The world of the mix CD is under assault. Looking to the relentless reach of online music retailers and the ease by which most music lovers can download sets from their favourite DJs, there has to be something a little special for the average punter to dish out their hard-earned cash, beyond the often dubious benefit of liner notes. DJs, producers and labels are all looking for new ways to make the compilation relevant again, and the latest release from Hybrid thankfully shows why this format is far from being dead.

It’s been over 4 years since the duo of Mike Truman and Chris Healings have released a mix CD, during which time they have been busy writing and releasing their third artist album, working on film projects and touring the world. Their last mix CD for the Y4K series was released back in ‘04 and was met with some acclaim, so there is a justified sense of anticipation to see what Hybrid has in store for us this time around. And _Hybrid Soundsystem_01_ takes a novel approach: disc one is a downtempo affair while disc two explores the more club-focussed of their sound. While this format has been done before, it’s doubtful a wider net has ever been cast in pulling together a compilation. Utilising their extensive experience in the world of film music, they’ve draw together a diverse, interesting and often surprising collection of artists and sounds. Hybrid have been long time collaborators with Harry Gregson-Williams, one of the Hollywood’s most preeminent film composers, having worked with him on films like Kingdom of Heaven and Man on Fire. It’s no surprise then to see some of Harry’s works here, and indeed he lends a hand on one of Hybrid’s tracks Fifty Dollar Pistol that appears on disc 2.

The first disc is haunting, beautiful, subtle and at times majestic. It is certainly not the kind of CD you would whack on everyday of the week and it will probably leave some people cold, but there is an undeniable sense of splendour to the music here. The disc starts in ambient mode, moving gently through tracks from Trentmoller and Massive Attack before finding a delicate energy with Trifonic’s Parks on Fire. From here the sound oscillates from luscious to sparse, occasionally dropping in beats and often stripping them away. There is a real emotional journey as they build up to the gorgeous heights of The River from Spooky before pulling things low with music from the 28 Days Later soundtrack.

So when do you listen to this type of CD? I’m not sure I really know. It’s a bit too sombre for dinner time, a little too dark to accompany rumpy pumpy (unless you’re perhaps having break-up sex), too subdued for riding in cars, too dramatic for doing the housework. But for those with the time to really listen, this mix does really reward. Hybrid harness their extensive experience in the world of film music by essentially creating their own virtual soundtrack, to a movie that can only be played out in your mind.

The second disc starts off with the now familiar sounds of Sasha’s Coma, and in many ways picks up where the first disc leaves off, dishing up a quite sombre atmospheric soup of sound. This however blends effortlessly into the more delicate sounds of Surin, a production from sometime Hybrid vocalist Quivver. Tracks from Luke Dzierzek and Shifter & Carvell keep things in a fairly dark place, teasing out a subdued tech-house, almost minimal vibe. It is not too long however before things start taking on more of an epic flavour – the mix finally bursts to life with the luscious tripped-out sounds of Soliquid’s Lonesfield. Imagine a peculiar electronic beast with the head of James Holden, the body of Shlomi Aber with little Philip Glass arms and fairy dust legs. It sounds weird but here it just seems to work.

At this point, it may surprise some people to find that so far we have heard almost nothing of the broken beat, but rather a predominantly four to the floor excursion. While the breakbeat is something for which Hybrid are generally known, anyone who has heard or seen a recent Hybrid DJ set will know that the boys do not confine themselves to any particular genre and tend to cherry pick the best atmospheric cuts from across the board. This is certainly the case here.

But luckily for fellow breakbeat lovers, Hybrid do eventually introduce one of their own cuts to the mix and with it, the familiar rhythms and tones that certainly characterise their sound. The end of this disc is quite simply an awesome little piece of DJing. The final three tracks – Oliver Moldan vs Harada’s Fortune Cookie, Steffano Greppl’s Electro Pop and Shiver from Elite Force – are weaved together so beautifully that it’s virtually impossible to tell one from the other. The result? Something greater than the sum of its parts as melody and rhythm intertwine to a magical climax.

On disc two, we don’t really get anything particularly groundbreaking. Many progressive DJs and producers are dipping into the tech and minimal sounds at the moment and here, Hybrid mostly do the same. However, their programming and mixing is superb, and the addition of two original Hybrid cuts and a couple of reworks does ad an undeniable Hybrid touch. We’ve certainly seen this musical landscape before, but I’m not sure if it all looked so… well, interesting, last time. When you add the breadth of music on offer from the first disc, we are left with something that will at the very least satisfy Hybrid fans, and perhaps even open up their sound to yet more audiences. While you may not love every moment of this, you can’t help but respect it.