Martyn - Fabric 50

01. Hudson Mohawke – Joy Fantastic feat. Olivier Daysoul
02. Alec Wizz – Drummin’ (Louis Benedetti Drumminpella)
03. Nubian Mindz – Bossa Boogie
04. Maddslinky – Lost On Tenori Street
05. Altered Natives – Rass Out
06. Zomby – Little Miss Naughty
07. Uncle Bakongo – Afar
08. Zomby – Light Cycle
09. Deepgroove & Jamie Anderson – The Clock (Ben Klock’s Timepiece)
10. DJBone – We Control The Beat
11. Detachments – Circles (Martyn’s Round & Round Mix)
12. Joy Orbison – Brkln Clln
13. Cooly G – Feeling You
14. Martyn feat. dBridge – These Words (Roska’s Speechless Mix)
15. Kode9 – Oozi
16. Roska – Without It
17. Martyn – Friedrichstrasse
18. Levon Vincent – Air Raid
19. Martyn feat. Spaceape – Is This Insanity? (Ben Klock Mix)
20. Martyn – Seventy Four (Redshape Mix)
21. Actress – Slowjam
22. Zomby – Mercury’s Rainbow
23. 2562 – Flashback
24. Martyn – Vancouver
25. Jan Driver – Rat Alert
26. Dorian Concept – Trilingual Dance Sexperience

Like most of the artists that sign up to Fabric’s mix series, Dutchman Martijn Deijkers defies easy genre categorisation. Debut full-length Great Lengths fell nominally within the boundaries of dubstep, but like many at work within the form in 2009, Deijkers’ music was of interest mostly for the ways it wriggled shy of convention – a mellow and colourful twist on the sound, informed equally by his past in house and techno.
What this means for his Fabric mix, loosely, is a whole lot of variety. Deijkers claims it’s not specifically made to work on the dancefloor, but beyond the opening Joy Fantastic – one of the more Outkast-flavoured tracks from Hudson Mohawke’s Butter album – if anything, this mix is conspicuous for the upbeat tempos and exquisite complexity of its rhythmic programming.
While steeped in the post-UK garage and UK funky sound, it is nonetheless dominated by producers keen to put an individual stamp on their productions. So, Zomby’s Little Miss Naughty is a future-tribal bounce pockmarked with air horns and junglist slogans. Roska’s Without It is sparse UK Funky with blink-and-you’ll-miss-‘em keyboard stabs. And Dorian Concept’s Trilingual Dance Sexperience is a splattery, scattershot take on hyped-up G-funk that’s almost quease-inducing in its wonky sensory overload.
Too much of this stuff can rot your teeth, though, so Martyn also dips a little into the more reliable step of 4/4. A Ben Klock remix of his own Is This Insanity featuring sometime Kode9 collaborator Spaceape is an appealing change of pace, while DJ Bone’s We Control The Beat is crisp Detroit techno that makes its home here chiefly thanks to the clean wooziness of its synths.
There are a few jarring moments – a Martyn remix of electro-pop trio The Detachments is an ill fit, the vocals standing out like a sore thumb – but largely, it’s testament to Deijkers’ way with a slippery beat that this holds together so well.

Click Box - Wake Up Call

1. Wake Up Call
2. Nebula
3. Room
4. Blue Box
5. S Bahn

Click Box have fast become a permanent fixture in the Minus firmament, personifying the subtle shifts that are taking place within the scene as the label expands its repertoire and broadens its horizons to incorporate emerging artists from all over the globe. Already on to their second Minus release of 2009, São Paulo DJs/producers Marco AS and Pedro Turra immediately pick up where they left off with the roving bass and pumping rhythm section of Wake Up Call doing exactly what it says on the tin. As with the first EP, the oscillating synth patterns continue to dominate proceedings, painting neon shapes in the darkness before another delicious robotic sequence shifts the atmosphere by introducing a moroder-esque vibe complete with twisted disco bleeps. It’s just another example of how Click Box have honed their sound since their debut I&T release through a finely crafted mixture of proto-house, electro and techno, to create a distinctive hybrid that’s fast becoming their own. There is something reassuringly familiar about the fat basslines and classic old school sequences they use but it’s their innovative approach to sound design and the adrenalin rush of their arrangements that allows them to connect the past and the future with such authenticity. Moving on, Nebula extends the party vibe with a funk-infused hihat pattern taking hold while a moody, throbbing bass pulse stalks the undergrowth. More modulated madness ensues as the wasp like synth melody twists and morphs to distraction, blooming and fading as the beats motor forward. Acidic overtones continue to dominate during the intro to Room before the boys let fly with another lethal snare line and a flurry of sliding bleeps. The tight interplay between the drum parts and bass patterns is a constant theme throughout these tracks but it’s the musical sensib ility of the outrageous sounds and shapes they use that really captures the imagination as you drift further into their cleverly mapped-out arrangements...

Times New Viking - Born Again Revisited

01 Martin Luther King Day
02 I Smell Bubblegum
03 City on Drugs
04 Born Again Revisited
05 Little World
06 No Time, No Hope
07 Half Day in Hell
08 Something Moore
09 2/11 Don’t Forget
10 These Days
11 (No) Sympathy
12 High Holidays
13 Hustler, Psycho, Son
14 Move to California
15 Take the Piss

A pox on those who claim the venerable VHS format is dead ; in fact, Times New Viking delivered the master recordings to their forthcoming LP/CD/digital album ‘Born Again Revisited’ (OLE 860) on a Video Home System cassette. Addressing the mountain of constructive criticism they’ve received from self-styled musicologists wanna-be producers and persons with my initials, the Columbus based trio promise their 2nd Matador album (and 4th overall) features “25% higher fidelity”, a percentage our own engineering staff has confirmed after hourse of exhaustive laboratory tests.
Much has been made in the press of late of Cheap Trick’s attempts to steal Adam, Beth and Jared’s thunder by releasing their upteenth comeback album on 8-track, but with all due respect to the state fair fixtures Rockford’s finest, it’s been a generation since they’ve come up with anything as provocative as ‘Born Again Revisited’’s “Move To California” or “No Time No Hope” (mp3). While Times New Viking continue to make-it-look-easy, I can assure you it’s anything but that. A cursory glance at the American rock underground reveals a landscape littered with well-intentioned but vastly inferior bands who’ve caught the lo-fi bug ; Times New Viking are well advised to disavow responsibility for the epidemic, but whoever the guilty party is, the ferocity of TNV’s shows and their sheer quality of their songwriting should be enough to win them a presidential pardon, not unlike the one ‘Born Again’ author Chuck Colson never quite received.

