Release Date: 23 June 2017
Song Count: 15
Duration: 1 hour, 5 minutes, 25 seconds
Rating: 5.2/10
Description:
A rare recommendation from a blog reader, and today we're pulling our magnifying glasses on the second album from UK-based producer duo Hybrid Minds, made up of Josh White and Matt Lowe, alongside several collaborators lending their voices into what became Elements. Breaking through around one and a half decades ago, the liquid drum & bass creators have released a myriad of tracks and works over the years, slowly but steadily climbing up the ranks as more recognisable figures in the scene. This earlier record of theirs promises a stripped-back yet heartfelt assortment of 15 tracks that, though not intentionally connected to one another, provide a satisfying musical journey for a full hour straight.
Is this what we get out of it, however? The answer is a complex one to formulate, as although musical coherency and a signature, marketable D&B sound is very much prevalent throughout it all, there isn't as much of an outright journey or even a narrative to be found here, as the focus seems to have gone more on providing "feels" and an atmospheric leaning into the tracks than proper cohesion. The characteristic fast yet lightly treading drum samples spanning each and every song act as the primary point of connection for the music, and while this does lead to a uniform sound throughout the album, this ultimately does not prove to be a net positive, especially for the memorability of the actual songs.
Selling an ambience-based album with lesser focus on the individual components, while most certainly an approachable angle, has to simultaneously provide with an actually unique energy being expressed through the music, which Elements simply does not manage sufficiently enough to make up for the lack of focus. While perfectly listenable, a grand majority of the tracks feel hollow and clocked-in rather than made with passion, and generally have a commercial yet ultimately bland sound that fails to spark anything beyond brief, mild interest at few moments here and there. Though Hybrid Minds most certainly have the talent to go beyond and make a great record using the skillset they showcase in Elements, this earlier album of theirs does struggle to leave a favourable impression overall.