They're not from Alabama, and there's many, many more than three of them. In fact, Exile On Coldharbour Lane is the product of a warped gang of Scottish DJs, reformed junkies and sideshow entertainers. Don't be cynical, though-they've had a calling; the Alabama 3 gospel embraces Deep Southern Christian fundamentalism, revolutionary Marxism, serious drug abuse and the loved-up embrace of acid house music. Exile On Coldharbour Lane, however artificial, is a thoroughly enjoyable cabaret record. With titles like "Bourgeoisie Blues", "Mao Tse Tung Said" and let's not forget "Hypo Full Of Love (The 12 Step Plan)", Alabama 3 have created a peculiar fusion of country, techno, and hip-hop, and somehow made it funny. There's even time to fit in "Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness"-a traditional American folk number, performed with po-faced aplomb. You'll consider converting. -Louis Pattison.

The new millennium saw a change in Madonna as, ever at the forefront of popular music trends, she took the earth mother vibes of Ray Of Light and transposed them to the heart of the dancefloor. The end product, Music, is a wondrous mixture of the familiar and the audaciously new-tracks like "Amazing" and "Runaway Lover" would have slotted nicely into the more uptempo sections of Ray Of Light, whereas tracks like "Impressive Instant" and the title track "Music" take Madonna closer to the sound of the dancefloor underground. William Orbit, the man responsible for producing the Ray Of Light album, has a hand in proceedings again, but the majority of tracks are produced by French whizzkid Mirwais, who brings a distinctive Gallic House feel to the proceedings, taking Madonna's voice and putting it through a vocoder until it sounds more like an instrument rather than a vocal line. Whereas Ray Of Light was her album of the joys of motherhood, Music is clearly the sound of a woman in love, for hard evidence look no further than the ballad "I Deserve It", with its opening line "This guy was meant for me", clearly dedicated to the father of her second child, Guy Ritchie. With a well-balanced mix of downtempo and uptempo numbers, all stamped with her innovative style, Music is further proof that Madonna is still way ahead of the pack. -Helen Marquis.

Crawling out of the end of the rave scene, the Prodigy's second album went straight in at number one in the charts. All the tracks have the unique stamp of Liam Howlett and the boys, from the hypnotic atmosphere of aggression and attitude on "Poison" and "Voodoo People" to the guitar-driven "Their Law" (featuring the now defunct Pop Will Eat Itself) and the breakbeat tech-house of "No Good (Start the Dance)". One of the few dance acts to retain underground credibility and huge mainstream popularity, Music For The Jilted Generation shows The Prodigy at their best. Any modern music collection seems barren without its presence. -Ed Potton.

Smash the System is a 34-track best-of compilation following the UK trio's remarkable progression from suave masters of post-rave dub soul into protagonists of ironic pastiches of cheesy 60s pop. Producers Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs even acquired bouffants to match their retro fetish, and their twee-voiced singer Sarah Cracknell dressed as if she'd just stepped out of a mini for a David Bailey photo shoot. For a time they smartly blended guitar pop with the emerging dance scene but like other bands formed by music journalists (Gay Dad take note) they became too clever for their own good. Smash the System kicks off with "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", St Etienne's most accomplished piece of work. It was their debut cut, remixed by Andy Weatherall, and was instrumental in pioneering the indie-dance crossover genre that hugely benefited groups such as Primal Scream, the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays in the early 1990s. But St Etienne continued on a different curve, veering into quasi-comedic records such as "He's on the Phone" which pokes fun at Kylie Minogue's early career and the Sandie Shaw-like "The Bad Photographer". They later recaptured their early dancefloor swagger and had a top 10 hit ("Tell Me Why") in conjunction with Paul Van Dyk. Unfortunately this doesn't appear on this collection. Going through 10 years of their work you can see the dub and breakbeat influences diminish in direct proportion to the influx of silliness, which is probably why St Etienne are still regarded as one of pops great underachievers. The remix album Casino Classics probably does them better justice. [+]

Washington duo Eric Hilton and Rob Garza have inspired a polarised love it/hate it attitude with their (admittedly) unique brand of dope-tinged sleazy listening, and DJ Kicks acts as the perfect vehicle for a set of Eighteenth Street Lounge foundtracks. The pair are more than comfortable with the responsibility, supporting their own mixes with classics from Jazzanova and Rockers Hi-Fi with some ethnic eccentricity courtesy of Up Bustle and Out and self-proclaimed jazz hooligan Rainer Truby, who ruffles the feathers of Bobby Matos' "Guiro Electro. " Cheery beats come from the studios of Karminksky Experience and A Forest Mighty Black, while the closing track is an exclusive from the lads themselves in the form of "It Takes A Thief. "-Kingsley Marshall.

