Review of DJ Cybo's Rendered Senseless album
For those readers familiar with MySpace and the terms IDM or Electronica, you may be fortunate enough to have
discovered the sublime music of DJ Cybo. A self-promoted artist from Brooklyn, unsigned to any label, DJ Cybo
is a cottage industry producing high-quality electronic music with a very human, emotional feel, and that music
is in turn eagerly anticipated and gratefully received by thousands of fans. If ever proof was needed that the current
ways we buy and listen to music are in a time of radical transition, this extraordinary artist's ongoing story is more
than enough of an example to make the point.
Rendered Senseless begins with a moody intro piece, Disseminate, which tonally has an almost folk harmony which
transforms seamlessly into glittering synth arpeggios and smooth, fluid ambient pads, all consolidated by the
trademark crunchy, yet subtle DJ Cybo drum sound. Syncopated snares roll past, forwards and backwards, all
without distracting you from the all-important atmosphere, finally embellished by subtle yet very effective vocals.
No sooner does the listener accustom to this sonic vignette, than the track finishes, like the end to a perfect short
story. Listening to the next track, 'I Am', one becomes aware that Cybo world unfolds its musical secrets succinctly
and gradually, and certain consistent traits unveil themselves as you are engulfed in the sound.
All the tracks on this album have a very filmic and visual quality, as though they were snapshots of the inner visual
imagination, each piece is not only structurally composed with almost architectural precision, but everything
within any given track seems to be 'framed' by the meticulous desire to serve the song, rather than accentuate any
one element above another. On a more analytical level, the question arises, what is so captivating about the overall
mixture, and what of influences? Certainly there is an 'Industrial' element to the drums, and flanger-synth strings
on tracks like 'Clockwork Theory' along with short, staccato glass timbred synth motifs remind of the Industrial
duo Gridlock, with some reference to the album 'Further', particularly the songs 'Scrape' and 'Under'.
A recurring approach for a DJ Cybo track seems to be ultra-dreamy ambient textures, simple and effective melody
lines, and crunchy layered drums that are just acerbic enough to give the music some edge without overpowering.
Yet there is something more here, which keeps you coming back for more, and the old adage about the whole
becoming greater than the sum of its parts could not be truer here.
The reason that DJ Cybo's music stands alone stylistically, is that there is a paradox in the combination of textures
which works so well, and has a completely unique flavour. There is plenty of movement in the percussion and
drums, and there is an edge to the rhythm section, which compliments the sidereal vocals and mystical pads
rather than cancelling them out, and Cybo conjures this winning symbiosis time after time throughout 'Rendered
Senseless'. There is a more traditional song craft to tracks like 'Hidden', which features slightly more up front
vocals, albeit under a cathedral-like reverb. On 'Erase the Walls' we are enticed in by a motorik keyboard sequence
which would not sound out of place on a Tangerine Dream album, and the beautiful droning ever present synths are
followed by an angelic choir sound encouraging the listener to dream, imagine and visualize.
The cornerstone of this album has to be 'Collision is Imminent'. This is definitely the Cybo style in full effect, a
magical piano melody gets straight to the point with the drums skipping and dancing their way above, beneath
and around a Mellotron pad and a minimalistic one note vocal line - but what a vocal! A note that streams into the
consciousness and disappears as imperceptibly as it began. Next, 'Amalgamation V2', a variation of a track
from Cybo's previous album, 'Recorded In A Dream' makes a welcome reappearance. Straight away, the same
vocal style of 'Collision is Imminent' is evident, with a more embellished melody, but still minimal, and quite, quite
exquisite. It becomes very obvious that DJ Cybo's approach to music has a great deal to do with the whole
picture, each track is a necessary part of the album structure, and every composition is framed in terms of
track running time and orchestration, almost exactly like a photograph. And indeed, DJ Cybo is also an
accomplished photographer, so it is no coincidence that the musical compositions are so well put together
in light of this. Just as a painter thinks in terms of textures, form and colours, so do many musical artists who
are lucky enough to have transcended the desire to showcase musical acrobatics at the expense of conveying
emotion and provoking thought. DJ Cybo is definitely in this category, and her MySpace success story, highlighted
by the many responses and comments from folk far and wide who have deemed inspiration and pleasure from this
creative force is testament to the best part of our humanity, i.e our ability to respond to genuine, heartfelt music
which serves the art by pursuing truth and beauty.
If you were wondering if there is hope for music amidst the turmoil of music piracy, the puritanical DRM industry
backlash, and the proliferation of construction kit loop based nonsense out there, then look no further than DJ
Cybo. Carving a very individual path totally outside of the traditional music industry, this is definitely one of
tomorrow's artists playing us a soundtrack to change and progress.
Will Brazier-Smith
30th of September, 2008.
www.djcybo.com
wwwmyspace.com/djcybo