the Norwegian superproducer has been intermittently working with Christabelle since 2001 and all the years of back-and-forth were clearly worth it, as Real Life is simply stellar.

The third full-length from Hendrick Weber maintains the high quality of previous efforts while pushing certain elements of his shoegaze-y, minimal-inspired techno sound further.

In short, it is rare to find a producer who can craft many types of tracks so consistently well, but with You Stand Uncertain, FaltyDL has cemented himself as such.

It's a fantastical story of aliens, spirits, and children told by one breathtakingly gifted artist, and it's utterly remarkable.

While the songs are still complex and full of countless moving parts, each melody and note plays a specific role, leaving There Is Love with a real clarity of vision.

Jones' voice is an instrument shaped by age, not youth, and Hard Way proves she's just hitting her stride.

Much like Four Tet's recent switch in focus towards club-friendly sonics, Caribou's Swim leaps into fresh, uncharted territory for the producer, but nonetheless retains the artist's unmistakably inviting and lovable style.

It's an undefinable musical culmination of our collective conscious-reminding us that the more we've changed, the more we've stayed the same.

Space Is Only Noise might be one of the most ear-opening techno records in recent memory.

Despite (or maybe because of) the absence of Braxton, Battles has soldiered on into new musical territory, and discovered a place that is simultaneously confrontational and inviting, esoteric and playful, technical and infectious-and very, very good.

With Dedication, Zomby's first release for the legendary indie label 4AD, he's turned increasingly inward-and it's an entirely welcome trajectory.

Looping State of Mind might just be the finest document of his craft yet.

Glass Swords feels and sounds like a cohesive statement, and a strong one at that.

That ability to present such harnessed disarray through fresh and exciting music makes Replica a compelling listen from start to finish and a brilliant new direction for Oneohtrix Point Never's sound.

As Seplacure takes form, a consistent emotional ground that exists somewhere between stoney reminisce and melancholic introspection is reached.

Whether you're an old fan of Drexciya or you've just arrived late to the party, Journey of the Deep Sea Dweller I is about as close to an essential compilation as you're going to get.

A brand-new EP on Smalltown Supersound that picks up where his last left off.

There's no doubt that Visions is an excellent album.

It's a little bit of everything, which is perhaps why ƒIN is such a rich, fulfilling listen.

What they discovered lies beyond DJ mixes and radio rotations; it's their magnum opus.

Thanks to his savvy techniques and careful placement, his penchant for the far-out fringes of dance music doesn't seem weird at all, but delightfully intriguing.

Regardless of whether they're successful or not isn't quite the point; what makes Shaking the Habitual so important is that The Knife used an important moment in their own history to truly subvert the hierarchy that both the band and the album exist in. Thankfully, they also wrote some near-perfect music in the process.

Half of Where You Live is a considerably more rewarding album, one that creates lush, sophisticated, and disarmingly inviting music using the simple building blocks of sample-based beats and deeply personal musical storytelling.

Instead of straight hip-hop, The Colossus is an omnibus record, swallowing brass-wielding collaborators, live instruments, hand-aged beats, and its creator's voice—all in service of a mission to unify RJ's pet genres via horn-blasted statements of intent fit for rollicking arenas ("Let There Be Horns"), menacing synthesizer pit traps ("A Spaceship For Now"), and intricate instrumentals.

Impressive in both scale and execution, Heartland succeeds not just due to Pallett's sizable talents, but his belief in his even larger ambition.

Jaga Jazzist transforms potentially icy sonics into warm, clever outbursts with apparent ease.

After eight-plus years of releasing music, Junior Boys demonstrate handily with It's All True that they remain fresh, luminous, and highly relevant.

What's likely to stick out first and foremost on the 10 tracks that comprise Black Up are the beats.

It's that attachment to the Earth that makes Clams Casino's otherworldly hip-hop familiar enough to reach any true lover of beats.

Overall, Satin Panthers is an excellent new entry in the Hudson Mohawke discography, a case in which an artist stayed the stylistic course and improved on an already-successful formula.

The different styles explored throughout Carrier produce varying sonic results, but never fail to assure the listener that they are listening to one of the most emotionally rich electronic records of this year.

The producer has undoubtedly severed himself from his past work, and in turn, put himself in a class that few hold claim to.

Hauschildt's new opus is certainly just as captivating and varied as some of his band's [Emeralds] best work.

The music continually jumps between dubstep, house, techno, and beyond, almost never losing its propulsive motion. That kind of flow--matched with top-shelf tunes from around the globe--helps make Pinch's installment for Fabric's ongoing series an outstanding and even-handed display of contemporary soundsystem music that won't likely grow stale any time soon.

