Cyber-Tec

(Fifth Column)
by J. Lianna Ness

Featuring ex-members of Cubanate and Front 242, the pulsating rhythms of Cyber-Tec remind me of such veteran dance music maestros of the ’80s as Ultravox, Visage, and Classix Nouveaux. Unlike much of the superfluous techno today, Cyber-Tec create complete compositions with lyrics and structure. Of the 12 tracks on this disc (all with clever titles such as “Track 01,” “Track 02,” “Track 03,” etc.), approximately six of those are remixes of the first song, a high-energy dance track with the catchy chorus “Remain chained to the matter and let your body die.” The “Track 04” remix utilizes samples of people speaking in foreign tongues while a mechanical female voice drones “Death is not the end” in the background. It has a heavier thumping bass and ethereal-sounding synth soundwaves. “Track 06,” one of the faster songs at about 140 bpm, is an almost unrecognizable remix of “Track 01” – the repetitive chorus of “Let your body die!” is the only dead giveaway, otherwise it’s difficult to tell that it’s another remix. You would think having so many remixes of one particular song would get dull and redundant, but each mix is unique. For instance, the “Track 08” version sounds very industrial and stripped down, with very simple samples and sounds. The version on “Track 10” starts out with a strange “off”-beat then launches into a quick-tempo, quasi-instrumental with the whispered chorus, “Let your body die” barely audible and buried just beneath the loud mix. The last mix, “Track 12,” is kind of like the grand finale of mixes – it’s a busy tune with lots of crashing cymbal sounds and loud, pulsating thuds, electric guitars and way more samples than all the other mixes combined. This is a disc that will make you wanna dance; it’s the kind of music you don’t just listen to – it sucks you in and you feel it from head to toe. This isn’t just generic, run of the mill dance music, it’s progressive, high-octane pulsar pop.