Toby Marks of Banco De Gaia has steered a fairly consistent course since his 1993 debut Maya. Often filed under "techno" in music shops, in fact his brand of spiritually uplifting music for mind and body only cherry-picks from this genre, adding elements of world music-particularly Middle Eastern styles-ambient dub and ambient. Magical Sounds, the first release on his own new record label, is a straightforward progression from previous work. The opening "I Love Baby Cheesy", the only consistently dancey track on the album, makes characteristically fine use of unusual vocal samples in the midst of an upbeat, rolling sound. Other numbers, like "Harvey And The Old One" and "144K?" mix a long and mellow introductory section into some later heavier beats. "Sinhala" is a wonderfully organic chant-based number; "Touching The Void" begins with rainforest sounds that flow into a nicely paced backbrain romp; "Frog's Dinner" is mostly spacey and deeply textured yet will get your hips swaying in its funky breeze. The closing "No Rain" is another upbeat track which nevertheless maintains an appropriate feeling of release and winding down. Overall, in a field where so many appear to consider unrelenting beats suitable for repeated home listening, this fine album succeeds because of Toby Marks' awareness and use of dynamics and space. -James Swift Combining elements of world music with a techno aesthetic could easily end up sounding contrived, but in Banco de Gaia's hands, the combination is light, bubbly, and incredibly fun. The sunny momentum and cleverness of "I Love Baby Cheesy" alone makes this one of the best dance releases of the year. [+]

While Attack Decay Sustain Release is the debut album by Simian Mobile Disco, James Ford and James Shaw have been here before - before SMD, they were one half of shambling, psychedelic indie outfit Simian. On that band's demise, Ford and Shaw fostered something as a reputation as remixers and producers, tweaking knobs for The Klaxons and Arctic Monkeys. Here, though, they return to the artist's chair in their own right - and if you were one of those people complaining they couldn't hear the 'rave' in new rave, Attack Decay Sustain Release should make you very happy. Tracks like "Hustler" and "Tits & Acid" are unmistakably pitched for the dancefloor, layered constructions of wobbly bass, ecstatic analogue synthesiser washes, and rave blips, presented with a muscle reminiscent of their Parisian rave compatriots Justice. "It's The Beat", featuring Ninja from The Go Team, takes a 'keep it simple, stupid' approach to lyrical ingenuity: "You know it's the one for the treble/Two for the bass/It's the beat". And while in general, there's few signs of any remaining indie sensibilities, "Love" - featuring guest vocals from Barry Dobbin of Clor - features the sort of choppy punk-funk bass that should keep the Rapture fans happy. An impressive reinvention. -Louis Pattison.