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Nitzer Ebb: Body Rework - Remixes (Novamute) - CD
Never got into the whole industrial movement and judging by these remixes I'm glad I never did. There's nothing subtle here, every preset is processed to the max. Even with the likes of Derrick May and Robag Whrume remixing, this seems to be trying to revive a music that should really be left alone.

Various Artists: Mary Anne Hobbs presents Warrior Dubz (Planet Mu) - CD
Excellent summation of the current state of digital bass. Superlative contributions from The Bug, JME and DMZ's anthemic 'Anti War Dub'. But despite the heavy presence of dubstep, my preferred moment is the Basic Channel kick of Andy Stott's 'Black'. Which neatly leads me onto....

Andy Stott: Merciless (Modern Love) - CD
According to my last.fm profile, Andy Stott is one of my most listened to artists. I wouldn't say that's entirely accurate, but this impressive debut album is not going to affect his ranking at all. 'Edyocat' seems to reflect his Manchester surroundings, re-connecting the links to Detroit as opposed to looking to the current crop of house practitioners from Berlin. I can also hear echoes of early Skam in there too. Results in an album that works well in the living room, but satisfying synth heavy moments like 'Boutique' has dancefloor dynamics in abundance.

Various Artists: Total 7 (Kompakt) - 2 x CD
Not only a great way of avoiding purchasing all that horrible vinyl stuff but also a neat summary of the best singles that Kompakt released during 2006. This documents a slow shift away from the trademark heroin house sound into more disco fueled territories (especially on disc 2). But my highlights: The Wighnomy Brothers' ethereal remix of Triola's 'Leuchtturm', the hypnotic loop of Superpitcher's 'Tonite' and the downtown melancholy of The Rice Twins' 'For Penny and Alexis'.

Karsten Pflum: Idhax (Rump Recordings) - CD
Do people really still make IDM? More to the point, is anyone still listening? All these questions gleefully ignored by Mr Pflum, whose third album instantly triggers musical reminders of the past. Aphex, Autechre and just about the entire Rephlex roster can be heard being liquidised in amongst the nine tracks. Ideas splinter off midway, rhythms are collapsable and melody never hangs around too long. Best summarised by the rat-a-tat breakbeat frenzy of 'God'.

DJ Olive: Bodega (theAgriculture) - CD
Excellent scattershot collection of deconstructed dancehall, broken breakbeat and hallucinatory hip-hop. Stylistically reminiscent of DJ/Rupture, with clever inserts of arabic and middle-eastern rhythms / textures. Best moments are the shorter tracks, where sudden jolts of sub-bass and noise are simultaneously unravelled and discarded. Introverted headphone immersion.