Epidemia: Fiebre en la Pasarela
C/A/T: Headshot
Proyecto Mirage & Pablo Guireta: Knowledge About Christianity
H.I.V.+: Havoc 2027 (Le Diktat Remix)
Mos[k]: Raid Beat
Mimetic Be-At: SDAA27
Xipe Totec: Copilli Quetzalli
Mos[k]: Scape Motion
Slaave: Burning Souls
Complex Mathematical Equation: Equation of a Circle
Chuibit: Thelma y Los Duendecillos
Har_Root: Border Attack
Har_Root: Hactivist
Slaave: Viral Staircase
Complex Mathematical Equation: 1,100 ft/sec

I've had a couple of compilations head my way recently that embody a pleasingly wide variety of contemporary electronic genres, the latest of which is this 15-track sampler from NEIN Records in San Diego.

Epidemia and C/A/T kick things off with hard thumping beats in the style that P.A.L. and Hypnoskull made popular, and later Mos[k] return to the same groove. Proyecto Mirage's 'Knowledge About Christianity' sounds like a 21st-century Nitzer Ebb, while HIV+ bring in hip-hop influences and end up sounding not a million miles away from Techno Animal.

Things start to get really interesting with Mimetic Be-At's 'SDAA27', a dubby, tribalistic ambient track with female vocal and wind instrument samples that sound North African or Middle Eastern, and a short soundscape piece from Xipe Totec - a side project of Mexico's Chuibit, who also appears here, rather than the Aztec god or the metal band of the same name. Chuibit's own piece is more of a chilled-out post-rock number, in the same sort of vein as Fridge and Four Tet.

Meanwhile Slaave contribute a couple of harsh EBM thumpers that will appeal to fans of Aslan Faction (of whom Slaave is a member), :wumpscut:, Suicide Commando and the like, and Complex Mathematical Equation present a pair of noisy, chaotic electronica numbers (no pun intended). Surprisingly, the tune I kept finding caught in my head was 'Border Hack' by Har_Root's Mr. Haro - crazy names, crazy guy - an electroclash-style disco hit that I had written off as cheesy until I realised that the speech-synthesised lyrics were about the ominous psychogeographical significance of the Mexican-Californian borderlands between Tijuana and San Diego. Cute. His other contribution is a competent, if somewhat less novel, trance track.

Surprisingly, given the broad mix of styles, the whole thing hangs together as a coherent album pretty well, and I think the compilers have made a good job of the tricky task of track ordering. Proyecto Mirage, HIV+ and Mimetic Be-At stood out especially, plus 'Border Hack' and CME's second number '1,100 Ft/Sec', although your mileage may vary; and while some of the industrial-techno numbers didn't particularly strike me, there is nothing here that made me reach for the skip button. Nicely done.

ABC