Wired Brain:
"Re:Wired"

Track list:

01. One Step Downward
02. Replicant
03. Deceiver
04. Down
05. Re-Wired
06. Low Country
07. Pro-Gen
08. R.I.P. (Reborn In Pain)
09. Twisted Cell
10. SubHuman
11. Faith?
12. The Drowning

Total Play Time: 62:12

Hopefully no one is opposed to reviews of releases from years ago (2002 to be specific). This review may have occured earlier if I had only known about Wired Brain and the music created by Philippe Astolfi. I went out on a limb with the Re:Wired release not knowing anything about the music, but hoping it'd deliver something exciting to my life. As if to remind me that I am not a complete and utter fool for blindly purchasing releases, I was given a great CD of music in the form of this release.

First off, there are no vocals or lyrics in Wired Brain's music. This is instrumental music, but before you give up on me due to that fact, know that there are plenty of voice samples used throughout. The samples go well with the music, adding depth to them where the music alone may not hold a person's attention. Not that the music lost my attention a whole lot by itself though.

The music is not dance music, but what I'd call thought music. It is typically mid-paced with well defined beats, packed full of various sound effects and synth lines that carry the listener along this musical journey. Sometimes a guitar is brought into the music (Replicant) or the music becomes crunchier and slightly done in a rhythmic noise fashion (Down). Other times the music is slowed and pulls your thoughts into it with it's synth lines (Deceiver). These different styles could easily make for a chaotic release, but in my opinion they were masterfully arranged so as to flow together.

After listening to this CD several times, I realized what it was that was appealing to me about it. The sounds, while slightly varied per song to give each their own life; had the constant impression of a machine being present. Sometimes it's a louder, larger industrial machine of brute strength. Other times it's a flow of data racing through wires and chips in a computer. Put together I found Re:Wired took me on an interesting journey through my own mind, and I had the option of actively engaging in the trip or to simply sit back and enjoy the images conjured up.

Reviewed by Bry'n
04.10.08