Bruce Haack: Farad- The Electric Voice (Stones Throw)

Bruce Haack: Farad- The Electric Voice (Stones Throw) - A collection of vocoder-based electronic recordings from late music pioneer Bruce Haack (1931-1988). Beginning his career in commercial and children's music, this set starts off with his rock-influenced conceptual album "Electric Lucifer", where earth was caught in the middle of a war between heaven and hell. Farad, the name he gave his self-made vocoder, was a forerunner. Coupled with Moog and homemade synthesizers, he advanced electronic music with his psychedelic, futuristic sound. Recommended. Play 1 2 3 6 10 14

Matthew Dear: Black City (Ghostly)

Matthew Dear: Black City (Ghostly) – Electro producer Matthew Dear uses Black City to delve into the darer sides of urban life. The gritty sexy grind comes to life with throbbing bass lines, layered synths, pedaled guitar licks, fractured beats and earthy percussion. He packs loads of nuance into the works, which enrich his cool vocals. The pop leanings of this one at times recall TV on the Radio, yet are un-mistakenly Mathew Dear. Recommended. Play 1 2 3 5 6 7 10

Rafter: Sweaty Magic [ep] (Asthmatic Kitty)

Rafter: Sweaty Magic [ep] (Asthmatic Kitty) - San Diego's Rafter presents his version of a late summer dance party. Fueled on pop radio and passion, Sweaty Magic slices and dices sultry sounds of summer into his own kaleidoscopic electro dance pop. Recommended.

Fujiya & Miyagi: Lightbulbs (Deaf Dumb + Blind)

Fujiya & Miyagi: Lightbulbs (Deaf Dumb + Blind) - Brighton, England-based electro group Fujiya & Miyagi began as a duo of Steve Lewis (synths, programming) and David Best (guitar, vocals). According to Best, "Miyagi was taken from the film The Karate Kid and Fujiya was the name of a record player". Now with live bass and drums, Lightbulbs transforms the skeletal elements of vintage '70s Krautrock and '90s British electro (like Stereolab and Broadcast ) into their modernistic post-disco where sexual vintage synthesizers and funky live rhythms rule the roost. Recommended.