The quality of Keith Kenniff's output has gone downhill pretty steadily since 2001; I'm still convinced that the 100 or so tracks he put on his website before he was signed to Merck contain the best music he's ever done. I didn't bother buying 'Ayres' or 'Two Point Discrimination,' his latest releases as Helios and Goldmund, respectively (though I do own everything else he's released); but I would say that 'The Malady of Elegance' is his most impressive album thus far. Consisting of fifteen achingly beautiful and full-bodied piano compositions, this is a step above previous Goldmund material, though with the same hushed 'home recording' feel.

Soul Jazz continues to support the dubstep, and this compilation (their third dedicated to the style) is definitely their best yet. This double CD does an excellent job showcasing the progression of the dubstep sound over the last couple of years, starting with Kode9's seminal "9 Samurai", CD1 showcases some of the dubstep signature tracks along with some genre-bending crossover hits such as The Bug's "Poison Dart" and Shackleton's "Blood On My Hands". Disc 2 pushes things further into the now with some of the big dubstep tunes of 2008 like Ikonika's "Please", Geiom's "Reminissin", and TRG's "Broken Heart". While the compilation is missing a couple of the biggest artists in the scene (no Skream or Mystikz is curious), this compilation is an excellent showcase of dubstep's past, present, and future.

I was quite surprised, to say the least, when Autechre decided to release 44 new tracks (over four hours of music) in just three months. Of the three full-length Quaristice releases, I would have to say that this is technically the worst, but absolutely still worth picking up if you have any interest in Autechre or in abstract/formalist electronic music generally. Thankfully it's a release that can be purchased à la carte (it's available via mp3 vendors only); I would say to listen to each track in its entirety and then leave out the weaker ones (after five re-interpretations of '90101-51-1,' I think I've had enough). While listening to these tracks for the twentieth time, I finally began to see why some people gave up on Autechre in 1998; while I love their later phase a great deal, the pleasures of listening to this album are almost purely academic, for better or worse. But if you're looking for impeccably-produced experimental electronic music, it's worth following Autechre down this particular rabbit hole.

Convextion is probably the best techno producer you've never heard of; after a string of twelve-inches in the mid 90s, Gerard Hanson largely fell off the radar before returning with a couple EPs and remixes, and finally this, his first full-length. Hanson's earlier material managed to find its way onto countless DJ sets, and one can quickly see why; each track is refined to a sort of diamond brilliance, creating what is certainly the most subtle techno I've ever heard. The CD release adds a couple new "bridge" tracks but leaves the original vinyl edition mostly intact; definitely worth a listen.

This is the first release by Deaf Center (apart from solo work) since the duo put out the best album of 2005, 'Pale Ravine,' which you should listen to immediately, if you have yet to hear it. 'Vintage Well' is a limited edition 7" that runs just over ten minutes, and one of course wishes that it were longer; it manages to evoke a distinct sense of mood and place (much like 'Pale Ravine'), though in miniature form. It's hard to explain precisely why Deaf Center are better than the dozen other "modern classical" composers working today, most of whom are scattered on Type and similar labels; and so I can only recommend that you listen and see for yourself.

Lock all the doors and walk up the stairs. Turn down the lights and slightly raise the volume. Breathe slowly and try not to wet your pants. The boards creek somewhere in the attic. Lustmord enters the house. With deep moans, low drones, and bass rumbles, the walls begin to ooze evil, and if you stare long enough into the darkness, you'll start to see the path to hell. Like the unspoken dark power of a Ouija board, there is no telling what evil spirits will be called forth, when playing Lustmord's latest album, [ O T H E R ]. Brian Williams is a true pioneer of the dark ambient genre - as dark as they come. Usually referred to as the soundtrack to all your nightmares, Williams has worked on sound design for over 44 film scores, most notable of which include additional compositions for The Crow and Underworld. Lustmord's sound is not just digital effects of haunting echoes - he has actually made field recordings in slaughterhouses, caves and crypts. An interesting album to get your hands on would be a live performance at The Center for Inquiry, recorded on 6/6/6 for the Satanic High Mass celebration of 40th anniversary of The Church of Satan. That album is called Rising. On [ O T H E R ], Adam Jones (Tool) contributes slow solo guitars riffs, with additional appearances by King Buzzo (Melvins) and Aaron Turner (founder of Hydra Head Records and vocalist for the Isis). Speaking of Hydra Head... This is a great American label releasing everything from post-metal, like Pelican and Isis, to drone and doom metal, like Sunn O))) and other heavy metal styles from groups like Cave In, Boris and Jesu. And all joking aside - my dog ran out of the room and was afraid to get back into the studio, standing outside, looking in, until the [ O T H E R ] ended. If you've never heard Lustmord, this is a guaranteed unforgettable experience. For the same reasons that you watch horror films. This is music that truly makes you feel - never mind the fact that I can't wash off the goosebumps. Not recommended for sunny days and little girls. Impeccable production.

