Jean Michel Jarre, son of film composer Maurice Jarre, is one of the true pioneers of electronic music. Oxygene is one of the original e-music albums. It has withstood the test of time and the evolution of digital electronica. Jarre's compositional style and his rhythmic instincts were his strong points in 1976. While his popularity has escalated exponentially over the years, he never quite achieved the quality of this amazing recording. The innocence and freshness provide most of its charm. Jarre's techniques and ability provide the rest. This epic CD will appeal to fans of Tonto's Expanding HeadBand, Tangerine Dream, Synergy, Kraftwerk, and Klaus Schulze. -Jim Brenholts, All Music Guide.

Furthering its reputation as a label that releases the best in experimental hip-hop and abstract beats, Ninja Tune brings you The Herbalizer. Led by South Londoners Jake Wherry and DJ Ollie Teeba, the band's second album, Blow Your Headphones, is a schizophrenic concoction of jazz horns, old school grooves, and punchy vocals that sits comfortably alongside the music of more illustrious stable mates Coldcut and DJ Food. As their name suggests, The Herbalizer have created a blunted, sample-laden record that offers a whole lot more then just background tunes for the new generation. Their music is an infectious and vibrant mix of cool influences. From the gun slinging introduction of the "Opening Credits" and the brassy funk of "Mr. Chombee Has The Flaw" to the lounge room freestyling of "Hardcore", Blow Your Headphones is a sonically textured album that sets a mood, not suits it. -George Lees.

Pictures is the second artist album from Timo Maas; his debut Loud was a combination of techno and big beat with enough drunken party tunes to give Fatboy Slim a run for his money. Here though, Maas is trying for something a bit different with more emphasis on song structure and arrangements than big hooks. Placebo's Brian Molko lends vocals to the title track and lead single, "First Day"-the former a deadpan delivery over a very tense, new wave tune made dancey, the latter a catchy radio-friendly piece more akin to "Shifter" from the first album but without the funk. One of the best things about Pictures is that it gets better and better as the album progresses. The aforementioned tunes are good but not special when compared to the spooky and sonically masterful "High Drama" featuring Neneh Cherry or the progressive epic "4 UR Ears" with long-time collaborator Kelis. Maas' confidence for composing clever, melodic lines that weave in and out of each other has grown immeasurably for this second album (demonstrated perfectly by "Devil Feel", another indie-dance crossover more in-line with the Chemical Brothers) but the orchestration of synths gives it an edge and more importantly a unique, definitive sound for Maas. If you're after pure dancefloor killers then you'd be better getting one of his Music for the Maases remix compilations but if you want something more substantial that's great for listening, Pictures is the perfect album. -David Trueman.