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The keys that kick off “Migrations,” the first track off SILENT STARS, shows Jimpster once again engaging his jazzy side before letting the groove kick in, and “Yansa” follows, building to a head with its increasing strings. “Sylvanshine” starts with... See full review

As an early signing to Ninja Tune, The Herbaliser's debut, REMEDIES, has a strong hip-hop influence, mixed with plenty of jazzy flourishes, if the scratching and horns on "Intro" weren't enough to convince you. "Scratchy Noise' leans into its bass,... See full review

Jimi Tenor's debut, SAHKOMIES (named after Puu's parent label Sähkö) got re-released on Warp once they had picked him up as an artist, and it shows all the hallmarks of Tenor's work: the retro sound of "Theme Sax" suggests a lounge sensibility, and... See full review

Billie Rae Martin continues dabbling in drum 'n' bass with her second EP as Sonnenstahl, CRIME & PUNISHMENT. "Systems Of Silence" introduces a dark edge that's soon buoyed by her vocals, while "Crime Of Passion" has a peppier step to it from the... See full review

Bigga Bush (here under his Lightning Head guise) is well-known for his electronic takes on Jamaican dub, and 13 FACES OF LIGHTNING HEAD offers a taster's choice of it. "The N.P.G." brings on the horns, accompanied by a simple, layered guitar, and... See full review

DJ Tiësto is here to make you dance, and on PERFECT REMIXES VOL. 3, he pushes his progressive trance agenda onto his fellow music makers for further dancefloor domination. Balearic Bill's "Desintation Sunshine," for instance, gets a darker mix, while... See full review

Alix Perez's debut album, 1984, offers a little bit of everything for drum 'n' bass heads: the dark sci-fi intro of the title track gives way to warm abstract breaks, while "The Cut Deepens" maintains the darkness all the way through, punctuated by... See full review

Bogdan Raczynski tries to prove that everything's ALRIGHT, with his final album on Rephlex. Broken up into 8 parts, the album takes hyper-frantic approach to the drum programming and rubs a nice sheen of classic rave and IDM sounds on top of it. ... See full review

Pizzicato Five's sunny brand of Japanese retro-pop reaches OVERDOSE levels on this album, with the one of their biggest hits taking the cake here: "Happy Sad," a vibrant piece of pop that put them on the radar of hipsters around the world. But... See full review

Tracey Thorn's first solo album after the dissolution of Everything But the Girl seems, with the vocals and strings of "Here It Comes Again," to avoid the electronics that marked EBTG at end of their run. But her album actually draws on a deep well... See full review

On NOTE BOOK, Gerardo Frisina shows off his remixing skills as well as releasing some new tracks. His take on Dizzy Gillespie's "Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac" brings the Latin flavor in full force, while Toco's "Guarapiranga" gets a stripped-down samba... See full review

Gerardo Frisina's smooth Latin jazz continues apace with HI NOTE, which kicks off with the warm vibes of "Inviolatin," a horn-driven groover. The rhythms here skew faster, flavored more with breaks, as on "Joyas," than his more sedate earlier... See full review

BREAKUPDOWN, Ghislain Poirier's second album for Chocolate Industries, starts with the funk of "Hamado" and quickly shifts into the rat-a-tat electro hip-hop of "Don't Smile, It's Post-Modern." The electro continues as Beans lends his lyrics to "Cold... See full review

The eponymous debut album of The Phenomenal Handclap Band starts with "The Journey To Serra Da Estrella," which kicks off on a sedate note, but don't fear, the handclaps come in to jive up the place. The lo-fi groove of "All Of The Above" really sets... See full review

The thrumming of "Station," the opener of THESE PLACES ARE NOW RUINS, the second album from Last Days, soon filters itself into a lull of slow, sustained notes, and the gentle guitar makes itself known on "Reasons to Go," along with a piano and bells.... See full review

Gravenhurst's THE WESTERN LANDS starts off with the dreamy "Saints," while bits of dissonance creep onto "She Dances" until Nick Talbot's voice gives the track focus. It's as indie as indie rock gets, in other words, with plenty of jangle on "Hollow... See full review

Terry Lee Brown Jr. is no stranger to remixes, and, as such, lets his own album SOFTPACK get remixed into a REPACK. He dubs out his own "Night in Sutivan," but then lets others take the wheel. David Alvarado keeps "Soul Digits" firmly dubbed, though,... See full review

Erlend Øye has always been a Swedish pop mainstay, but with The Whitest Boy Alive, he (and his pals) gives you his DREAMS. The guitar work on "Burning" is clean and unfussy, while it takes on a more rhythmic turn on the chunky "Above You." Øye's... See full review

METAMEMORIA starts with the hushed tones and field recordings of "Piccolo Poema Urbano," a melodic ode to city life, showcasing Coti's careful curation of sounds, while "M Key" relies much more on vinyl hiss for its short run time. Abstraction takes... See full review

Flamenco fusion group Ojos de Brujo get their versions on with TECHARI REMIXES, starting on a delicate note with a piano-centered version of "Corre Lola Corre," but soon, others start putting their stamp on the tracks. Nitin Sawhney, for instance,... See full review

Natacha Atlas once again gives herself over to a group of like-minded remixers, this time for a reworking of her album MOUNQALIBA -- RISING. Cheb I Sabbah immediately turns "Batkallim" into a blippier affair, processing Atlas' vocals through a... See full review

On his fourth studio album, Karsh Kale decides to go to the CINEMA. Of course, his work has always had a cinematic quality to it, and the long, drifting quality of "Island" only amplifies this, as an electric guitar replicates the traditional raga... See full review