Calibre is one of those artists within drum ‘n’ bass that are a law unto themselves. Ever since his debut LP, Musique Concrete (a reference to the almost unlistenable French audiological movement of the same name), Calibre has maintained an enviable position as a producer who merely has to throw a bunch of choice samples into the pot and out comes a steaming stew of delicious d’n'b that everyone can appreciate, a feat which few can match. Overflow takes his style to new heights, with his own live drumming and (rather good) vocals as a brilliant addition to his already impressive studio skills. Split across two discs you get plenty of value for money on the CD version, and I don’t have that many words left to describe the tunes themselves, so here’s the highlights: “Slums” featuring DRS is a hugely beautiful bucketful of win, similarly “Alone In A Crowd,” “Suddenly” and the utterly sublime “Overreaction” featuring Lariman, are all striking examples of what Calibre does best. My only gripe is that the second disc starts to run out of steam as it drifts into downtempo territory mid-way, a slightly better mixing of the tracklist might have fixed that problem. But all in all, Overflow is a truly stunning piece of work. Jeryl Wilton
File under: D-Bridge, Atlantic Connection, Marcus Intalex

Back For More is what happens when an artist feels that their earlier efforts deserved more attention than they received but when listening to the remixes on Back For More you can’t help but wonder why they bothered.

Kudu’s 2006 release Death Of the Party was part lounge, part electro and all around fun to listen to, but also easily forgettable. What they’ve done on Back For More is enlist the help of an eclectic list of DJs including Armand Van Helden, Tommie Sunshine and Curtis Vodka, among others to take their old tracks and essentially give them a club-ready facelift. Seems like a sound idea, but it isn’t executed nearly as well. The tracks from DOTP may not have been club-bangers, but the updated versions of “Playing House,” “Cannibal” and “Back For More” don’t do much justice to the energy of the originals. It’s also easy to grow weary of singer Sylvia Gordon’s vocals, which often compete with the music itself. Take for instance the Tommie Sunshine retouch, where Sunshine’s signature drops simply don’t phase well with what is being sung. There are some successes though, particularly in the Sinden remix of “Let’s Finish What We Started,” as well as King Britt’s remix of “Bar Star.” The true star is at the end however, with Curtis Vodka’s remix of “Hot Lava” sounding like a synthy disco-era flashback. Everything else is as unmemorable as the original. David Bond
File under: Dragonette, Lady Tigra, Yes I’m a Witch

After founding member Shon B left the trio, Yo Majesty had to postpone the release of their debut full-length while they re-adjusted themselves. The Kryptonite Pussy EP is meant to tide fans over until this fall when that album is unleashed, giving them a taste of what’s to come. Remaining members Shunda K and Jwl B are still here to bring the party, with a sound that’s as much hip-hop as it is electro, reminiscent of a 2001-era Missy Elliott. “Hit it and Quit It” and “Hey There Girl” are new anthems for female sexual empowerment, while the updated versions of “Kryptonite Pussy” and “Monkey” are still as raunchy as before, but more refined this time around. David Bond
File under: Peaches, Missy Elliott, Bangers and Cash

Asher Roth’s debut mix tape, The Greehouse Effect, which hit the Internet this month gave legions of questioning skeptics and doubting cynics their first real taste of hip-hop’s supposed new big man on campus.

Roth’s legend has been growing for months; fueled by message boards and cyber folklore, the unassuming white kid from the ‘burbs, was discovered in his college dorm room through MySpace and YouTube, and has been attracting the attention of some of hip-hop’s biggest names. Amongst those singing his praises are Andre 3000 and Jay-Z, both featured on this mix. He even laid down 150 bars on the spot in Jay’s office. For obvious reasons, the comparisons to Eminem are inevitable, yet here are completely justified. From the opening track, “Start the Show,” produced by the original college dropout Kanye West, (one of a slew of A-list producers featured here), Roth’s voice as well as his flow and sing-song word play matches that Detroit kids’ early work with frightening similarity. Roth’s mix of laid back party lyrics and borderline self-obsession, showcased in tracks like “Morning Do” will likely make his first mix a favorite with the frat party crowd. Tim McLaughlin

