Obviously he's so far ahead of the curve that it takes everyone else a decade to catch up, having spent the majority of the noughties simply re-issuing old material. But whilst this CD album compiles a year's worth of vinyl releases, it feels like the most complete long-player since 1996's 'Richard D. James album' (I still regard 'Drukqs' as a half-assed compilation).

As mentioned before, this is a CD-friendly pick of 41 tracks he released on the Analord series of records during 2005. Having listened to (and bought) the entire series, I don't think you're missing anything by not hearing the 31 omitted tracks. Sonically it's simply urgent, accessible, electro-pop; crafted with care and incredible attention to compositional detail. There's none of the mischievousness that afflicted earlier works and the whole thing is a joy from start to finish.

The best examples are the opening head-rush of 'Fenix Funk'; where altered synths and growling vocoders do table-top battle with rapid fire beats and emotive piano chords. And the astonishing 'PWSteal.Ldpinch.D' which is the probably the best house tune to come out in this or any year. Help Rephlex uphold shareholder value and mark this down as one of 2006's landmark releases.

'Orchestra of Bubbles' has some kind of motorik / autobahn aesthetic to it: music to back futurist public information films. With a title like 'Turbo Dreams', it's hard not to form images of velocity and transport.

The more poppier tracks just stay on the right side of abstraction, Alien's vocals being utilised as if it were another instrument. But all too often pieces like 'Retina' feel like digital skits extended to CD-filler. What I'm sure will be a common occurence over 2006 is the emergence of the token dubstep track. And their effort, in the form of 'Metric' isn't bad; only the overtly melodic violins turn Brixton's dread into Euro optimism.

From the ashes of the defunct Mego label comes Editions Mego. This is their first release and on the strength of the violent opener, it sounds like it's business as usual. Australian improvisational duo making agressive noises as if they're trapped in some binary frozen tundra. I mean, what the fuck! Doesn't it like never drop below 30°C over there?

Still at least there seems to be some over-arching sense of piss-take going on. Evident with track titles such as 'Apocalypse Now & Then' and 'Flex & Belch'. Not all ear-bashing though; movements like '$2.50' splice eastern gongs and metal fumblings into a delightfully random play. The highlight is the micro-tonal extravangza that is 'Perilymph': thirteen minutes of pure digital dread.

Whilst most IDM just simply switches my button marked 'off' (there's some long-winded story about being a thirtysomething that's seen the genre start, evolve and mutate into the sorry state of affairs that it currently is, but not here). The voracity of the artists and some labels to continue ploughing on is impressive. None more so than Planet Mu.

On one hand releasing pretty daring (as in it'll sell fuck all) works by the likes of Julian Fane, Guilty Connector and Leafcutter John. Whilst ploughing exciting new territories with the likes of Venetian Snares and the recent Dubstep / Drumfunk lot. And then you have stuff like this.

I think I played this record around 5 times over a fortnight period and I still can't recollect any of it. Not to say that it's bad, he's got a specific sound that takes in ghostly rave, lo-fi breakbeats and grandiose orchestral statements.

The Planet Mu site states that this "is his best album yet.... please buy it cos no-one bought the other 2." I can't see this trend reversing anytime soon.

Sherard Ingram's long defunct Detroit project returns with more eerie machine funk. Having roped in the likes of Carl Craig, Moodymann and Anthony 'Shake' Shakir for this last ablum, this is a strictly solo mission.

Has to be said, that there's an indescribable charm to this rough-as-fuck collection of cut'n paste electro. Wonky 8-bit melodies, fast, skitterish percussion and strange approach to composition are its forte. Comes complete with possibly the best / worst artwork you'll ever see.

Equinox: Acid Rain VIP (Planet Mu) - 12"
Breakage: Drowning (Planet Mu) - 12"

Drumfunk seems to be one of the last few reasons to listen to drum'n bass. As the rest of the movement has been quite happy to settle into a mediocre cycle of watered down rhythms and lame dynamics. Artists like Equinox and Breakage, through their work on labels like Inperspective and Bassbin, have taken the art of breakbeat editing to new levels.

A similar camaraderie exists with artists associated with electronic music, so it seems apt that these two should eventually make their way to Mike Paradinas' Planet Mu imprint. Whilst both are excellent (Breakage's effort seems more layered), I prefer the soulless cavern of Equinox. The title track sounding as if the computer was left to its own devices; exercising every single manipulative algorithm available. Loop, breakdown, reform, repeat.

Cepia: Dowry EP (Ghostly) - 12"
Kill Memory Crash: Crash V8 (Ghostly) - 12"
Kill Memory Crash: The O (Ghostly) - 12"
Lawrence: Spark EP (Ghostly) - 12"
Daniel Wang: Berlin Sunrise EP (Ghostly) - 12"

Cepia is IDM. I therefore pass. I don't do IDM.

