Following a couple of sought after releases on Butter Sessions and Paper Cuts, Hybrid Man, aka the dynamic duo of Julien Huynh and Will Holden, have a new E.P. ready on Wax O Paradiso. Across four tracks they amazingly accurately echo early to mid-1990s “ambient house”. The opener, Eternal Nightglow, for example, all congas and undulating oscillations, starts out similar to, say, A Positive Life, while evolving increasingly, more and more, Orb-like. TB-303 squiggles, and keys that create juice harp-like jive, spiking its stoned, fluid, flow. Throughout the 12 there are gentle guitar touches, and here they add Middle Eastern / North African picking and whale song drone. The percussive Bluegums has some peaceful piano counter its flickering, darting hang drum-like chimes, and spinning, spiralling sonic fractals. Swept By The Undertow is sensual, slo-mo dub. Its beats, controlled explosions, accompanied by a robotic rainstick rattle. Something for fans of stuff such as Cousin’s recent Fifth Wall. For me, though, Sunwave is the standout. Conjured from organ chords, and bleeps, aping Aphex Twin’s acidic didgeridoo, its groove is a bit more Balearic / go-go-not-go-go. Ethereal sequences and effects whirl about like whispering, gated spirits and ghosts, and the sound is very reminiscent of the psychedelic “prog” of William Orbit’s Guerilla Records. Referencing the tunes of trippy producers, like Spooky, and the label founder himself, while also nodding toward the epic output of fellow travellers Underworld, and especially their mellower alter ego, Lemon Interrupt. 

Hybrid Man’s Dust And Liquid is available directly from Wax O Paradiso.