Ellen Allien - Lover / You Are

A. Lover
B. You Are

After ellen allien delivered an introspection of movie length with "SOOL" that was as sharp-edged as intricate and complex, the fairy of berlin techno now trips back into the massive centre of the club. the centrifugal forces are more present there, however, the delicate, shining secret of the album that naturally lacks of any concrete tangibility still remains the glowing centerpiece of mrs. allien's creative work. it is hence that "Lover" elegantly slips out of the hand, whirs and twinkles amidst subtle synth elements and still eventually aggregates to a volatile physicalness between the hiss of the fog machine and the whispering voice of the siren - only to soon crumble into many pieces again, duplicate until it starts sounding more and more psychotic from all sides, temptatively and dangerously asking listeners to take any plugs out of their ears and join the party. magically and dreamy it is always structured with a tight thumbing bassline, that knows exactly where to go, and some grooving synths and shakers that add a housey lightness to the rite that is way too sexy for anyone to think of things as "no, thanks".
one that pushes you even straighter to the dancefloor from the first second on is the flipside, "You Are": an uncompromising, straight kickdrum paired with subtely ornate tribal elements and that massive, relentlessly forward-rolling synth line with its concentrated darkness that directly and uncharmingly presses into your stomach, taking your breath away despite its tactful compactness. all that is coated in a deliciously coarse patina with a friction surface more than big enough to sand the last bit of craziness and happiness out of the ravers' spinal cords. this track, played on an adequate PA system will answer any questions about techno and its status quo. ellen allien shows off the facets of hypnotic techno of today's berlin with two fundamentally different concepts that each know how to grab you in their own ways.

Beni - Maximus EP

1. Maximus
2. Maximus (White)
3. Fringe Element

Hyper trendy electro-house from regular Kitsuné contributor Beni pulling off a little coup in his pants with a guest vocal from Sam Sparro (the "Black & Gold" bloke). It's easy to imagine this getting spins pretty much everywhere this summer, from Ibiza to Inverness, you're going to be inflicted with this whether you like it or not. Hopefully DJs will pick up on the 'White' version of 'Maximus' that makes Sparro sound like he's mid-op and let loose in a club with his dressing gown open. Yikes.

Appaloosa - The Day (We Fell In Love)

1. The Day (We Fell In Love)
2. The Day (We Fell In Love) (Sis-Mix)
3. The Day (We Fell In Love) (Todd Edwards’ Liturgical Mix)
4. The Day (We Fell In Love) (Acid Girls Wept Remix)
5. The Day (We Fell In Love) (Edu K Psycho Lover Remix)

Lush Gallic electro pop from Appaloosa (aka Anne Laure Keib and Max Krefeld) with the original and alternate versions of his standout effort for the Kitsune Maison Compilation 6, backed with an awesome Todd Edwards remix and a fierce Acid Girls version. The original and 'Sis-Mix' are twinkling electro pop ditties sitting somewhere between Nouvelle Vague and Glass Candy, but it's the Todd Edwards mix that has really got us all giddy like a French schoolgirl. The vocals are edited and dappled with autotune for that indefinable Edwards touch, turning the track into an uplifting and high camp Garage-cum-Euro-pop killer with just a hint of Sally Shapiro in New Jersey circa 1997, guaranteeing a large grin on our faces. Acid Girls feed 'The day' through some squirming 303's and uplifting synthlines for another useful version, but it's really all about Mr Edwards' Liturgical jackers mix. Check!!!

A Made Up Sound - Archive

A1 Wire
A2 Bounce
B1 Disconnect
B2 On & On

If you're not familar with Dave Huismans by now, get to know! The highly skilled Dutch dude has wrecked everyone with his dubstep and broke-step releases for Tectonic and Subsolo over the last couple of years blending garage, techno, house and dubstep functions, but for this release he's concentrated on the House element for Clone's new no-nonsense Basement series. 'Wire' starts the session with groovy square basslines and shuffled housing patterns, before 'Bounce' dips in with swooping bass and cracking Shake alike percussion. Keeping up the vibe 'Disconnect' trips out on warm chords and a hazy dancefloor atmosphere underlined with studied Chicago beats, while 'On&On' jacks up with a supremely crafty rhythm stuttering with crisp handclaps and pulsing acid bass. Badass!...www.boomkat.com

Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions - Through The Devil Softly

1. Blanchard
2. Wild Roses
3. For The rest Of Your Life
4. Lady Jessica and Sam
5. Sets The Blaze
6. Thinking Like That
7. There s A Window
8. Trouble
9. Fall Aside
10. Blue Bird
11. Satellite

Since the release of Mazzy Star's debut album She Hangs Brightly, Hope Sandoval has defined the sound and style of California psychedelic dream pop. The world took notice when the breakthrough single "Fade Into You" (from sophomore album So Tonight That I Might See) hit the airwaves and MTV heavy rotation.

Sandoval's trademark vocals helped to make her a modern day music icon. Now the revered singer returns along side My Bloody Valentine's Colm O'Ciosoig to deliver her long awaited sophomore album Through The Devil Softly on September 15.

Over the past decade, the sought after vocalist has collaborated with artists from across the musical landscape: The Jesus & Mary Chain, Air, Death in Vegas, The Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack and Bert Jansch, to count a few.

In 2001, she joined Colm O'Ciosoig to form Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions and release their debut Bavarian Fruit Bread. Now on Through The Devil Softly, the definitive star of the Paisley Underground scene reignites her trademark sound in an epic journey across the 11-song album. The project continues the laid-back, slowcore sound they are renowned for and places Sandoval's sensuous, hypnotic voice in the forefront. Recorded in both Northern California and the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland, the spare, subtle arrangements reinforce Sandoval's gentle vocal style.

Ramona Falls - Intuit

01. Melectric
02. I Say Fever
03. Clover
04. Russia
05. Going Once, Going Twice
06. Salt Sack
07. Boy Ant
08. Always Right
09. The Darkest Day
10. Bellyfulla
11. Diamond Shovel

Ramona Falls is the new music project by Brent Knopf. Brent, a Portland Oregon native, is also one-third of the band Menomena. Ramona Falls’ debut album will be called “intuit” and is slated for an August 18 2009 release on Barsuk Records. Musical Influences include : The Homosexuals, Sly and the Family Stone, Talking Heads, PJ Harvey, Magnetic Fields, Gorecki, AC/DC, and Erik Satie.