Wicked bit of up-tempo modern dance music from Kill Memory Crash: Ghostly's answer to EBM. 'The O' is sneering filtered vocals of meaningless narrative pasted to a propulsive kinetic kick. Sounds retro and futurist in equal amounts and therein lies its genius. Supported by an even more ridiculously hi-NRG Hacker (no, not Hecker) remix.

'Crash V8' is driving heads-down electro that should suitably soundtrack some Hollywood techno thriller. Even the usually miserable Richard Devine flails limbs on his remix. Young, dumb, but full of cum.

Lawrence impressed with this smart, sophisticated offering before wowing everyone with his amazing 'The Night Will Last Forever' LP. Same schtick really: refined, clinically pure builds of considered narrative, the merest hint at a rhythm and loads of sex.

Daniel Wang glitters it up with four quite brilliant takes of hi-NRG disco techno. Arpeggio melodies, rich addictive B-lines, camp German ravers and all manner of maladjusted synth's are thrown into the pit. An apt sonic postcard of the city that nurtured techno.

2AM / FM: Part 1 (Spectral Sound) - 12"
Peter Grummich: The Roll (Spectral Sound) - 12"
Hieroglyphic Being: Liquid Sex EP (Spectral Sound) - 12"
Various Artists: State Of The Union 2 EP - Fist Of The North Star (Spectral Sound) - 12"

2 AM / FM is nicely done, perfunctory nuggets of machine-abusive techno, just seriously lacking any compositional class. All the right sounds, beats and textures to evoke vinyl hits of yesterdecade. Sadly predictable as fuck and therefore pure dancefloor designed. Purchase if you can't find any Drexciya to hand.

Peter Grummich Tag's: Berlin, brittle, buzzing, clanking, cyclic, dry, flat, pixellated, rigid, synthesised, teutonic, robotic, electronic.

Now that techno music has aged enough to have a history, there seems to be an ever increasing wave of artists whose musical manifesto is to mimic all that had gone on before. Not pussyfoot around by taking elements of the past, but to completely hijack specific sounds. Artists like Sleeparchive are not happy until someone blurts out "Fucking hell, is that new Plastikman?".

Hieroglyphic Being aka Jamal Moss does his best impression of that distinctive early Chicago house sound. At a time when machines were beige grey and computer sequencing wasn't in full circulation: broken beats, harsh handclaps, mangled melodies. After a while though, it does get on your tits.

On the 'State of the Union' EP, as usual Mike Shannon trounces everyone else with apparent effortlessness. His 'Blind Love' is more danceable than The Mole's shuffle and subtly dubbier than Deadbeat's dread.

This is a very good mix CD. I say that with some hesitancy, because I've not actually heard it yet. But just looking at the tracklisting - Apparat, Plastikman, Nathan Fake, Fennesz, AFX - it must be really good. I will try to get around to it, someday.

More welcome Wackies re-issues. For those who haven't subscribed....Wackies: legendary but defunct New York reggae label slowly and lovingly being re-issued by Berlin's Basic Channel. Just get this for the supreme interpretation of Wayne Jarrett's 'Toungue Shall Tell'. A tune so drenched in heartbreak and judgment that it renders me numb every time.

Breathtaking collage of broken beats and broken language. Antye Greie's transaction between verbal and sonic observations. Notes taken under different environments, moods, lights. A subscriber to the outernational ethic: Think global, act global. Retinal stimulus courtesy of Sue Costabile: laptop-cooked mix of calligraphy, drawings, photo's, video, subtitles. This throwaway commentary cannot and does not reflect the subject matter.

Still trying to work out how the fuck I've managed to overlook all his previous output. A chance airing over the sound system at Highgate's excellent Sound 323 shop was my first introduction to 'Vehicle'. A rigid process involving looping self-made samples of mixing board emitted signals means that the sonic palette focusses on decay and delay. Clever technique aside, its the cyclic nature of the music that engages; random bleeps, clips of feedback and sheared dub.

His previous works as Pita have erred towards the more industrial, noisier end of abstractism. But on 'Fremdkoeper' (translates as 'foreign body') there's a classicist undercurrent running throughout. Unsurprising as this was composed for the theatre.

The opening depth charge of 'Mutsil' submerges the listener through pixel dispersment and weighted metal. 'Scream' hurts with a introductory burst of noise before baroque data forms an engaging narrative. '1407' detours with some exploratory drone / reverberation. Texturally adventurous, melodically rich, this is an enjoyable, accessible piece of experimental sound.