ELECTROLOUNGE ARCHIVE D
NuJazz TripHop Ambient Dance

Illicit label head Damon Baxter has finally delivered his Deadly Avenger full length debut. It opens dramatically with a track that sounds like the theme to some Hollywood thriller. In fact, it is an adaptation of Bill Conti's "Going the Distance" from the Rocky movies (and not from the thriller The Taking of Pelham One Two Three). Instead of sampling the track directly, Baxter uses a real Hungarian orchestra.

There's plenty here for soundtrack and breakbeat fans. The track "Punisher" appears to sample sound library work by Dewolfe regulars Antonio Valotti and Keith Papworth. And "Black Sun" samples John Carpenter's music from Escape from New York.

Dense electronic orchestration, propelled by a wicked percussion attack make Deep Red a compelling listen. The title itself is a nod to Profundo Rosso ("Deep Red") by Goblin, the Italian prog rock group that contributed several soundtracks for horror master Dario Argento during the '70s and '80s. This is a very solid debut.

Stefano Ghittoni and Cesare Malfatti aka The Dining Rooms have a considerable talent for creating lush downtempo cinematica. Combining crisp beats and a broad palette of keyboard textures, the Italian duo place just as much emphasis on atmospheric melodies as they do on danceable rhythmic textures.

The first two tracks on Tre may be the best. "Tunnel" is a melancholy vocal number that makes the most of its shimmering piano backdrop. And "La Citta Nuda" swells with dramatic purpose. Other titles include "Fluxus" "Cinemaroma" and "African Loungesters". There are 13 tracks, plus two Quicktime videos.

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DJ Food's Kaleidoscope is a wicked batch of abstract trip hop vibes and certainly lives up to the spectral implications of the title. Blending cinematic jazz with breakbeats and spoken word samples, tracks such as "Nocturne" and "Nevermore" are deeply satisfying listening experiences. If the disc has standout tracks, "The Riff" and "The Ageing Young Rebel" are qualified examples. The former combines a ripe Quincy Jones sample with an old school interview about jazz improvisation. The latter track brings hipster icon Ken Nordine into the mix with a full on spoken word performance, underscored perfectly by DJ Food's producer team, PC & Strictly Kev. Kaleidoscope is truly a sustained trip hop masterpiece and is a fine companion to other Ninja Tune releases by Cinematic Orchestra and Amon Tobin.

Can You See the Music is DJ Me DJ You's long-awaited follow up to its debut, Rainbows & Robots. Rainbows & Remixes is an imaginative recasting of the 2000 album. And Erotic Holiday is an eclectic DJ set from the L.A. duo.

Can You See the Music is the most recent of these releases, and possibly the only one available in stores (check Eenie Meenie for the rest). Those expecting another groove-adelic DJ record will be in for a surprise, as the new CD has a decidedly live sound, while still holding true to an electronic aesthetic. Craig Borrell and Ross Harris accomplish this by using a broader range of instrumentation and more vocal bits, both male and female. It's clear that the duo has polished their editing talents in the studio, paying off in an accessible hybrid of rock and electronica.

On Rainbows & Remixes, DJ Me DJ You revisits its debut, but the remixes generally avoid sounding like retreads. In other words, instead of freshening the existing tracks, they reinvent them. In comparison to Can You See the Music, this is a more traditional electronic DJ mix.

On Erotic Holiday, DMDY opt for fun instead of originality, playing a set of favorites by a diverse group of artists. When you've got Italian soundtracks meeting "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant, you know the set will be anything but predictable.

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Like Seksu Roba, Elektrotwist, Tipsy and other electro lounge groups, DJ Me DJ You (whose members also recorded with Sukia) is unadulterated musical entertainment for hipsters and irony trippers in search of retro-plundered, beat-driven grooves.

Both the full length and the five-track ep offer cut'n'paste mixing mayhem, complete with quirky spoken word samples and infectious beats. It's worth noting, too, that the ep tracks are not repeated on the full length.

Beck collaborator Roger Manning Jr. appears on the ep, playing the "fun machine". Both discs, however, exhibit a great sense of fun and a wry sense of humor to boot.

By turns trippy, funky and soothing and unnerving, Dublab presents: freeways opens the ears in unexpected ways.

Compiled by dublab.com dj's frosty and Carlos Nino, freeways collects 13 tracks of electronic, vocal, instrumental music from Los Angeles artists, including: Divine Styler, Nowhereman (aka Nobody), Mia Doi Todd and Yesterday's New Quintet (aka Quasimoto/Madlib).

The vibe is chilled and generally relaxing, though not without variation of mood and texture. And despite the pervasive laptop compositional aesthetic, there are moments of organic bliss.

The sing-song vocal on Mia Doi Todd's "Digital, Version 2.1" blends (wo)man and machine quite effectively. And Daedelus' "A Mashnote" is musique concrete at its most beguiling -- featuring typing, toy keyboard, looped string quartet, bird song, drums and other noises.

While other tracks are a bit more conventional, the overall effect is never less than engaging.