Hybrid by Shannon Hybrid: the name says it all. They’ve managed to create the ultimate "hybrid" form of music by fusing elements of dance, classical, jazz and rock. In order to create their innovative music, they’ve worked with artists like Chrissy Hynde (in the track, "Kid 2000"), Julee Cruise from the "Twin Peaks" theme song (in their track, "If I Survive") and the Russian Federal Orchestra to create their most famous track, "Finished Symphony". Hybrid, which consists of members Mike Truman, Chris Healings and Lee Mullins, met in a club over nine years ago. They’ve only released one album, "Wide Angle", but have remixed numerous songs, including "So Pure" by Alanis Morrissette, "Fear" by Sarah Mclachlan and "Everything In It’s Right Place" by Radiohead. Hybrid’s latest venture is their work on the Playstation 2 video game, "Lotus Challenge". Hybrid’s fame in the electronic music world hasn’t tainted their philosophy on the music they produce. In a recent interview, I asked them about the uncanny correlation between dance music and classical. Mike Truman: "If the old [classical] composers had digital sounds and laptops 200 years ago, think about their sound. The composer [Richard] Wagner was into bass so he’d be churning out drum and bass basslines. Wagner did "Ring of the Nibelum", which is fourteen hours long. That is definitely a Sasha breakdown! That’s epic. It’s exactly the same thing as then. We try out different sounds and textures but we’re using different tools. Instead of having an orchestra, we’re using samplers, keyboards and computers. The analogy of electronic and classical is a good one. Take Paul Van Dyk. I listened to a piece by a Lithuanian composer from twenty years ago and it has the chord sequence from "For an Angel" [by Paul Van Dyk]. If you listen to "For an Angel" in this way, it could easily be a piece by Bach with its big, emotional swells of chords. It’s all loosely based around the same thing." Hybrid’s hard work for nearly a decade has paid off: they’ve been signed to the London-based record company, Distinct’ive Records. They’ve recently made a major move to promote themselves in the United States by signing to BMG-owned record label, Kinetic Records. With their follow-up album to "Wide Angle" coming out within the next year, Hybrid will continue to break musical barriers and conventions. Listen to Hybrid’s "Finished Symphony": For more information on Hybrid, visit http://www.hybrid-group.co.uk For my full interview with Hybrid, please visit: http://www.lunarmagazine.com/features/hybrid.html