Health - Get Color

01 In Heat
02 Die Slow
03 Nice Girls
04 Death+
05 Before Tiger
06 Severin
07 Eat Flesh
08 We Are Water
09 In Violet

Set your cranial cortex for noise-disco because Los Angeles' HEALTH are staging their triumphant return, with Get Color on September 8th. The Smell-affiliated group's 2007 self-titled debut and critically-acclaimed remix record HEALTH//DISCO, already got the noisy quartet sweating across stages shared with the likes of Crystal Castles, Nine Inch Nails, and Of Montreal but last month's phenomenal single "Die Slow" pointed at an eventual shift towards the group's clamorous mutatation of disco music.We'll find out in the fall whether we should bring our dancing shoes to the party. HEALTH's sophomore album, Get Color is being distributed by Lovepump United and the nine-track second offering's track list and cover artwork are both below.

Marmoset - Tea Tornado

1 Written Today
2 Empty Room
3 Strawberry Shortcakes
4 He's Been Napping
5 Come with Me
6 Toy
7 Hallway
8 Peach Cobbler
9 Musing
10 Gretchen
11 Run Away, Teri
12 You, Blueberry Muffin
13 I Love My Things
14 Oh' Dear Handlebars

Throughout the last 14 years, the enigmatic trio known as Marmoset have fostered a near-mythical cult status with their claustrophobic, moody, and etherial blend of indie pop. Having crafted such subtle, eccentric, and critically acclaimed pop masterpieces as 2001's "Record In Red" (Secretly Canadian), Marmoset continue their unruly trajectory with the lazy swagger, slimy melody, and profound simplicity that is Tea Tornado.

2009 finds Marmoset at their most energetic, revelatory, and sensational - with a stripped-down, punchier sound that seems to recall their earliest work of 1995's "Hiddenforbidden" or 1999's "Today It's You." But we find no re-hashing on Tea Tornado, just simple and surreal songs with twisted sensibilities and perplexingly sexy vocals. Principal songwriters Jorma Whittiker and Dave Jablanski craft songs that seem to come from a shimmering, hallucinogenic cavern; with an encyclopedic knowledge of 20th century pop.

The band's subtle take on primordial-post-punk spawns songs whose overly-simple structures seem to speak in tongues. While songs like "Strawberry Shortcakes" and "Peach Cobbler" thrive on this simplicity, tracks like "Come With Me" and "Hallway" contain melodies that would make Kim Deal's ears perk. Juxtaposed with these melodious moments are tracks like "You, Blueberry Muffin" and "Oh' Dear Handlebars" which contain all of the essential eccentricities that make Marmoset the introverted misfits they are channeling the spirit of Swell Maps or an early and non-jam-leaning Sonic Youth.

Tea Tornado is too strange to be punk, too free of pretension to be psychedelic or glam, but it's filled with moments that conjure up each of these genres. Marmoset's songs deal in dark love, modern confusion, drug haze, poetic nightmares, and melancholy melodies. Marmoset have undergone a decade-plus of being under-appreciated heroes of lo-fi indie rock, and the heart of their music is still grainy beauty, blood and guts, harmony and dissonance. Marmoset are at the top of their game on Tea Tornado, and it's time for the world to catch up.

Cold Cave - Love Comes Close

1. Cebe And Me
2. Love Comes Close
3. Life Magazine
4. The Laurels Of Erotomania
5. Heaven Was Full
6. The Trees Grew Emotions And Died
7. Hello Rats
8. Youth And Lust
9. I.C.D.K.

We're still buzzed-up on Cold Cave's utterly f*cked-up and insanely brilliant compilation of early material 'Cremations' that came out a few weeks back, so you can only imagine how hyped we are over their debut LP proper, 'Love Comes Close'. While that first comp was engrossing from start to finish, we much preferred those tracks infected with mournfully camp and sinister dance-pop genes, favouring chilling synths and drum machines over emaciated industrial guitars. Now releasing through their own publishing house, Heartworm Press, and featuring an expanded line-up including allies Caralee McElroy of Xiu Xiu, Dominik Fernow aka Prurient, celebrated author Max G. Morton and J.Benoit, this album clearly defines their influences from Joy Division/New Order to Chris & Cosey with a coating of Whitehouse-nasty noise, succinctly described as "Darkwave". Over nine tracks Wes Eisgold manages to create a tension of dancefloor effusiveness with cynically nihilistic sheets of noise, at once exquisite and utterly foul, like the so-bad-you-know-it-works burn of illicit substances on the tongue. The title track is a beyond-the-grave channelling of Ian Curtis, encroaching on the late singers style with a respectful cynicism. 'Life Magazine' introduces the noise again with unnerving familiarity, like some indie megahit mixed by a pack of noise loving gremlins, and then there's the sumptuously camp anthem in waiting 'The Laurels Of Erotomania', like some Erasure track revised by the Bunker crew. 'The Trees Grew Emotions And Died' is another shot of jet black industro-pop, teetering between over-joyful synth melodies and squirming layers of caustic guitars with an unremitting drum machine backing. We'll stop now and just let you explore the rest of the album for your own good. Needless to say, if you've ever felt a strange internal feeling when listening to any of the artists we've referenced above, ready yourself for a fully adulterated blast of the good stuff. So-f**king-good!!!

Kate Simko - Take You There EP

01. Take You There
02. Down Beat
03. Take You There (Bruno Pronsato's Break-Up Day Remix)
04. Margie's Groove

From its unforgettable opening “one… two… one-two-three” kick pattern, Kate Simko’s “Take You There” proves that a few well-placed elements are all it takes to make a minimal-house classic. The Take You There EP is yet another entry into Simko’s growing catalogue of immaculately arranged dance music—light-on-their-feet but dark-of-heart dance tracks whose precision individual elements build upon one another, combining and re-combining into a greater whole.