When the strings rise into the mix as the song comes to a perfectly timed close, it's readily apparent that oOoOO's patience and time spent growing as a producer and a songwriter has paid off tremendously.

With this album, Slugabed firmly asserts himself as a first-rate producer, having turned in a debut LP that is short on subtleties, packed with triumphs, and hopefully telling of a career set to only continue impressing.

The music grows in richness with ritual, an evolution from the material scarcity and obscurity of Basic Channel releases.

Passion may be an ambitious record from beginning to end, but listening to it is a breeze.

Every selection here is strong, and though scholars may have heard the lion's share of these tracks already, this is a sturdy, enlightening gateway into a realm that isn't easily penetrable for those who weren't there.

Dark Crawler is the sound of Terror Danjah hitting artistic maturity.

For those who seek out dancefloors in order to witness the unravelling of an electronic journey, this is one of only a handful albums this year to have delivered exactly that. Fewer still have done so with such distinctness.

From the patient and methodical moments to the flashes of light and energetic dance music, the producers always seem to be in control, and following the path they take makes for a truly rewarding listen.

In the end, Heliosphere is everything a techno LP should be, an effort that's not only a platform for delivering established sounds, but also an avenue for revealing new sides of the artist's production abilities and imagination.

Without necessarily bucking the trends of today, Koze has provided a complete picture of his truly singular outlook on dance music.

Needless to say, for the legions pining for another immersion in the aesthetic, Fabric 69 is a worthy companion to the crew's 2010 full-length opus, Feed-Forward.

Immunity is not for everyone, especially those who come to electronic music merely for its club-ready, dancefloor offerings. But for those who listen seeking to peer into sonic worlds that might not otherwise exist, Hopkins has created one which is rich with gorgeous detail and worth fully exploring.

Earthly Delights for some, surely, and otherworldly torments for others.

The two display perfect chemistry with the Seattle beatsmith's bangers complimenting the Philly Freezer's gruff delivery.

Sisterworld maintains Liars' sonic trappings but apparently deals with subcultural scenes as a means of maintaining identity in a city like LA.

It's nice to find a little mystification from a duo that often prizes rigor over imagery.

While the album's unique collage of what seems like vintage sounds will prompt endless "is that a sample?" debates amongst crate diggers, the pure joy offered by just listening will hopefully reveal those arguments for what they are-beside the point.

Mi Ami continues to explore its loose-groove, jam-band tendencies on the epic "Dreamers" and album closer "Slow," but in far more reserved quantities than Watersports, making for a much more exciting and immediately lovable listen.

Such uplift from dread makes Strange Weather a fitting party record for our age when so many American Dreams, lived and fantasized, are falling apart. Pass the bottle.

In the end, Lucky Shiner stands as a proper introduction to a producer who cares as much about moving your body as he does your soul.

Credit Egyptrixx for making a debut album that sounds at once so unified and whole, yet like absolutely nothing else.

It's lurid, it's fun, it's omnipresent across all cultures, and yet no one wants to talk about it. This is the vibe that holds Women's Studies together.

This record may be an EP in name, but it's certainly a long-player in scope.

All told, Azari & III is a solid work with plenty to offer newcomers and devoted fans alike.

While it's not an impeccable album, Ada's Meine Zarten Pfoten (German for "my tender paws") does offer some pretty exciting experimentation and a few really great pop songs.

There are a few lulls to be heard on Haven (as in songs like "Someone" or "At Last," that begin with good ideas but never form into anything more substantial), but they are all easily overshadowed by the fascinating convergence of influences that comprise the album's 10 tracks, making it an extremely promising debut and a uniquely assertive statement in its own right.

It's a singular, though often exciting, vision with seemingly no end, but as the scope of Sun Araw expands wider and wider, it might benefit its creator and his tools to grow along with it.

Darnell is entirely aware of his own bravado, and it's that bravado, along his willingness to keep tongue in cheek, that makes I Wake Up Screaming such a worthwhile listen.

Whether as background music for one's day-to-day or as a receiver of one's full attention, it is truly an enjoyable record that is prepared to fill whatever space is asked of it.

In terms of song choice, and as an exercise in breaking boundaries, Scuba's DJ Kicks stands as a solid effort on par with the good work he's done with his recent productions.

Throughout the Kindred EP, Burial seems curious to discover the perfect balance between gritty atmospheres and dusk-lit club music.

