust (Soundtrack edit) 3.10
Side B2: The Drop (Man On Fire edit) 4.07

UK-based label Distinctive Breaks’ ongoing ‘Y4K’ breaks mix CD series has grown into one of the most respected and acclaimed compilation series in the breaks genre over the last few years, and at first glance it seems surprising that it’s taken this long for Distinctive flagship act Hybrid to get a turn at compiling their own instalment. It’s also traditional for the Y4K series for each new mixed CD volume to emerge on the shelves in parallel with several slices of more DJ-friendly unmixed vinyl, hence this first 12” represents the first in a series that will land on shelves throughout the coming weeks.

From the reports I’ve heard so far, Hybrid’s volume in the Y4K series injects a darker, more cinematic vibe, with many parts of the mix geared towards listening, rather than packed dancefloors. These initial reports are certainly borne out by the contents of this 12”, which pairs two darkly cinematic and atmospheric tracks that veer away from breakbeats towards menacing ambience, the previously unreleased ‘In Good We Trust’ and ‘The Drop’ (Hybrid’s contribution to the recent Denzel Washington movie ‘Man On Fire’ soundtrack), with a previously-unreleased Satoshi Tomiie remix of ‘Morning Sci-Fi’ single ‘Higher Than A Skyscraper.’

On the A-side of this 12”, Satoshi Tomiie’s lengthy progressive house reworking of ‘Higher Than A Skyscraper’ injects a streamlined 4/4 kickdrum pulse below the epic orchestral flourishes and brooding bass chords, but in many ways it doesn’t really mess too much with the overall vibe of the original, retaining most of the cinematic curving strings and Peter Hook’s distinctive bassline, whilst also stretching things out expansively over hypnotic house beats and tumbling synthetic textures. Definitely one for the more brooding part of the evening, this is darkly epic prog house that sits in the some sort of sonic territory as Tomiie’s recent remixes for Sarah McLachlan and Delerium.

On the flip, ‘In Good We Trust’ offers a different flavour altogether, with vocal FX from Morning Sci-Fi collaborator Kirsty Hawkshaw sliding in a ghostly Dead Can Dance-esque style over The Hermitage Orchestra’s dark brooding strings and a distant slow throbbing bass pulse. Slowly, the massed strings begin to build up into an epic movie-score theme movement, with individual string textures and Hawkshaw’s ethereal vocals being processed and digitally manipulated through all sorts of timestretching and contorted plug-ins – there’s also not a beat to be seen in sight, harking back to some of the more orchestral moments of Hybrid’s debut ‘Wide Angle’ album. ‘The Drop’ (originally written for the ‘Man On Fire’ soundtrack) turns the level of ominous menace up even more, with atonal chiming noises giving way to a relentless Middle-Eastern tinged percussive loop and eerie buzzing electronic ambience that calls to mind the 8MM movie score’s explorations into dark worldbeat territory, before things slide into a sinister whirring robotic loop surrounded by tribal percussion that brings things to a close via a locked vinyl groove.

An intriguing new 12” from Hybrid that’s bound to have more than a few breaks fiends scratching their heads with puzzlement – while Satoshi Tomiie’s previously unreleased mix of ‘Higher Than A Skyscraper’ will doubt be eagerly snapped up by grateful prog fans, it’s the two B-sides here that provide the biggest hints as to where Hybrid may be going next (borne out by their recent decision to relocate to LA in order to focus on soundtrack work). Recommended.

Check out http://www.distinctiverecords.com