Mixing musical styles is nothing new; you may be familiar with past cross-genre collaborations, including Metallica’s S&M featuring the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.
The works of Vanessa Mae and bond come to mind as well. But Dysphemic & Miss Eliza’s Synthetic Symphony is the start of a more dynamic and current sound that is sure to grow in popularity.
The Australian duo’s debut album opens powerfully with a hotted-up version of Brahms’ “Hungarian Dance No. 5”. Listeners are immediately drawn in by the rich timbre of Miss Eliza’s violin and the ground-shaking beats from Dysphemic.
Next, the delightfully named “Drum’n’Bach” is a wild combination of drum n bass and J S Bach’s “Chaconne”. Prepare to be aurally wowed by the abrupt changes in tempo and mood, which is also the case for “Bounce Dat Shieet”, a showcase of Miss Eliza’s technical skill. Any string player can appreciate the difficulty of cleanly executing consecutive chords at speed, which Miss Eliza accomplishes perfectly.
Rap is introduced in “Scripture Slickness” (featuring MC Heinz). The sudden addition of vocals to what has so far been purely instrumental may be jarring to some, but ties in with the CD-only skits. However, if you listen to the album’s six tracks on their own from start to finish, this one does stick out — it’s not a deal breaker, just something to note.
Dysphemic & Miss Eliza are no strangers to performing, with the former already having toured several countries and the latter being a prodigy violinist. But together, they’re a talent to watch out for. Keep your eyes and ears open.