File under: Eminem, Mickey Avalon, Atmosphere

One of Oxford’s finest baldheads drops another huge track for Breakbeat Kaos. If relentless synths, compressed drums and weighty bass are your thing, you’ll love this one. “Turn Up The Sun” and “Blinking With Fists” both fit very nicely in the musical terrain that lies between liquid funk and more traditional dance floor ammunition that you’ve heard artists like Brookes Bros and Culture Shock make so popular. However, of the two I have to say that the B-side is my favorite, with a cheeky old school vocal snippet and a bit more meat on its musical bones for my tastes. This is a fairly essential purchase from the BBK camp.

Jeryl Wilton

Freak n’Chic label head Dan Ghenacia is readying the release of a new mix compilation, Eyelights. He’s also going to hold down a Thursday residency in Paris at Le Batofar, the intimate spot where it all began for him. Naturally, he will also venture to Ibiza to play a few parties at Pacha this summer. Here Ghenacia talks about the tracks he included on Eyelights.

1. David K. feat Opium / “Western Journey” (exclusive Eyelights EP release)
“I listened to this track for the first time a few months ago, and I asked David to keep it for me. I wanted it for the label because I think it is an amazing track. You know the first track is always very important and since I listened to this I wanted to put this track on first. It’s a really good track to start the story.”

2. DOP feat Noze / “The Riot”
“DOP is a young French electronic band. With this track they bring a mixture of Brazilian vibes with a techno beat and a song on the top of it. So this is a very unusual track and very different for the second track in a mix. After David K, it’s one of the tracks that really can show my universe.”

3. Seth Troxler & Patrick Russell / “Doctor of Romance”
“Seth Troxler is the newcomer, really young, and I think a future superstar. But it looks like he has a really good old school culture and once again this is what I like. It brings old school vibes with modern texture; this is what I’m expecting of the music at the moment.”

4. Skat / “Concrete Jungle”
“Skat is a French artist from the minimal crew of Karat / Katapult - they are all turning to house music again, after a lot of minimal, and they do it really well. This track is full of intensity with sounds of the jungle. It’s a good part of the whole idea. The dance floor, the afterhours, the intensity.”

5. Shonky / “Bushes” (exclusive Eyelights EP release)
“So I asked Shonky, Dyed Soundorom and Chris Carrier to give me a track for the compilation and Shonky offered me this one, which he made especially for the mix. I think he did something more housey, something looking more towards what I play. A new side of Shonky that we don’t know yet, but it’s really good. And you can recognise Shonky is still keeping his style in there of course.”

6. Dyed Soundorom / “Remote Cocktail” (exclusive Eyelights EP release)
“The newcomer of the Freak n’ Chic crew. Dyed has been hanging out with us for so many years that he of course totally gets the vibe and the he knows what our idea is since so many years. Now he is able to do this as a producer.”

7. Floppy Sounds / “Ultrasong” (Studio B Mix)
“So this is a remix by Francois K. This is one of my classics - very druggy afterhours, housey track from the ’90s. I think to put this track ten years after shows how much the music is recycling. It’s something really, really cool to bring back some old music to mix with new and modern styles, and make grooves in same way. It’s an education.”

8. James Mowbray & D.Ramirez / “Time Fades Away” (Daniel Stefanik remix)
“This is really modern style of house - lots of new textures, the mixture is really good to make them live together.”

9. Basic Unit / “Fedass” (Gary Beck remix)
“This one is a really Ibiza style, and part of what I like also, when I go on the dancefloor.”

10. Johnny D / “Walkman”
“Probably one of the best tunes of the year. I’m a big supporter of Johnny D’s music.”

11. Shonky / “Time Zero” (Mathias Kaden vas-y Gamin remix)
“Mathias Kaden, also one of the best producers this winter, we have been lucky to have a remix from him on Freak n’Chic and of course had to have him on the compilation.”

