Begin with electronic grinding and sinuous E-perc; as things progress, these two aspects commence a transference that banishes any barriers between the aura and the beats. Add a guitar growl that sneers like a lizard hidden in the brush. Enter Vix's voice, rich and sultry with eerie sentiments. Trembling keyboards inject a delicate otherworldliness to this music that somehow grounds everything to familiar substance. Blending traits of techno with dark wave, Vix produces a sound that achieves quite accessible appeal with its mixture of artificiality and integrally human verve. In fact, the lyrical topics often center on this conjunction of wires and dreams, exploring the interface between technology and mortal existence. Dreamy melodies are infused with a dark power that promises mysteries more than nightmares. Such gothic sensibilities are tempered with a softness that bestows the freshness of dawn to the tuneage, bringing light to the nocturnal with Vix's uplifting vocal qualities. A few instrumental pieces (like "Electronic Tribute to Toshiro Mifune") provide a glimpse into even more ethereal territory with their fragile definition of heavenly realms. -- Matt Howarth