Ape to Angel may be the third record from Pitch Black in five years, but the two members of the New Zealand act had been accumulating experience in electronic music and production since the late '80s. The experience shows on Ape to Angel, a hypnotic recording that combines dub, dark trance and sampling. "Big Trouble Upstairs" is the closest they get to a dance club vibe, borrowing a little from the trippy work of Underworld. Otherwise, this is a chillout collection which relies as much on higher-end sounds as it does on deep bass grooves. The only thing that disrupts the vibe a tad are the vocals by Sandy Mill on "Elements Turn," which are a little too R&B and don't seem necessary when the rest of the album is relying on programming. Either way, Ape to Angel still fits appropriately into the Waveform catalog. ~ Kenyon Hopkin
