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Arts and Culture
Music

Hybridity Music Turns Two

Celebrate Vancouver's electronic music scene and a niche local label.

Alex Hudson 6 Feb 2014TheTyee.ca

Alex Hudson writes for various music publications and runs a blog called Chipped Hip.
Vancouver band Humans
We swear to god they're both Humans.

I don't normally think of two years as a particularly significant milestone -- who ever talks about their cotton anniversary? -- but local label Hybridity Music is making its second birthday a night to remember with a big bash at Open Studios (252 East 1st Ave) on Friday, Feb. 7.

Since Hybridity began putting out music in early 2012, the label has carved out a niche in our city's electronic music scene. Its catalogue now consists of 11 official releases, and these range from thumping synth-pop to wispy electro-acoustic balladry to spaced-out dance bangers.

At the heart of Hybridity's discography is Vancouver's Humans. Their debut EP, Traps, was the company's first release, and that disc's party-starting mix of aggressive dance rhythms, tuneful hooks and synthesized adventurousness set the tone for the label's subsequent output. The duo of Robbie Slade and Peter Ricq have since gone on to release a pair of remix collections.

In addition to Humans, Rinq plays in another dark and danceable electronic pop band called Gang Signs. The outfit released its Remixes collection through Hybridity last year. He also makes up one half of Ladyfrnd, who overlay softly pretty luau ditties with downtempo beats and flickering synthscapes. Their self-titled debut came out last summer.

As for Slade, he also sings in Sabota, a duo with producer Max Ulis. The thudding house music influences are a little more overt in this project, and this provides Slade with another opportunity to mine the fertile middle ground between pulsing hedonism and melodic smarts. Sabota's self-titled album is due out on Feb. 21, and it will perform at the impending anniversary gig.

The event's stacked lineup additionally includes Toronto minimalist Thomas Cade, who released Greenwich Mean Time early last year. Also on the bill is experimentalist 8prn, who hasn't released any albums on Hybridity, but is listed on the label's roster. The evening will further include DJ sets from non-roster acts Nautiluss and Heartbeat(s).

The show is free for those who RSVP, and everyone through the door will get a free vinyl compilation album from the Scion Sessions. Consisting of 14 tracks across two 12" records, it includes cuts from some of the aforementioned acts plus some other homegrown talent on Hybridity's roster -- dubby enigma Calamalka and avant-soul boundary-pusher Wolfey -- along with likeminded non-roster contributors.

For anyone who has been looking for the gateway into Vancouver's electronic music scene, this is it. [Tyee]

Read more: Music

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