Electronica: Andy Hunter's Life

Terry Mattingly in his excellent collection of columns called Pop Goes Religion: Faith in Popular Culture outlines the various definitions of Christian music used by the Christian music industry. How you define “Christian music” will limit or expand the number of artists/songs given that title. Charlie Peacock, a prolific producer, takes on this challenge when releasing his own album, Love Press Ex-Curio, because here’s an artist who is a Christian doing vocal-less jazz which can only then be defined as Christian music because Peacock is a Christian (see the Jazzed Up Shelf article).

However, Andy Hunter doesn’t make it easy on those with a narrow definition of Christian music either. Hunter is a Christian with songs that have Christian lyrics inspired by Scriptural references—except it’s Electronica. The vocals are anything but straight forward, often acting as secondary ways to elucidate the beats and vamps. Mattingly’s list of definitions includes the phrase: “‘Christian songs’ must contain some clear ‘God talk.’” As the beats drive the dance rhythms forward over Hunter’s mesh of blips, beeps, and melody, you couldn’t call the vocals “clear.”

As on his most recent release, Life, Hunter is doing Christian Electronica which seems incongruous given Electronica’s reputation of the club scene and ecstasy-fueled raves. So what is Hunter doing? Redeeming the beat.

If we allow the rock ‘n’ roll song form to permeate Christian worship, praise, and pop music, despite the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll reputation of the genre, then there’s no reason that Electronica can’t be similarly used by Christians. Jesus Christ came to redeem (buy back) the world from sin. There’s ways in which Christians, through using their talents in service to God, can flesh out this redemption in daily life. While the true redemption happens only through the death and resurrection of Jesus, anytime that a Christian uses his or her talent in music to create art in service to God rather than to the almighty dollar, sex, drug, or fame, then that is a way that God’s redemption of people flows out through the lives of His people.

Set all of that aside, though, because while the debate certainly will continue about what constitutes “Christian music,” I don’t want to imply that Andy Hunter’s Life is just a poor imitation of Electronica given some more reverent lyrics. While it is completely liberating to hear Electronica done without the constant sexual overtones or drug references, the bottom line with Hunter is that he’s doing incredibly good Electronica.

While Hunter is pictured in front of computer/Midi/sampler table, this isn’t the more random blips and bleeps of art Electronica. This is dance floor thick beats, pounding bass with high-tones keyboards that can fuel a million flashing lights. If King David was alive today and wanted to dance before the Lord, he’d have Hunter playing in his court. The psalms often make reference to all of the instruments that the people had at their disposal. The psalms still are able to praise God using the myriad of instruments available to us today. As you get lost in the beat, with its chest-cavity invasion, Hunter’s lyrics are just clear enough so that you’re not getting lost inside your own mind, your own gyrations, your own search for life’s highs. Instead, you sing with Hunter, “Open my eyes/I want to see what you see/…Show me the life/That’s in you.”

Life’s “Come On” is also featured on Pump’d2, produced by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and released by Interlinc. The track jams for ready-made soundtrack to a sports highlight reel. It sounds a lot like the Overseer track from the Snatch soundtrack, scratching with a siren-like keyboard line and well-placed sampled “come on” shout outs. Crank this track to get your basketball, swim, volleyball, wrestling, or chess team pumped for their next event. Meanwhile, the lyric actually sings the Lord’s Prayer, “Your kingdom come/Can you hear me?” Jam-dancing before the Lord asking His kingdom to come among us through the Word and Holy Spirit while crying out with our spun-sweaty souls and wondering if God hears our prayers. He does, and He also hears Andy Hunter’s hymns for the dancefloor.

Thank you to Andy Hunter and EMI Christian Music Group for the review copy of Life.