“Take You There” rides its stark three-beat kick hook for all it’s worth. Simko dresses that iconic thump to the nines, dropping jaunty tambourines, tingly synth swells, and disco claps, deepening the space with swoops of eerie ambiance and Brenda D’s breathy, reverb’d vocals. “Down Beat” takes its title to heart, draping a deep, jazzy rhythm in melancholy keyboard pads that bring to mind a moonlit drive through a snow-covered metropolis. “Take You There (Bruno Pronsato’s Break-Up Day Remix)” sucks out much of the song’s low end, to fascinating effect: The iconic kick pattern, rendered little more than a series of digital blips, combines with silky keys to give the track a serenely sinister glide. The EP closes with “Margie’s Groove,” the standout B-side from last year’s “Gamelan” single (and a favorite of DJs including Guy Gerber, Jamie Jones, Shonky and Dyed Soundorom). And while the Take You There EP’s four songs may leave you wanting more, Simko’s specialty is tantalizing understatement—she knows you’ll keep coming back...www.ghostly.com

Seph - La Fantasia Del Vodkrens

A Vodkrens (The Other Version)
B Cocoona

Wonderfully detailed microsound-type production infects this missive from Argentinean producer Seph, with 'Vodkrens (The Other Version)' featuring a ton of flickering, miniaturised detail and an enigmatic, chiming melodic riff that imbues the piece with an air of creepiness. 'Cocoona' is a little more upfront, delivering rolling percussion and cinematic spatial dynamics for another winning side of hi-tech minimalism...www.boomkat.com

Vivian Girls - Everything Goes Wrong

01 Walking Alone at Night
02 I Have No Fun
03 Can't Get Over You
04 Desert
05 Tension
06 Survival
07 The End
08 When I'm Gone
09 Out for the Sun
10 I'm Not Asleep
11 Double Vision
12 You're My Guy
13 Before I Start to Cry

At least superficially, this album is a great step forward for the Vivian Girls. It took them six days to record it as opposed to the three days it took for Vivian Girls, and the songs are longer, too -- some almost twice as long as those on their debut. The tracks are darker and moodier, but as this is a notoriously divisive band, don't expect a complete reinvention that will bring the naysayers around. The punk rock influences are still there, as well as the one-take recording philosophy that brought about the accusations of posing and incompetence in the first place...www.prefixmag.com

The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa

01 Yalira
02 Chalo
03 Warm Heart of Africa Featuring Ezra Koenig
04 Mwazi
05 Nsokoto
06 Angonde
07 Julia
08 Mfumu
09 Ntende Uli
10 Rain Dance Featuring M.I.A.
11 Kamphopo With Intro
12 Kada Manja
13 Zam’dziko
14 Warm Heart of Africa Featuring Ezra Koenig (Architecture in Helsiniki Remix)
15 Warm Heart of Africa Featuring Ezra Koenig (Theophilus London Remix)

With the likes of El Guincho, Vampire Weekend, the Ruby Suns and many more jumping on the African/tropicalia bandwagon, it seems like critical mass is fast approaching for purveyors of brittle afro-pop. But the Very Best boast credentials the like that bands who spend years at an Ivy League school learning about Africa can't touch--lead singer Esau Mwamawaya is actually from Africa, and he met Radioclit, a U.K. production team, while he was working at a thrift shop. The chance meeting led to the group, now christened the not at all boasting the Very Best, to release 2008's excellent mixtape Esau Mwamawaya and Radioclit are...The Very Best, a great mix that found the Very Best covering the Beatles with help from Ruby Suns and covering Vampire Weekend's "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" with help from...Vampire Weekend.

Now the group is giving the full-length album a go with Warm Heart of Africa, the vibe of which is surely captured on first single "Warm Heart of Africa." Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig helps out on the hook on that one, but he's not the only big guest star on the record: M.I.A. also guests on a track.

The Big Pink - A Brief History Of Love

01 Crystal Visions
02 Too Young to Love
03 Dominos
04 Love in Vain
05 At War With the Sun
06 Velvet
07 Golden Pendulum
08 Frisk
09 A Brief History of Love
10 Tonight
11 Countbackwards From Ten

This London duo use gritty beats, droning guitars, abstract effects and dreamy vocals to create a soundscape that is arty yet tuneful. They have previously supported TV On The Radio, Florence & The Machine, Crystal Castles and Klaxons.
Milo Cordell is son of 1960s pop producer Denny and runs the Merok label, which has released cutting-edge dance acts Klaxons and Crystal Castles. Robbie Furze is a former guitarist with electro-punk singer Alec Empire and is also a founding member of the band Panic DHH.

To date they have released three singles - Too Young To Love/Crystal Visions (House Anxiety), Velvet and Stop The World (4AD). They are currently recording their debut album at the Electric Ladyland Studios in New York which is set for release after the summer.

Zomby - One Foot Ahead Of The Other EP

1. One Foot Ahead Of The Other
2. Helter Skelter
3. Pumpkinhead's Revenge
4. Polka Dot
5. Godzilla
6. Expert Tuition
7. Bubble Bobble
8. Mesculine Cola
9. Firefly Finale

Zomby finally follows up his Hyperdub doublepack with an album of future-shocking manoeuvres for Ramp, loaded with nine tracks of style surfing riddims and mind burrowing bleepage. In our books, this is one of the most anticipated and in-demand records of the year so far. His precocious productions since 2007 have taken R'n'B infected grime, dubstep and bassline as starting points before crumbling them with nimble digits and reassembling them in his own skunk smudged vision, practically instigating a movement behind him and seriously blazing a path into future rhythm construction. Any keen followers of the style will have noticed tracks from this album cropping up in places like Blackdown's Rinse show or in DJ sets from Kode 9 or Ikonika, most likely soundtracking those head-in-hands "WTF?!?!" type moments their recent sets have delivered. The scheme for 'One Foot Ahead Of The Other' is generally fixed around funkin' 4/4 patterns nudged, pushed and squeezed into constantly morphing shapes with a fizzing energy centre of UK rave spirit at it's core, picking up the baton from thousands of raves gone by and running headlong in the future, shooting lazers from every orifice and dripping psychoactive sweat all over the dancefloor. We'll shut up now and just let the music do the talking, but for what it's worth, this is one of the best records you'll hear this year.

Jack Sparrow - The Chase / The Fullest

a. The Chase
b. The Fullest

Latest Tectonic twelve comes from Contagious and Earwax contributor Jack Sparow with two smart and deadly dubstep variants. 'The Chase' takes cues from Peverelist's Bristol rollidge stye with an undertow of technobass infected kicks and interlocking bongo loops set to dread dub atmospherics. The flipside eases up on the gloomy dread vibes with a swinging post-garage riddim riding warped bass and tightly kinked percussion with deeper Detroit debted soundscapes. Big with Pinch, Mary-Anne Hobbs and 2562.

Audion - It's Full Of Blinding Light

A. It's Full Of Blinding Light
B1. On My Way To The Center
B2. Jukebox Hero

The third release in Audion’s slow-drip of new music is a devastating trifecta, a trio of tracks that hit hard and leave a mark. With each taste of the new Audion, it becomes clear that Matthew Dear’s dancefloor alias is deeper, darker, and more nuanced than ever before, while maintaining a lose-your-mind edge that’s impossible to resist.

