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Pnu Riff’s BETWEEN THE DOWNS is mostly a compilation of various EPs and 12”s on Holistic Recordings, but it’s a great way to showcase Paul Butler’s vision of eclectic jazz. The drums and piano of “Comfy Club” invite the listener to sit down and enjoy... See full review

Alter Ego’s second album, DECODING THE HACKER MYTH, starts with the chilly percussion of “Cyax, Pt. 1” before it shifts to angular harmonies between the strings and bass. “Cryonics,” meanwhile, seems to ride the IDM wave with its spare percussion and... See full review

Thomas Fehlmann shows no sign of slowing down, and on BOSER HERBST, his latest for Kompakt, he continues his looped explorations of sound, starting with the piano and hiss of “Vergessen,” while ”Karnickel” offers a woodwind in its place with brief... See full review

Efdemin moves to his new home on Ostgut Ton for his fourth album, NEW ATLANTIS, and he continues his efforts to merge abstract ambience with electronic elegance. The hymn sung on “Oh, Lovely Appearance of Death” is given a solemn background. But “Good... See full review

SONG 4 MUTYA (OUT OF CONTROL) was undoubtedly the highlight of Groove Armada’s SOUNDBOY ROCK, and on this single, they offer up two remixes. Kissy Sellout gets things even perkier, but at the cost of mangling Buena’s vocals. Linus Loves keeps the... See full review

After the convincingly strong CHANGING DAYS, I was looking forward to Mano Le Tough’s follow-up, TRAILS. I was surprised on my first listen: the album as a whole is less reliant on the beats, and is more abstract overall, as with the sweeps and layers... See full review

THE PLOT sees WhoMadeWho expand their instrumental range, starting with the woodwinds of “TV Friend” before Tomas Høffding’s vocals starts right on the ‘no’s,’ while the title track delves into some glam rock with an interesting electronic break at... See full review

BRIGHTER, WhoMadeWho’s second album on Kompakt, starts with the synth-pop of “Inside World,” bringing Høffding’s vocals right into focus. But the piano chords on “Running Man” show that they’re able to bring more thoughtful compositions to the fore as... See full review

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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