It's a solid effort, and one with some ace tunes that will certainly be snapped up by intrepid DJs, but as a full-length, it might be better with a reorganized tracklist in your iTunes music folder.

From a production standpoint, When You're Gone is a simply stunning effort, one that is continually intriguing and constantly surprising.

It all makes for a well-rounded and fully formed debut album by a propitious new artist we look forward to hearing more from.

Galaxy Garden is a fine effort, an album that tweaks Lone's formula just enough to pass as a step forward.

Clearly, Rathbun is a talented producer, and his debut full-length appears to imply that he's nowhere near to running out of ideas.

What takes shape is a solid, unflinching artistic statement, an effort at moments challenging and bizarre, and at others dreamy and utterly inviting.

His evolution may not be complete, but the process hasn't prevented him from making quality tunes in the meantime.

For those who have never heard Whitman's music, Occlusions provides a fabulous representation of both his performance instincts and how engaging and fun his music can be.

With fingers in this many pies, Modeselektion Vol. 02 really shouldn't have come across as a cohesive statement, yet it does.

Aju's adventurous boundary pushes are again a valuable addition to the Circus Company discography.

Tracer is an album executed with seriousness and intelligence, and although it is never outright contemplative, the record is never jubilant either.

Needless to say, it ["Nothing Here"] makes for an underwhelming close to an otherwise tenderly crafted and beautifully arranged debut album from a producer who has already proven his worth and will undoubtedly have plenty more bright moments in his future.

Total Loss is an overwhelming album given the rollercoaster of emotions Krell goes through over the course of its 11 tracks.

It's an evocative work, one that brings forth intense visual imagery.

When this record lands on a great idea (which is certainly a regular occurrence), the captivating qualities of Vessel's songcraft and his strength for piecing together textural marvels make up for any confusion along the way.

The duo has delivered something that is listenable and enjoyable while sustaining an overarching concept with great capability.

Whilst he must be commended for his ambition, Mantasy is a patchy affair containing the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.

Luxury Problems may not be as unbelievably mysterious and engrossing as his pair of 2011 EPs, We Stay Together and Passed Me By, but his craft is just as sharp here, and the results just as worthy of intense, continuous listening.

Part of what makes Just to Feel Anything such a rewarding listen is its ability to quickly shift between aerial jams and understated lulls without abandoning Emeralds' unspoken ethos.

The record accomplishes what Eno has proposed is ambient music's main purpose: to heighten one's sense of their surroundings while allowing their own narrative to fill the music with meaning and context.

The thing that makes the LP so engaging is the fact that Shaw picks a mood and runs with it--this is not an album that lives up to the cliché of taking the listener on a journey; rather, it's a work that roots the listener to a spot and stares them dead in the eyes for an hour.

What it may lack in sound system-minded sonics it makes up for with its distinctive mix of cacophonous rhythms and touches of warped soul that result in what is, simply put, an accomplished debut LP full of inventive house music.

The record may not be Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill, but pieces like "Living Room" are the essence of Harris's singular oeuvre.

Picking up right where A Certain Distance left off, the Seattle-based producer's latest LP shows the same passion for methodical soundscapes, which are no less thoughtful for their glowing warmth.

Anxiety is a draining front-to-back listen; it becomes much more comfortable when one is able to take each track as an individual single. However, there is a reward for making it to the end of Ashin's therapy session.

As always, it's a lot to take in; even after a dozen listens, the album's too oblique to really register in the memory. That slipperiness does nothing to diminish the moments when things really stick, though.

Disregarding the CD's tacked-on bonus cuts, what takes place between the record's two "Voiceprint"s is a richly detailed, time-dilating set from a producer who can make the most out of narrow limitations.

LISm remains a particularly mesmerizing listen, traveling through an impressively wide range of sounds and seamlessly blending them into a unified compostion.

Though Miami displays a jazzier, looser, and often darker side of Brandt Brauer Frick, it doesn't overshadow the classical techno-ensemble sound the trio first introduced on You Make Me Real.

It's a confident attempt to stake out a distinguishable sound within the web of influences and like-minded contemporaries the band has been linked to, including stalwarts like New Order and Radiohead, as well as newer faces like James Blake and The xx.

The LP's strength is in that undecidedness. When he leans too far to one side, which actually doesn't happen all that often, the album can feel mournful or facile.

You'll Be Safe Forever proceeds in this indeterminate fashion, with Locust maintaining a razor's-edge balance between comforting and disruptive sounds.

As a whole, Grime 2.0 works as both an introduction and a re-introduction to a sound that's still without an official expiration date--and won't likely get one anytime soon.