Andy Hunter: "Exodus"
Title: Exodus
Category: Dance/Electronica
Artist/Group: Andy Hunter
Rating: 5 / 5
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Just as Christ entered our world, translating heavenly existence to the earthly, the arts enter one human heart from another, sharing the experiential reality.
Back in the summer of 2000, one of my housemates came back from visiting family on the West Coast. Fortuitously, a Worshiptogether Conference was going on in a nearby city, and he was able to attend seminars led by the likes of Matt Redman, Stuart Townsend, Andy Hunter, and others.
Now, Matt Redman and Stuart Townsend I'm sure most of you know. But who is Andy Hunter? Think of him as a praise leader who leads not by playing a guitar and standing behind a microphone, but by wearing headphones and standing behind turntables and a mixer: a worship leader dee-jay.
An oxymoron?
As Hunter's website states: "Dance music and spiritual faith are rarely seen in the same circles. Britain's Andy Hunter manages to ride the balance between the two without alienating the former or tainting the latter. A lover of both music, and what he calls "his God," since the age of 14 Hunter has worked in a capacity that has allowed both those entities to blissfully co-exist."
Hmmm...kind of makes me think. What happens when a person gifted in music and sound engineering becomes a Christian? Does he drop everything, go to seminary, and become a pastor? Or does he continue on the path of becoming the best musician he can be, relying on his faith to be the source of inspiration and creativity? The "right" choice is not always clear.
"I always wanted to be in bands and be on stage," says Hunter. "I played guitar, but I got more into the sound and lighting because I wasn't a great guitar player. I loved putting music on before the bands came on so I became interested in deejaying, thinking it would be great to inflict my taste on people..."
Musically, Exodus is progressive house, techno, and trance -- a fusion of creativity and faith that expresses and illustrates God's intimate and merciful identity in the world.
The title of the CD is purposeful. And so is that of the first track, "Go"
Almost everyone is familiar with the
Exodus
account, from the 1956 Cecil B. DeMille film classic The Ten
Commandments if nowhere else. And most would, correctly, describe
the
account as a celebration of human freedom. The word "Go" in this
context
evokes the image of Charlton Heston as Moses standing before Pharaoh,
proclaiming, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my
people
go.'" What is often forgotten, however, is what was said next. "Let my
people go, so that they may worship me...." Hunter's "Go," inspired
mainly
by Exodus 12:31, reminds us of this revealed truth, which the
postmodern
mind fails to recognize -- that true freedom cannot exist apart from
God.
The song's mood starts off slow, with a beat that sounds like a heartbeat...a rattle of danger that quickly passes, and a wind that whispers. But it is also melancholy and sad. The mood then accelerates in rapid-fire scratches of urgency, and the scream "Go!" is shouted. The events of Exodus 12 occur immediately after Egypt's final plague. "And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead" (12:29-30). So it is possible that "Go!" here does not represent the words of Moses or of God, but Pharaoh's command to the Israelites, in which he finally admits defeat.
"The Wonders of You" is inspired by Exodus 15:11 "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you -- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?" Not only is this true, but the song's rap actually sounds cool.
"Radiate" is a song I heard from a sample CD a year ago. The lyrics are simple, and I think the music is able to translate their earnestness. I want you/To radiate/Your perfection/Permeate/Burn in me/Eradicate/So burn, burn.
"Amazing" has the smooth vocals of Christine Glass (Love and Poverty), and is reminiscent of a cross between the Cranberries and Sarah Masen set to a dance beat.
Based on Romans 8:26, "Angelic" is part trance, part prayer. The vocals are without lyrics ("groanings which cannot be uttered"). Speaking-in-tongues set to a cool "chill out" beat.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable album. I give it a rating of 5 out of 5.
Check out Andy Hunter's website: www.andyhunter.com
Mark
Kim
02.02.03
Responses to this Review:
A 10 second sample of "Who Is Like You" is on the latest "Matrix Reloaded" trailer!
Mark K.
04.13.03
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