Fabriclive 50 – Dbridge & Instra:mental Review

It takes a brave man to stand down from the peak of his game to pursue a new direction and style. Braver still if his final goal is to have no style at all.
In dBridge & Instra:mental we find three men who have done just that; taken a step back from their seats amongst the drum & bass heavyweights to pursue a new course, drawing influence from styles as diverse as Detroit techno and 80’s synth music to add to their DnB credentials.

Knowing all this, the opening track ‘Seems Like’ by Riya was not what I expected. The simple arpeggiated riff combined with beautiful flowing vocals does feel a bit like it could be a breakdown from a DnB record. Not that that’s a bad thing. Then the seamless transition into ‘From The Start’ smoothly yet suddenly changes the tone.
And so this pattern continues for much of the album. Tracks such as ‘Nu Este Roz’ by Dan Habarnam take the vibe particularly deep and I feel as if I could easily get lost, daydreaming within its trippy, minimal tones.

‘Sky’s Alight’ by Distance brings back some reference to the producers’ past. There is a clear dubstep vibe with gritty synth stabs and broken glass effects, even if the rest of the track maintains the stripped down and experimental style of the whole mix. ‘Distorted Dreams’ by Genotype featuring the accapella from ‘Go’ by Meleka sends the journey on another unexpected twist, combining a dark and sinister beat with a strong RnB vocal.

The second half of the mix starts to take on a clear Detroit techno influence. Tracks such as ‘Farah’s Theme’ by Loxy & Genotype combine crisp drum machine beats with soft flowing synths. These sounds overlap and blend into subsequent tracks and the vibe remains, but it is never anything more than an influence.
This album is a deep and flowing soundscape that evolves throughout, often completely changing direction but always so effortlessly. It would be near on impossible to produce music that is truly without style, however dBridge and Instra:mental have managed to produce an album that remains independent from any one genre by combining influences from so many.

Whilst it’s never going to be the CD you put on when you’re getting lairy at a party, it makes for a really interesting and original listen if you have the time to pay it the attention it deserves.