In rotation

Black Devil Disco Club

In Dub (Lo Recordings)
In 2004, a few long-forgotten electronic disco tracks popped up on 12-inch records on Aphex Twin’s label, and a massive buzz about a shadowy ahead-of-its-time Italo group from the late ’70s called Black Devil ensued. It turned out that the genius music was the work of French producer Bernard Fevre working under various pseudonyms. But things got weird again with 2006’s 28 After, an album of acid-tinged boogie that Fevre either pulled from the vault—or just made to sound that way. He wouldn’t say which. While you’re sorting that out, consider the new dub version of 28, aptly titled In Dub: It’s got six reworkings by the Devil himself (Fevre?) plus six by übercool remixers Elitetechnique, In Flagranti and Quiet Village.—John Dugan

Boom Bip

Sacchrilege EP (Lex)
In 1993, jazz and funk sample-freak Bryan Hollon, a.k.a. Boom Bip, began showcasing instrumental hip-hop and jazz-influenced beats on his Cincinnati radio show Madstract. It led to a 1996 debut EP Low End Sequence, and a collaboration with rapper Dose One, of Subtle fame, in 1998. The following years saw a string of LPs and remix albums featuring notables such as Amon Tobin, Super Furry Animals, Roger Waters and Boards of Canada. His newest offering is full of the manic, kinetic, hyper-urban, dirty electro space-grit that surfaced during this time. Sacchrilege grabs you with the first few seconds of the opening track, “Snook Adis,” which could be the theme music for a Rocky fight set in 2513. “Coogi Sweater” is the standout—a deliciously satiric ode to modern materialism gliding atop fractured basslines and the saucy vocals of Ali Lee.—Clara Rose Thornton

bUMPS

bUMPS (Stones Throw)
Drummers from the seminal post-rock rhythm machine Tortoise (John McEntire, John Herndon and Dan Bitney) team up for a little experimental drum-breaks project that probably won’t remain little for long. bUMPS is a 23-track, purely instrumental, purely live (no turntables or sequencers), DJ-oriented collection of raw, passionate, crazed drumbeats. It seems natural that it ends up on Stones Throw, home of the popular Super Duck Breaks record. bUMPS’ beats epitomize a new take on organic electronica, only they fly even farther by spanning avant-garde jazz, Brazilian/Latin inflections, old-school British house, dub and ambient-minimalism. A medley of mood swings that fuse beautifully, the tracks could work on Manchester dance floors, at an after-party at an Argentine lounge, looped behind next week’s raps or as abstract works on their own.—CRT

DJ Kentaro

Enter (Ninja Tune)
With 2005’s mix CD The Wheels of Solid Steel, Kentaro introduced himself as a turntablist with a comically spacier, more party-startin’ trip-hop vibe than original Japanese trip-hop master DJ Krush. Japanese turntable phenomenon Kentaro’s debut, full-production LP features guest-flows from Spank Rock, The Pharcyde, New Flesh, Hifana, Little Tempo and Fat Jon. On Enter, early-’90s cerebralism meets current club-rap beats. The tightly constructed soundscapes have the feel of a live performance on Mars by Leaders of the New School—if they’d been spliced with booty genes from Baltimore.—CRT

Krafty Kuts

Fabriclive.34 (Fabric)
Keeping the party up at all costs is the current mantra of the DJ; no more chin-stroking nerd conventions for today’s clubbers. But fellas like Brighton, England’s Krafty Kuts (Martin Reeves) have been living by that code for years. With shades of the big-beat boom, Kuts delivers breaks—unusual old-school hip-hop cuts but with a heavy dose of thumping U.K. dance. It’s definitely an easy party but hardly dumbed down for the masses. —JD

Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas

Reinterpretations (eskimo recordings)
We’ve already sung the praises of this Norwegian space-disco outfit’s self-titled album from 2006 and everything they’ve touched as individuals. So it makes sense that we love the early tapes, too. Here, the duo reworks its debut EP from 2005 with alternate versions and B-sides plus two unreleased tracks. It’s more moody than funky with its drowsy piano lines and laid-back, one-take guitar riffs on top of arpeggiated synths. Let’s hear it for not trying too hard. —JD

Photo: Courtesy of Backspin Promo

Various artists

5 Years of Get Physical (Get Physical)
Being one of the most commercially successful new European underground-dance labels has put Get Physical on the radar of hip Joe and Jane Clubber—and in the sights of the backlash contingent. What better way to straighten out the badmouths and hype the brand than with a label retrospective? Disc one is crammed with remixes of GP’s bona fide hits by high-profile dudes: Henrik Schwarz, the Rapture, Moby. Sure, it’s accessible, but far from generic. Disc two’s exclusive tracks are slightly weirder, but tunes from Elektrochemie and a cameo from Laurie Anderson have hooks.—JD

Aja West and Friends

Total Recall 2012 (Mackrosoft LLC)
Producer Aja West secured a name melding funk-pop, beats and soul and leading his group the Mackrosoft to great heights during a successful ten-album tenure. West takes a creative detour with this solo album, teaming up with a slew of both like-minded and radically divergent comrades for a surreal trip into the heart of dirty psychedelic R&B. Among others, Money Mark, Parliament producer Fred Wesley, Les Claypool associate Skerik, and Herbie Hancock collaborators Mike Clark and Paul Jackson join in on the multiple-instrument, vocoder-rich descent into strangeness. Tracks like “Point. Click. Drag. Drop.” and “Clouds Imitate Life” use a rich jazz platform and are sultry and soulful in their downtempo meandering, yet “2012 Suite” takes this jazz manipulation elsewhere with reverb and bells. The one downfall may be an excessive use of a wailing vocal.—CRT