The It’s Full of Blinding Light EP begins with the title track, a playground game of kick-the-can gone horribly wrong. The beat—a polyrhythmic mishmash of clicks, clacks, and distant children’s voices—moves at a clip until a fleet of synthesizers swoop in, bombarding the track with wave after wave of brain-draining electronic noise. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, though, and by the time the track reaches its conclusion, “It’s Full of Blinding Light” shines like a New York City sunrise. “Jukebox Hero” is the EP’s passive-aggressive middle sibling, keeping up a facade of soulful 808 claps while a pack of unruly computers quietly lose their shit in the background. “On My Way to the Center” closes things out in menacing style, honing its beef-slap kickdrum into a deadly weapon as the walls close in. Even though the vocal sample keeps repeating “on my way to the center,” Audion’s clearly got his sights set on the outer limits.

Mount Kimbie - Sketch on Glass EP

A1 Sketch On Glass
A2 Serged
B1 50 Mile View
B2 At Least

Sketch On Glass is the second EP from London-based production duo, Mount Kimbie, and right now—after the world has had ample months to digest the wonder of their debut 12-inch, fully drowning in the astringent twists and the hip-hop template the pair hang their dubstep influences off of—seems like the optimum time for the world to embrace it.

Title track "Sketch On Glass" is, to date, the most dance floor directed production the pair have released, easing its see-sawing keyboards around swollen pockets of high pitched melody before the jagged edged square wave bassline erupts amongst the click clack of the semi-quantized percussion. It's chock full of pure smile-time synthesized vibes that will undoubtedly keep any dance progressive and interesting; a carbon opposite of the moody guitar-led title track from their first EP, which the second track on here, "Serged," evokes; its swathes of mellotron chords, thinly sprinkled drums and computer game bleeps reels you back into your own head after the all-out glee of the EP opener.

"50 Mile View" is the broody centrepiece. Hiding behind a minute of swells, a sprinkling of that tell-tale minimal Kimbie percussion patter and a whole ream of bass evolutions, you find the sweetest piece released by the duo to date, which winds talkbox vocals high around vibraphone chords and on through the pristine snap of a finger snap snare. Finishing the EP with "At Least" Kimbie again show another side, letting the upfront drum line roll out immediately as they pick apart what sounds like the squealing dial-up modem sound that's been lost to the ages.

Mount Kimbie break rules. Not only do they eschew dubstep's 140 BPM template, they—like a lot of their immediate contemporaries—refuse to lean on the midrange bassline or any kind of half-step drum pattern and they never, ever, stop experimenting. While their work is becoming recognisably theirs, their signature drum work and sultry synth chords are the true standout moments on both EPs, one must also credit them with something bigger. By pouring the pounds of passion and eons of their studio time into forging the brave new directions displayed here, they've taken this new, intrinsically woeful and yet delightfully iridescent strain of dubstep and forced it into the ears of a completely new audience.

Miss Fitz - Woods / Dementia

1. Woods (Original Mix)
2. Dementia (Original Mix)

On her second EP for Contexterrior, Miss Fitz returns with two spaced-out tracksthat continue her exploration of natural timbres within the tech-house domain.

Since her production debut just three years ago, Miss Fitz has made quite a namefor herself. Especially fruitful for her was 2008, with her Nina Simone-samplinghit "Drifting On", a third EP for Raum Musik, and a full-length under her birthname Maayan Nidam for the Japan-based Phantom Sound & Vision. She also paired upwith Vera to debut the project Mara Trax on Love Letters from Oslo, and workedwith Lee Curtiss and Shaun Reeves for their sophomore EP as Uli Kьnkel. Whew!

Now, for her tenth 12" release as Miss Fitz, she continues to weave organicelements into hypnotic soul food for hungry dancers. These two cuts show Nidam'sknack for infusing imagination into her work "Dementia" features a distortedvoice whispering the track's title, backed by a distinctive wind instrumentmelody, plus lots of primal percussion. It's detached, yet in-yo'-face. On theflip, "Woods" offers more of a bounce and thump, encouraging the listener to
"work!", "jack!" and "boogie!" -- a jam for roller skating rinks on prehistoricNeptune.

Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia - Pain Disappears

01 Always You
02 Apologies
03 Dead Souls
04 Hold Me.
05 I Don't Want
06 Mon Ange
07 Lost.
08 No Name
09 No One.
10 Reason To Stay
11 Always You (Ewan Pearson Remix)

French duo Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia are set to release a debut longplayer on Buzzin' Fly. 'Pain Disappears' arrives in February.

Rex Club and Pulp resident DJ Mlle Caro and composer-turned-DJ Franck Garcia first popped up on radars last year via their single 'Far Away' on Crosstown Rebels. Its moody vocals and vintage electronics caught the ears of Ben Watt, who has decided to put out an album by the pair, the first longplayer on his house label Buzzin' Fly.

'Pain Disappears' arrives as an eleven-tracker that blends minimal house, electronica and indie-pop. "They are uniquely gifted. It is all so simple, but very moving and dignified. The words, the dual voices, the guitars versus Moroder. It all fits," beams Watt like a proud dad. Expect some big remix twelves to follow. Ewan Pearson has remixed the first single 'Always You' while Radio Slave has had a stab at the second EP 'Apologies'...www.residentadvisor.net

Hatcha & Kromestar - Brothers Grim

01 Ragz
02 Movin'
03 1919
04 Bruce And The Buscuits
05 Persi-Needs
06 Mmmmm
07 Great Escape
08 Minimum

Hatcha and Kromestar's previous couplings have produced some deadly outings with their 'Twins Towers' EP cutting deep for a vein of cartoonishly gothic dubstep that was a whole lot of fun. The pair reunite for 'Brothers Grim' with Hatcha reigning in Kromestar's recent wobble freakout tendancies to come out with the sharply produced riddims he's known for. Over 8 tracks the pair move through varying shades of true-skool dubstep darkness, with tracks tied together by a unified sense of the grim but most definitely cut for the floor with the bassline intensity of 'Bruce and the biscuits', or 'Great Escape' primed for big room deployment. The dark garage influence of Hatcha bleeds through distinctly on 'Movin' and the wriggling 'Mmmmm', so it's a must for any fans of the older dubstep sound looking for a fresh update from two of the scene's longest serving patriots.

