Released on:
Metropolis
Metropolis (2007)
Also known as:
Hyper Real 1
Hyper Real 3
Runtime: 4:55
B-sides, in the conventional sense – i.e. not remixes or reinterpretations – are few and far between in the FSOL catalogue. A handful of Debut 12″s, the original ‘Visual Attack‘ 12″ and the ‘Far-out Son of Lung’ single are the only that come to mind. And, of course, ‘Hyporeel’ from Metropolis. This piano-led house number, heavily inspired by the Italian house scene of the time, is often considered to be the superior of the two originals on the ‘Metropolis’ single, and this is a view I agree with. The bittersweet, laid-back vibe potentially dates the track a little, but its melodicism is always bound to grab me, and its emphasis on atmosphere just makes it feel a little more FSOL than the upbeat house of the A-side, even if ‘Metropolis (Analog)‘ is the most typically FSOL sounding track in many ways. Still, the track features the usual array of one-shot samples throughout, giving it a Dougans / Cobain textural element missing in a lot of dance music of its time.
‘Hyporeel’ was the only track from the original to cross over to the 2007 re-release of ‘Metropolis’, although not without its own confusion. Renamed ‘Hyper Real’, the track appears on the digital release twice, as ‘Hyper Real 1’ and ‘Hyper Real 3’; the differences between the two, however, are so subtle as to only be discernible by comparing waveforms. It seems the two versions are either different digital transfers or different mastered versions, but are musically identical.
Credits
Written by Brian Dougans & Garry Cockbain (sleeve).
Written by Brian Dougans & Gary Cobain (disc / labels).
Produced by The Future Sound of London.
Engineered by Yage.
Fractional Difference 