Black Devil's re-emergence over the last couple of years is a remarkable story. After the rare gem "Disco Club" was re-released on Aphex Twin's Rephlex Records, the hype surrounding its release brought French library music legend Bernard Fevre (now 62) out of disco obscurity and back into the limelight. Riding that success was 2006's "28 After", literally recordered 28 years after "Disco Club", and last year's "In Dub", complete albums of new, albeit retro electro/disco. "Eight Oh Eight" completes the trilogy in the most impressive manner, with the retro-futuristic dance vibe by far sounding its most refined. There's a charm here most disco producers wouldn't dare mess with, and how Bernard is able to balance it so as not to go over to the cheesy side I'll never know. How Bernard still has a touch of the subtlety of disco music at his age at all is quite impressive, but if you've vere delved into his library recordings (check Luke Vibert's collections on Lo for some examples), you should have an idea how ahead of his time Bernard was. In a generation that is finally catching up to his genius, Bernard is finally getting his props.

If you somehow haven't heard of Gas (or Wolfgang Voigt), and if you're looking for an introduction to ambient, techno, or good electronic music generally, you couldn't possibly improve on this 4xCD set, which collects Gas's Mille Plateaux full-lengths into one extremely affordable package - if you had tried to put this collection together last year, it would have cost well over $200. I don't even know where to begin on the greatness of these four albums; "Königsforst" and "Zauberberg" are (in my opinion) among the top 10 electronic albums ever made, without question. The Gas sound has been accurately described as "heroin house," akin to hearing a techno set from the other side of a canyon, or through a series of walls; the music consists of heavily altered samples from classical and popular music distended and placed under propulsive 4/4 beats or washes of ambience, which seems like it might be boring, but turns out to be hypnotic and hauntingly beautiful. One of the more important re-issues of the decade for sure.

This is a CD re-release of an mp3 album put out by e-Music a few months back; though technically a collection of compilation tracks and singles, this 28-minute suite works quite well as an album. As I so often seem to say in these recommendations, this record took a while to grow on me. The Brooklyn-based duo behind High Places are often said to be working in the 'new primitivism' genre, which seems to me roughly accurate; there are plenty of beautifully eclectic off-kilter beats, consisting primarily of what sound like African drums and glockenspiels (think Caribou or early Four Tet, but more Afrobeat-ish), and playful lyrics delivered beautifully by Mary Pearson, who has one of the most entrancing singing voices I've ever heard. There's been plenty of hipster fawning re: this band, but don't let that turn you off. They're actually good, and not just a postmodern pastiche of fashionable subgenres, or whatever; they've come up with a truly unique and enchanting sound.

I was quite surprised to hear a proper IDM album on Planet Mu, a label which has veered into other genres as of late. In fact I was surprised to hear a proper IDM full-length at all, on any label; it seems that no one's really interested in 'classic' IDM anymore, perhaps because 'classic' IDM feels like a misnomer. The whole point of the genre, it seems, is to push the boundaries of what can be done with electronic instrumentation, and while this is all well and good, I still feel as if there should be a place (and there is a place, on some labels) for creative variations on the old themes; this is, after all, the bread and butter of virtually every other musical genre. While Mrs Jynx probably won't be making any top 10 lists, this is still a very listenable, playful, and straightforwardly melodic IDM album, and certainly worth a listen!