Andy Hunter

For years, techno music has gotten a bad rap from the majority of the music-listening populace. Between the generic thud-thud-thud sound of many of the tracks, annoying repetition of sometimes a handful of words, and vocalists who clearly have no business being anywhere near a microphone unless there’s an engineer nearby to alter their voice, the genre often has a lot going against it.

This is where Andy Hunter comes in.

What happens when a talented DJ is introduced to the techno music landscape? Hopefully people take notice and he ends up having a solid career like a Paul Oakenfold or the guys from Underworld. And if the DJ happens to be a Christian, playing his music in the CCM world? Ten years ago, that DJ would have been in the wrong market entirely, but nowadays, someone like Hunter can be both of these things successfully.

His first record, Exodus, garnered attention from both Christian and secular markets (including Rolling Stone), and his follow-up, Life, got his songs appearing in video games. Add to this the fact that his songs began appearing in film trailers and blockbuster movies, and it is easy to see how Hunter and his music have become as popular as they have.

With this third release, Colour, Hunter is taking his music in a slightly different direction. While he has not abandoned the beats, rhythms and hooks that have helped make so many of his songs dance classics, it is clear that he is not interested in resting his laurels and simply redoing the same thing record after record.

Like his first two records, Colour is infused with lyrics that represent his faith in Christ. The magical thing about this is that while traditional songs take 3 or 4 minutes and expound on whatever their intended message is, Hunter uses the traditionally-accepted parameters of dance music (songs longer than 6 minutes, sometimes with few if any words) and uses them to his advantage. Consider the entire lyrical content of “You,” the album’s closing track:

“You are the one.
The one in three.
Three in one.
Infinity.”

The ethereal sounds of this epic track, which clocks in at over 7 minutes in length, only serve to augment and mirror the power of the simple lyrics it contains. Sometimes the best songs truly keep it that simple, and this is an example of what a few of the album’s tracks do.

None of this is new, however, as fans of Hunter’s previous work will attest. This is the sort of thing he has been doing well for close to a decade now. What is different about this album is that some of the tracks actually sound more like songs, lyrically, because they involve verses, choruses, and otherwise typical song structures that are not typically found in techno music.

Some of the lyrics for “Technicolour,” far and away the most memorable track on this record, most effectively embody the thematic, musical and lyrical structures of this record:

“When I’m feeling blue
Black and white seem to follow me.
Technicolour light filters through the haze.

When I’m hearing gray
Cut the noise, find some clarity.
Stereophonic sound racing through my veins.”

Colour is not your typical techno record. It’s not even your typical Andy Hunter record, really. It has plenty of pulse-pounding music fit for clubs across the world, but there are also lyrics fit for The One who created this world. Quiet and contemplative at times, loud and energetic at others, Colour is a beautiful hour-long worship session you’ll want to experience over and over.

Tagged as: Andy Hunter, Colour, EDM, Exodus, Life, techno

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