Description
Spiritualisation is an album by the British techno project Hydro (a side project for Robbie Bronnimann of dba fame and Ray Goudie of Unity and Heartbeat fame), released on Orange Records in 1995, a division of NGM (“A New Generation” is a Bristol, UK based pioneering ministry established in 1987, engaging youth culture), marketed and distributed by Alliance Music in Europe. As well released on N•Soul Records in the US. The album was engineered by Robin Knox with Ray Goudie and Robbie Bronnimann producing.
Written by Robbie Bronnimann (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11) and Ray Goudie (tracks 3, 7, 8, 9, and 11), except the remix of Iona’s “Beyond These Shores” (entitled The Forbidden Fruit Mix). Programming by Bronnimann. Guitar samples by Nathan Skelton and snare drum loop by Phil Ball. Vocals provided by Iona’s Joanne Hogg, Tracey Bowen, and Shaz Sparks of dba.
Yep, those clever NGM folk have done it again, making an ambient dance album which totes as its piece de resistance an 80 BPM version of Iona’s «Beyond These Shores». The Forbidden Fruit Mix featured here has Joanne Hogg sounding like a disembodied Celtic saint and truly effecting it is too. Not everything is for the chill out room, though one track mixes frantic techno before looping off to aural wash land and comes complete with a silly speeding up outro while «Rawar», a frenetic stomper based around an ebbing and flowing guitar riff has some nice WWM-style shouts. Can’t say I care for some of the more experimental sound bites (pretension veers perilously close in this kind of thing) and it’s good when we actually get a SONG («Rainmaker»). Probably covering too many musical bases to be a top dance album but there are some good cuts here. [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, June 1995]
The brand of Celtic eclecticism preferred by Iona may carry more cache among more TCE readers than the current surge of sanctified Brit club sounds among which Hydro makes some, but Iona fans – completists, at least – will want this for The Forbidden Fruit Mix of the former’s «Beyond These Shores». At 80 beats-per-minute with gurgles and washes of ambient synthisms that complement an already soothing melody and vocal lines, it makes for peachy morning music for hi-NRG spinners and apropos chill-out fodder for homebodies (it should also have been a starting point for an Iona club remix EP in the same manner as its label, Forefront, has done the same for everybody from dc Talk to Geoff Moore [!]).
Gladly, there are more selling points to Hydro’s ‘Spiritualisation’ (based out of the same New Generation Ministries collective that has given the world dba nee 65dBA) that a stray remix making an already stellar tune mix show-worthy. Rockists will appreciate all the more the looped guitar riffage atop the accelerated breakbeat of «Rawar». Those already digging the poppy rave rap Cameron Dante does with World Wide Message Tribe and Real 2 Reel does with nigh every single have more of the stompin’ same via one mix of «Rainmaker». Those fiending for finger snapping house diva sass should de directed to Tracey Bowen workin’ it throughout its other version.
Surprisingly, the usually popchick-like Shaz Sparks from dba exudes the strongest art-chickness next to Iona’s Joanne Hogg on «You Are the Way» and the Opus III-ish «Touch The Spirit». Artiest of all is the nine-minute trance epic and poetic «As I Melt», though the avant-tribalism on «Breath» comes in at an appealingly close second.
Where Hydro originates, much of its tuneage would be considered pop in the most Rick Dees, or UK equivalent, sense. Mass tastes in clubtoons here aren’t as advanced, but regardless of where it fits here, ‘Spiritualisation’ balances nicely ‘tween hooks and sonic adventure. [Jamie Lee Rake – Who Could Stand the Exercise of Working up a Heady, Godly, Clubby Sweet, The Cutting Edge, June 1997]
CD tracklist:
01. Touch The Spirit – 5:09
02. Beyond These Shores (The Forbidden Fruit Mix) – 5:19
03. Birth – 4:39
04. Rawar – 4:57
05. As I Melt – 9:06
06. (Cilegna) – 1:00
07. Rainmaker – 4:24
08. You Are The Way – 3:59
09. Breath – 9:11
10. Touch The Spirit (The 303 Dream Topping Mix) – 5:09
11. Rainmaker (The Nutter Stomp Mix) – 5:11
12. (Melted) – 0:53
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Orange.
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