Pearson Sound - PLSN / WAD

a. PLSN
b. WAD

We've only just recovered from his Soul Jazz 12" the other week, but David Kennedy aka Pearson Sound has no intention of easing the pressure with another, and dare we say even better, release for his own Hessle Audio imprint. Both tracks here are infused with a glowing rave soul positivity that's bloody hard to resist either on your headphones or in the dance, where these cuts are specifically headed. It's also becoming clearly apparent that there's a need to separate his slightly tougher and techier Ramadanman alias from these productions, as the 90's house spirited 'PLSN' displays a lighter and more female friendly groove built from bubbling woodblock patterns and slow burning chord sequences that's not as easily categorisable as dubstep anymore. The accompanying 'WAD' moves even further from the dubstep shackles towards UKF territory with a crafty rhythmic framework of bright carnival percussion set at a shuffling 127bpm tempo with echoes of garage vocals, hypnotic rave syncopations and bashy bass bumps to certify this track's status as one of the smartest Funky mutations in circulation. If you love twisting your hips to owt from Kode 9 to Lil' Silva or Apple this will do you serious damage. Hugely recommended!...www.boomkat.com

High Rankin - No Money For Guns EP

1. No Money For Guns
2. Break Street
3. Bubble & Squeak feat. Gyto
4. New Messiah
5. The Tale Of Clarence Baskerville
6. The Tale Of Clarence Baskerville (Full Vocal Mix)

The 'No Money For Guns' EP is clearly rooted in the Dub-step camp, but to my ear sound more like a fusion of rave, breaks and garage….. (So Dubstep it is then)

The lead track ‘No Money for Guns’ is a brash, bassline driven, half step affair which is undoubtedly great stuff, if a little imposing, and sets the tone for the majority of the EP.

But it the stand out second track ‘Beak Street’ that gets my vote.

‘Beak street’ combines a full 2-step garage beat reminiscent of the ‘golden age’ of ukg, electro squeaks n bleeps that would make the plump ones proud, and a big wobbly bass that’s bound to get pulses racing, and well and truly bridge some of genre gaps.

Track three ‘Bubble and Squeak’ keeps with the same 2-steppy vibe, but doesn’t quite hit with the same impact of ‘Beak Street’ while the remainder of the tracks (New Messiah and The Tale Of Clarence Baskerville) take us back to full blown sample driven dub step vibe of ‘No Money for Guns’ all in all good stuff, with one killer moment!

This EP is gonna get some serious rotation!

Silkie - City Limits Volume 1

01. Concrete Jungle
02. Turvy
03. Spark
04. Sty
05. Quasar
06. Purple Love
07. Planet X
08. Cats Eyes
09. Head Butt Da Deck
10. Techno 22
11. Mattaz
12. The Horizon
13. Beauty

Deep Medi offer something a little more substantial than their usual 12"s with the debut long player from Antisocial Ents' Silkie. It's fair to say the dubstep scene has splintered and refracted into myriad Sub(bass)styles over the last couple of years, but at the epicentre of the scene are a few artists who have maintained the original spirit of the style while alloying it successfully with influences that were always hovering on the edges, but never fully integrated. Silkie is one of those artists, hailing from the hotbed of South London, he's heated elements of deeper house and synth driven soul around the glowing core of DMZ's bassbins to create one of the lushest fusions in the scene. 'City Limits' is a collection of 13 tracks, including the brilliant 'Purple Love' and 'Cats Eyes' exploring this style with velveteen synths descended in the tradition from Larry Heard to MJ Cole and so forth till they're meshed with the rattling patterns and insistent bass pulse of dubstep. This is dubstep music with one (respectful) eye on the ladies and the other on the floor and for those reasons it's a brilliant summer heater and the perfect example of the congruity of house and dubstep. Fuck it, it's all dance music innit?! Top album. Tip!...www.boomkat.com

Von D - Coquine

A. Coquine
B. Truth (Tes La Rok Remix)

Smarter rave drops from Von D backed with an ace Tes la Rok remix. D's 'Coquine' initially sounds simialr to his 'Echolow' cut, which is no bad thing, with dub chords building over a powerful sub driven riddim chassis. Things get interesting after the second drop which literally inverts the common dubstep practice of harder-is-better with a lighter roll out and skipping pattern, a kind of sunshine after the rain if you will. Tes La Rok's effort is also up to Von D's high standards, sidestepping the rave with a deeper and more involving dubtech cut that puts his lauded production knowledge to very good use. Clever 12" for them that know.

Karizma - Neccessarry Maddness

01. Neccessarry Maddness
02. Drumz Nightmare

US house lynchpin Karizma controls the floor with two outstanding cuts ranging from Broken flavours to kinked Funky on the latest R2 plate. Karizma's house music has a massively wide appeal, his broken and beautifully kinked rhythms have a universally infectious (well, unless you're a Celtic Frost fan, maybe) effect which have seen them deployed in sets from many players involved with disparate strands of the house diaspora. On this plate he offers two varied tracks, 'Neccessary Maddness' built for the DJs to take on bashy swung 'apache' breaks and tucked bleeps lending an underlying tension that works wonders on the floor. 'Drumz Nightmare' on the flip is a moodier groove, tripping out wih subliminal bass surges before sparkling harp samples and choppy strings lick into each other and about 5 different drum tracks coalesce into an irresistably twisted beat made for skilled dancers. Essential tracks for fans of Cooly G, Roska or Martyn...www.boomkat.com

Delete - Les Funk Del Jazz EP

a1 Les Funk Del Jazz
a2 Omelette
b1 Pas La
b2 Les Funk Del Jazz (Remix by Seuil)

Delete aka Sergio Muñoz is back on safari after his huge remix of Johnny D last summer !!! The challenge was big for him to do this third Ep on Safari Electronique. We can say that he did an amazing job on this one. Groovy, teky , housy all done with a smart creativity. Seuil (Eklo / Moon Harbour) made a powerfull remix dark and groovy with a short voice that makes the difference.For sure this Ep will stay with you for a long time.Don’t miss it!!!!...www.mbeat.de

MRI - El Castillo de los Monstruos EP (reworked)

1. El Castillo de los Monstruos (Fluxion Remix)
2. El Castillo de los Monstruos (U.E.S. One Million Modulation Remix)
3. Rough (Original Mix)

Great remixes..

Silkie vs Mizz Beats - Purple Love

01 Purple Love
02 Test

Following excessive demand for the ltd one-sided version, Deep Medi have done the good thing and pressed up more copies of
Silkie's anthemic 'Purple Love' backed with a lethal new cut 'Test'. You should really know 'Purple Love' by now, probably one
of the hottest dubstep tracks of summer 2009, but not many will know it's evil cousin on the fipside. 'Test' balances out any
fluffy vibes from the A with a tonne of overwhelming bass pressure and a heavy-industry dubstep pattern built from wrecking ball kicks and girder cracking snares. There's a hint of jazzed niceness in there somewhere, but it's a fierce track for sure.

