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BRIAN ORLOFFThe British DJ duo puts a spin on dance music by crafting atmospheric soundscapes and touring with a live band.
There's no telling what DJ duo Hybrid will spin on Saturday night.
The Brits (Chris Healings and Mike Truman) have continually refused to follow the typically rigid confines of dance music.
"We're just sick to death of deep, progressive house, four-hour mixes that just undulate vaguely upwards and go back down," says a jolly Truman by phone from his Swansea, Wales, studio. "I can't think of anything more boring."
The group's DJ set at the Amphitheater in Ybor City on Saturday is a warmup. Hybrid kicks off a North American tour in November that will really push the envelope: the duo will tour with a live band backing the dance mixes.
The Brits have constructed their career around dodging boundaries. They craft eclectic, hugely orchestrated soundscapes in their live DJ sets and on Morning Sci-Fi, their second album, scheduled for October release. Call it mood music with heady atmospherics.
"I think we try and crowbar too much stuff in sometimes," Truman says. "We've been listening to a lot of British and American indie guitar bands, probably more the British. People like the Doves. Not so much Coldplay, but loads of other people. Obviously, Radiohead's quite a big influence. But listening to a lot of old stuff as well, like old Led Zeppelin, bits of T. Rex, kind of feeding off different vibes and ideas."
Morning Sci-Fi features at least two additional distinctions: live vocals from singer/guitarist Adam Taylor and bass work from Peter Hook of New Order. Truman and Healings are assembling a full band for the November tour lest the album's more grandiose sounds fail to translate.
"I think we really got into more guitar-oriented bands about two years ago when we started the album," Truman says. "Dance music's so ingrained in what we do that we can never get away from it, but it's nice to kind of bring new bits of music into the fold."
As DJs, the two rely on their vast collection of records to create a new show each night.
"As we're getting older, I think our tastes get a bit more eclectic. . . . (At a recent gig) the first 35 minutes was all hip-hop and then there's a couple of rock tracks thrown in at the end. . . . It's really blurring edges quite a bit," Truman says. "If you've got a really receptive crowd, you can get more creative. If they're not really going absolutely ballistic, if it's more subdued mood in the club, then you probably play a little bit safer. But if you've got everybody absolutely rocking, then you can take musical chances and that's the fun,
"We've cleared a couple of dance floors here and there by going a bit too far," Truman says. "But you live and learn."
PREVIEW
The show starts at 9 p.m. Saturday with DJs and other acts; Hybrid will perform after midnight. Cover charge is $12 or $17 for access to the VIP room. Age restrictions: women must be 18, and men must be 21 for admission. The Amphitheater is at 1609 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City. (813) 248-2331.