DMX Krew

Wave Funk, Rephlex***

UK producer Ed Upton (aka DMX Krew) has been has been at it for more than 15 years, and this 35-track compilation covers a range of styles and sounds. Fuelled by a fondness for dusty synths and clapped-out drum machines, Upton gives full vent to his fascination with some of the odder electronic music variants from the 1980s and 1990s. There's the toe-curlingly cheesy Italo disco melodies of Cherry Ripeand the Cameo-esque electro funk of Mr Blue, while both Confuzionand Metronomeveer into easy listening territory. These dalliances with music that time and taste forgot shouldn't detract from Upton's credentials as a serious, innovative producer. The melancholic tones of Otisand Clock Worksrecall Warp's sublime Intelligent Techno series, and Metro 1990contains nods to Vangelis's Blade Runnersoundtrack. More importantly, Upton maps a new direction for r'n'b with the growling basslines and menacing undercurrents of Garden Gateand Thrilling. See dmxkrew.com

Download tracks: Clock Works, Probability Waves