Hyper - Wired

Guy Hatfield has been recently dubbed "Breakbeat leader of the pack and the hardest working man in the UK dance scene" and with good reason. His recent tour schedule includes forty-plus dates with the Crystal Method and his studio time is being booked by all the top labels and artists. His current release "Wired" on Thrive Records for the US is a breaks party in box. Hyper has a sound considered to be funky, progressive breaks, for lack of a better term. This album is chock full of all the hot labels in breaks; Finger Lickin', Kilowatt, Bustin Loose, Audio Thearpy, Four Twenty, and Alternative Route, all are within.

Hyper starts the double-disc project off with a track by Mobilegazer. "My House" is certainly a house-inspired breaks track. It has some funky house vocals and wild synth riffs that are blended with breakbeats for a truly happening sound. The host brings the next track. His song "Shock Proof" has some looped snare elements along with a synth sound and a build-up that takes you for a ride. The dirty basslines start with the song "We've Been Waiting for You." This time Hyper teams up with General Midi for some filtered bass goodness. He picks up the guitar for the next track, "Get On." This remix of Moguai has a mellow feel to it laced with some dark overtones. The first track from the Finger Lickin crew is the song "Pray for You" by the Plump DJs. This song features some awesome vocals from the "Cars" man himself, Gary Numan. Knob-twisting duties are turned over to Lee Coombs for this track and it is nothing short of spectacular. Those shifty boys from Planet Funk lend their track "Who Said" over to Moguai to break it up a bit. This song rocks from bell to bell. Hyper chills it out somewhat with the next track, "Outsider."

It keeps the same banging break style but without as much intensity. The men from down under, Infusion, make a cameo here as well. Their Junkie XL-remixed track "Legacy" is very dark and seductive and brings a funky jazz bassline to the mix. Shutting down disc one is another gem from Finger Lickin, "Dirty Waltzer" by Soul of Man. Santos takes care of the rearranging duties and it proves to be a proper outro to a fun-filled first disc.

Before you get up to head to the store and buy this disc, just read on about the second disc. Bringing in part deux is DJ Fly Wheel with "Weatherman." This song builds nicely and smoothly and has subtle touches that make it a perfect starting track. The momentum-building continues on through "Line of Sight" by Dan F. It has an inviting female vocal sample that becomes more prominent throughout the song. The acoustic guitar riffs during the breakdown are quite soothing and peaceful. The party doesn't stay slow for long, however.

The true king of funk himself, George Clinton, provides the vocals on the next track. "Elementalelectrofunk" by Marscruiser vs. Andy Page is an electrobreaks track that marries very well to the cool vocals of Clinton. Chable & Bonnici deliver up the Have a Break mix of their awesome song "Ride." This song has some floating synth sounds that are guaranteed to take you away. The only thing that could bring you back is the pounding drum rhythms back in the song. This balance of floating synths and pounding drums is what makes it such a beautiful track. Hyper heads back to the studio and remixes the Sugababes song "In The Middle." It has some pop vocals that are chopped up, then stitched to a breakbeat bassline. What a transition! The second installment is finished off with a track each from Stir Fry, Attack Force, and Santos. It is a true piece of breakbeat work.

All the mixes are as flawless as expected because Hyper is a true master on the mixer. Breakbeat is becoming a more and more respected sound everyday in the dance music world and Hyper is for sure at the forefront.