Ramadanman & Appleblim - Justify

01 Justify
02 Justify (Will Saul & Mike Monday Remix)

Latest hookup from Appleblim and Ramadanman, once again displaying the uber-crisp production vibe these two are so fond of, sounding twice as loud as almost anything else we've played in the office today. 'Justify' paces along at a relatively chilled 110bpm, built around a flexed halfstep routine with a nicely technofied sound palette and the requisite low-end pressure that always elevates these productions beyond the ordinary. There's a big synthy breakdown halfway through which shimmers and builds nicely as the track almost imperceptibly gains momentum before it all comes to a sudden stop. The pair's affiliation with Will Saul's Aus labels continues over on the flip with a tidy remix from Will Saul & Mike Monday delivering a more dancefloor friendly version complete with treated toms and squashed bongos that must have worked a treat at all those off-sonar beach parties the other weak. Solid summer vibes - get checking!

Skream & Cluekid - Sandsnake / Movin Snares

a. Skream & Cluekid - Sandsnake
b. Skream - Movin Snares

After much speculation the debut release on Skream's very own "Disfigured Dubz" is finally with us - and its a blinder. The a-side collaboration with Cluekid revolves around a looped Amen Break and demented bass that are both so loud and crisp that it puts to shame anything else that's spun on our decks today - and that's before you even bring those shocking stabs into the equation. "Moving Snares" on the flipside finds our man operating solo and taking a few measured risks - primarily with the dense Technoid structure that dominates the track, enforcing those myriad rumours that the twin engines of dubstep and techno are soon to be conjoined into a single heaving generic mass that's going to take over dancefloors the world over. On the evidence given on this track - here's hoping. Killer twelve - upfront copies!

Hug - Greatest Hug's

01 The Platform
02 Fluteorgie
03 Wet Summer
04 The Happy Monster
05 Gas
06 The Chopper
07 Raido
08 Birds
09 Faceless Is More
10 The Angry Ghost
11 Singalong

It's one thing to not know how to use apostrophes, but it's quite another to misuse them in such a massive font. Perhaps John Dahlback can be excused for this on the basis that he's a bit foreign (Swedish, to be more specific), but you could equally excuse him based upon the blisteringly high quality of this singles collection. In this package you get such incendiary dancefloor shakers as 'The Platform' and 'The Happy Monster', applying the sort of economical, brain-meltingly distorted synth riffs that can't help but make you smile, On top of that there's garishly good fun to be had with tracks like 'Wet Summer', 'The Chopper' and 'Singalong', all of which set feisty, crispened up beats alongside massive, slavering electronic melodies. Elsewhere other highlioghts arrive via the bloopy arpeggios of 'Raido' (suggestive of fellow Scandinavians Royksopp), and the surreal oscillations of 'Birds' (which goes a bit Alter Ego). There's nothing here that could be described as a slouch - no filler, just an orgy of stripped down dancefloor high jinks.

Clubroot - Clubroot

1 Low Pressure Zone
2 Embryo
3 High Strung
4 Dulcet
5 Lucid Dream
6 Birth Interlude
7 Talisman
8 Nexus
9 Sempiternal
10 Serendipity Dub

Fans of Burial, take note. Lo Dubs come correct this week with a hugely enticing and anticipated album from Clubroot. Clubroot has apparently been producing for the best part of the decade, initially constructing tech step D'n'B indebted to the likes of Nico, Ed Rush and Optical but shifting his palette to the dominant dubstep style in recent years. To sum up Clubroots sound as succinctly as possible, it's like the perfect hybrid of Burial and Kryptic Minds, taking the mood driven atmospheres and quicksilver slink of Burial and alloying it to dynamic basslines and intricately produced rhythm structures. This combination is explored through ten tracks united by a singular rhythmic vision in thrall to classic darkside dance music and operating under the cover of severely occluded atmospheres. With Mary-Anne Hobbs fully on his case and forums across the interweb quickly catching onto his sound it's not going to be long before he's soundtracking every channel four ident so make sure to get in early! Essential recommendation for fans of Burial!!!

16Bit - Cobra

1. Cobra
2. Jump
3. Can You Show Me What Head Is

Three thunderous dubs from 16Bit launched from Kromestar's Southside Dub Stars imprint. Lead cut 'Cobra' picks Indian tablas and sitars as its source material before mangling them into shape on a rugged display of dynamic halfstep for the rave. 'Jump' on the flip is our pick of the bunch, setting the riddim with skanking piano stabs which 16-Bit duly fills in with growling synthlines while managing to keep a heavyweight flow. 'Can You Show Me What Head Is' flips this formula inversely for a out-and-out nasty riddim flecked with ragga samples to provide a neat textural counterpoint. Nasty, Nasty, Nasty...www.boomkat.com

Feadz - People, Numbers, Money, Business

1 - Constant Ovulation
2 - The Bright Side
3 - Age 21
4 - Liisborg Error
5 - Flashin'Outro

The newest EP from Feadz..

Beat Pharmacy - Wikkid Times (Remixes)

1. Rooftops feat. Coppa (Minilogues Taqism Remix)
2. Time feat. Damon Aaron (John Daly Remix)
3. Ghostship feat. Spaceape (Deadbeat Remix)
4. Backwards Never feat. Infinity (Xdb Remake)
5. Sunshine feat. Paul St Hilaire (Intrusion Sunset Dub)
6. Nuclear Race feat. Paul St Hilaire (Appleblim & Komonazmuk Dub)
7. Assassination Of The Mind feat. Ras B (Teddy G. Dub)
8. Strangers feat. Spaceape (Headhunter Remix)
9. Hope & Frustration feat. Ras B (Quantec Remix)
10. Piece Of Mind feat.Ramadanman (Ramadanman Refix)

MUST HAVE COLLECTION..

