Excitement, glamour, and glow sticks are just a few characteristics of the dance club scene, and once a rave gets revved up, expect it to go well into the night. Quite often attendees will bump and grind to the beats of DJ Dan, groove to the mixes of Paul Oakenfold, or fall into a trace via Chicane. But when DJ Andy Hunter° gets behind a turntable in those exact same environments, the sound pulsating from his speakers represents peacefulness over pleasure and purity over passion. That innocent yet equally captivating vibe stems from Hunter's deep and abiding Christian faith coupled with his desire to worship with every vinyl rotation. (And no, we're not talking the type of contemporary praise you'd see on a
Instead, Hunter offers up reverence through a kaleidoscope of down tempo, sequencing, break-beats, trance loops, and house music with occasional vocal accompaniment, ranging from crystalline wails to funky raps. Such a wide array of sounds were first chronicled on Hunter's 1997
The idea for his latest, Exodus, also came during 2000, although its initial writing and demoing phase took place over the next year and a half. By the middle of 2001, Hunter teamed up with producer Tedd T. (Jewel, Rebecca St. James) and caught the attention of both Nettwerk America in Los Angeles and Sparrow Records in Nashville, labels that picked up the project for co-distribution in both the sacred and secular markets. The result is a 10-track 70-minute swirling escapade through Hunter's spiritual philosophies set to a series of beats, mixes, and vocals. From the intoxicating album introduction, "Go," packed with a throbbing bass line and accelerating tone, it's apparent the soundtrack to Hunter's soul isn't only imaginative but also compelling. That opening cut can be compared to the coincidentally titled "Go" composition by Moby; both songs are dance-floor magnets, spewing forth rave-friendly energy and brief lyrical interludes to intensify the experience.
Hunter's American debut offers an array of sounds Christian audiences have yet to hear pulled off properly, while the record is full of spiritual sustenance devout believers may have wished for in Moby's repertoire. (Although that bald-headed ball of energy has articulated leanings towards a Christian faith, his expressions of such convictions are somewhat vague on record). The fact that Hunter wears his convictions on his sleeve without being overly preachy or pushy is what makes