12. Jus-ed / “Tekno Minimal” / Interlude Jamie Jones / “Still Here?” A capella
“I’m still buying vinyl sometimes, even if it is time of MP3, this label is only out on vinyl and pretty difficult to find. I love the vibe of this track, obscure and dark but very, very good sound. I wanted to give my support to this kind of attitude also. No MP3, hard to find. If I had to chose between two I would choose this to give support to the guy and the great music, I also put Jamie’s a capella because he has to be there, this compilation is also a personal story.”

13. Andomat 3000 / “BND2″
“Really good track from this spring - a great feel for the summer.”

14. Chris Carrier / “Sticks & Stones” (exclusive Eyelights EP release)
“On almost in all my compilations, I have a Chris Carrier record. This time, he gave me an exclusive track. It’s really smooth for the end; he is one of my favorite producers ever, so it was very important for me to have him on the compilation. We started to DJ together 15 years ago. It’s bringing me some good luck to have him, always.”

After unexpectedly reclaiming relevancy with Okie Dokie It’s The Orb On Kompakt, their 2005 release on Cologne’s Kompakt label, which saw the group abandoning some of their oddball tendencies and updating their sound considerably, no doubt thanks to the presence of ambient techno maestro Thomas Fehlmann in the studio, The Orb is back with a new album: The Dream.

Unfortunately, Fehlmann is out the door, and he’s taken their updated sound with him, leaving Orb founder Alex Paterson at the helm. Paterson has wasted no time in restoring the classic Orb aesthetic, grafting the goofy samples, dubby house beats and swirling out-of-control swathes of delay back into the mix. Sadly, the results are less than compelling, coming off as more collection of half-baked retreads of their old classics than anything remotely fresh or forward thinking. Whatever its purpose, The Dream fails to elicit warm nostalgia for the early days of rave culture; its bloated 73-minute running time grating over the listener’s ear drums is simply banal ambient techno, as its new age themes and R&B vocals prove cringe worthy, rather than inspiring or cheeky. Bottom line: The Dream is an embarrassing album from a group well past its prime.

Carl Ritger

File under: Thomas Fehlmann, early Biosphere, the KLF

“Body Language,” Booka Shade’s massive 2005 tune with fellow Deutschetechs M.A.N.D.Y. was a great track. So great, thinks Booka Shade, that their latest artist album does little to alter the formula that gave them their biggest hit.

The Sun & The Neon Light is not a bad album by any means. Tracks like “Dusty Boots” and “Sweet Lies” even show some depth and emotional versatility that some of Booka Shade’s peers lack. But then tracks like “Solo City” remind you of how much you really liked “Body Language.” It’s frustrating because one would like to believe this duo is capable of more than stepping over themselves. Maybe they’re not. Either way, this is an album that lacks the club appeal of their compilations and the originality of earlier original material. Somewhere between the daytime sun and nighttime neon, Booka Shade has caught themselves in electro purgatory.

Zel McCarthy

File under: Mylo, Tiefschwarz, Lindstrøm

This is the debut single from That Girl DJ, an emerging UK talent from the most excellent Boomslang/Streetwise crew in Cambridge. “Mi Casa Su Casa” is a fat, percussive groovathon which has hints of electro without sounding too dated. It also has enough drum programming to stop it from just plodding along. This is a very strong first release.

Rennie Pilgrem

File under: Meat Katie, Beat Assassins, Madox

Once again Pendulum are proving they’re more about taking their own path with their music than sticking to the ‘rules’ of drum ‘n’ bass. And while “Propane Nightmares” is distinctly catchier than “Granite,” the first single from their new album, In Silico (meaning “performed by computer”), I have to say it’s not living up to Pendulum’s hype. Yes, they’ve taken rock elements and blended them with d’n’b and Rob Swire’s undoubtedly astounding studio skills, but it’s not a very good representation of either genre. The VIP version with a more straight up dance floor feel is perfectly playable, but again it’s not their best d’n’b by a country mile.

Jeryl Wilton

File under: A Sub Focus remix of Nickelback