2562 - Love In Outer Space / Third Wave

1. Love In Outer Space
2. Third Wave

Dubstep release of the week comes from 2562 with the shocking 'Love In Outer Space' and 'Third Wave' cuts dropping smart and heavy on Tectonic. It's hard not to fall for 'Love In Outer Space', easily one of the most abstract and stylish cuts we've heard from Dave Huismans casuallystepping forward from the minimalism of previous efforts with large splashes of melodic colour strewn across the tipsy-pitched rhythm. On the flip 'Third Wave' is a slightly more standard 2562 cut, but that's no bad thing as this reminds us of his 'Techno Dread' or 'Hijack' tracks with uptempo 4/4s offset by crafty drums and minimised vibes on the keys. Just try and hold yourself back from this!...www.boomkat.com

BLM & Pawas - Online EP

A1. Online
B1. Cooper
B2. Down Down

BLM aka Ben Micklewright is co-founder of the UK’s Fear and Flying imprint, a label that has been gaining momentum and support in all the right places. This release is already being supported by Luciano, MANDY, Raresh and Groove Armada, a testament to its wide appeal.

The ‘Online’ EP is a product of the digital age, built through a purely online exchange of the parts, it has culminated in a package of deep house treats. Featuring the vocals of Lois Winstone (daughter of World-renowned actor Ray Winstone, actor in her own right and singer in various UK cult bands) her voice whispers through ‘Down Down’, a track oozing mystique and allure.

Made up of three deliciously warm tracks, Online, Down Down and Cooper, the 11th release for Fear of Flying mark it as a label pushing forward quality music and mapping out it’s own style. As the boundaries of deep house and techno are swinging, eyes are on Fear of Flying as they continue to deliver fresh sounds from talented artists across the globe.

A producer of great skills, BLM channelled his early passions into Massive Records, one of the UK’s biggest independent record shops, before releasing on labels from Leftnet to Azuli plus a string of recent beautiful releases on Fear Of Flying. Previously collaborating with MarcAshken, this release ties him with Pawas for the first time, bringing together their spontaneous and fresh sounds.

Pawas delivered the previous release for Fear of Flying and this is his third for the label. Indian-born and musically bred, he offers an exotic element to the current dancefloor sound.

With forthcoming releases and remixes planned on Leftroom, Hypercolour and murmur labels this may be the start of many well-loved releases to come from the pair.

Carl Craig - Angel Remixes

A1 Angel (Jerome Sydenham's Vocal Dub)
B1 Angel (Keith Kemp's Western Addition Mix)
B2 Angel (Jerome Sydenham's Deep Space Dub)

Big room ready rerubs of Carl Craig from Jerome Sydenham and Keith Kemp. All ears are on Jerome Sydenham's big muscle Mary of a remix of 'Angel' on the A-side. Made for the larger house and techno floors this is a stripped but heavyweight club track that does the business effectively and in style. If the sleazy vocal on the A-side is too much try the Deep Space Dub on the flip, or Keith Kemp's more laidback 'Western Addition' mix...www.boomkat.com

Scuba - Bleach / Volt

1. Bleach
2. Volt

Hot Flush head Scuba aka Paul Rose revives his occassional Abucs imprint with two experiemental steppers cuts moving deeper into ultra-reduced dub-tech hybrid styles. 'Bleach' is an intensely crafty cut on the A-side, swiping the rhythm clean of any percussive reference points in the style of Kode 9's seminal 'Sine Of The Dub' and leaving only traces of fluttering hi hats and shivering snares in the cavernous dub construction. This is dub techno and dubstep merged in the truest minimalist sense, with only hints of rhythmic guidance making for a brilliantly abstract yet effective experiment. 'Volt' on the flip is no less brilliant, this time constructing a bare bones rhythm with a measured paucity of elements in the finest style of T++, before meshing in climactic acid lines filtered deep into the mix for a hypnotically involving dancefloor effect much like the Marcel Dettmann mix of his 'From Within' cut. Very few have managed to merge Berlin and London dub techniques as succinctly and effectively as Scuba and we can't get enough of it. Sick twelve...www.boomkat.com

Slugabed - Gritsalt / Lets Go Swimming

A. Gritsalt
B. Lets Go Swimming

Quickly slipping into the slipstream of excellent upcoming Skweee package on Ramp is the obliquely 8-Bit styles of Slugabed with the followup to his wild edits 12" on Stuff. It's quite easy to consider the likes of Slugabed, Taz Buckfaster or even Mark Pritchard as the overseas synthfunk cousins of the Skweee scene, with nuff evidence on this well screwed and ultra compressed 12"s of wrong-funk. 'Gritsalt' flips the often super-sweet melodies of Skweee on its head with harshly dischordant but similarly lo-fi compositions over sloth-slow beats, kinda like he's been drinking domestos mixed with shards of old Ataris instead of neat Vodka, while 'Lets Go Swimming' on the flip rubs layers of caustic melodics into a frictional mass driven by hard crunched and gangsta leaning beats. So yeah, there's similarities, and there's differences but they're undeniably both made for tipsy club sessions. Big with fans of Zomby, THE MF Gaslamp Killer, Mike Slott and Rustie...www.boomkat.com

Benga - Buzzin / One Million

A. Buzzin
B. One Million

New peaktime Benga joint - the title track making use of one of those hooky bleep riffs that made "Night" so instantly imprinted on your memory, complete with some nice Casio style noises and a clever Art of Noise style vocal edit. "One Million" on the flip is more heaving and battered, a downcast roller with viscous sub-bass stabs topped and brittle drums with an industrial edge...www.boomkat.com

La Roux - La Roux

My personal fave..

01. In For The Kill
02. Tigerlily
03. Quicksand
04. Bulletproof
05. Colourless Colour
06. I'm Not Your Toy
07. Cover My Eyes
08. As If By Magic
09. Fascination
10. Reflections Are Protection
11. Armour Love
12. Growing Pains (UK bonus track)

There's something disappointingly familiar about La Roux, and I don't just mean the cantilevered shock of red hair sported by the singer Elly Jackson, which summons unhappy recollections of Flock of Seagulls, the 1980s "modernist" pop band. Like Little Boots, La Roux's limp retro-electropop carries with it the instant sour tang of curdled expectations.

To hear Depeche Mode wrestling the primitive synthesiser technology of 30 years ago into bold new sounds from the frontline of future-pop was, in its day, an exciting experience. To hear those exact same sounds now glibly accessed via foolproof modern equipment, with no compensatory increase in imagination, is to witness ambition crumbling at the first hurdle of originality. Still, at least Jackson and co-producer/writer Ben Langmaid have eschewed the cliched "cybernetic" angle employed by Little Boots, opting instead for the more emotionally- involved approach of charting the ups and downs of a youthful relationship. Sadly, it's no Blood on the Tracks, the duo lacking the transformative poetic ability that might distil insight from tribulation. Whatever stage of the affair she's depicting, everything about her response - from melody to delivery - seems to stay the same...www.independent.co.uk