"Dead Skin Cells", "Cerebral", "Spineless Jelly": the song titles on the second full-length from U. K. duo Future Sound of London (a. k. a. Gary Cobain and Brian Dougans) almost read like chapter subheadings from a Biology textbook. And not without reason. Evolving beyond the florid environmental techno of their previous Accelerator and the hit single "Papua New Guinea", Lifeforms concentrates on Future Sound of London's painstaking construction of tiny, crystalline arrangements of organic sound. Guest stars include Curve's Toni Halliday, percussionist Talvin Singh and guitar pioneer Robert Fripp, but you'll be as hard pressed to identify their individual contributions once they've been diced and folded into the mix. Too animated to be tagged "ambient", yet not as propulsive as earlier Future Sound of London offerings, the intricate charms of Lifeforms proliferate with repeated listenings. [+]

Solely responsible for the current interest in all things funky and French, the Daft Punk boys, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, can do no wrong. Breaking into the club scene with their own blend of techno-disco in 1995, their debut album is the 80's electro-funk record of your dreams. Influenced by old school Chicago house and Detroit minimalist techno (all name checked on "Teachers"), Homework ranges from the warped electro that has become their trademark on "Around the World" and "Da Funk", to banging acid techno on "Rollin'and Scratchin'" and "Alive". An album so funky it could make James Brown cry, and with so much bite you can feel it at the back of your throat. -Ed Potton.

Beautifully crafted and produced, When It Falls is a fitting follow-up to Zero 7's 2001 platinum hit Simple Things. Reintroducing several of their debut's guest vocalists, the band continue to meld subtle orchestras, elegant jazz and easy-going West Coast soul and folk, creating a sound so tasteful it makes Morcheeba sound like Napalm Death. The album opens with the appropriately titled "Warm Sound", where long-time collaborator Mozez delivers his spacey soul over a quivering flute and funky keys. Later he reappears for the string-swept lullaby "Over Our Heads". Next up is newcomer Tina Dico who lends the softest of vocals to "Home", where quietly chiming guitars rise to a careful collision of brass, and "The Space Between", a techno-update of 70s folk-jazz. Much the same service is provided by Sophie Barker on "Passing By" and "In Time", which recalls the sweet innocence of early James Taylor. It's left to Sia Furler to add extra colour, her slight rasp lending character to both "Somersault" and "Speed Dial No 2". Throughout, the band introduce a welter of instruments and effects, sometimes approaching the psychedelic, though they're keen to avoid an over-technological coldness-the squeak of finger on guitar string is never far away. For fans of Simple Things, it's a real treat. -Dominic Wills.

Blame Tricky and Portishead. They started this whole Bristol sound thing, with sleepy techno beats overshadowed by the chirrupy vocals of some slumberland chanteuse. And, just when you think the approach has lost all its steam, all its relevance, along comes a new outfit to make the music a few degrees sleepier and the singing a tad more dreamy. And singers don't come any dreamier than Skye Edwards, whose lissom trill infuses every track on this sophomore outing with a tranquil ennui. You don't jump around to Morcheeba numbers like "The Sea". You sit back and let them creep up on you, as steady as the tides. -Tom Lanham.

Austrians Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister, whose smooth and sexy acid jazz has attracted almost as much attention as their curious resemblance to American folksters Simon and Garfunkel, demonstrate their skills on yet another instalment of Studio K7's DJ Kicks series. The mix highlights the best of European trip-hop, acid jazz, and drum and bass, with their own "High Noon" and "Black Baby" mixed with tracks from British trip-hoppers Herbalizer, German technicians Hardfloor, and Viennese weirdo Patrick Pulsinger, among others. Their straightforward mixing is complemented by a heavy dose of studio postproduction but the emphasis here is on track selection rather than technical trickery. Like their productions, this DJ Kicks is classy, sophisticated, and surprising. -Matthew Corwine.