Various

Montreal has always had a vibrant electronic scene and this compilation from intra_version proves that the spirit of musical experimentation is alive and well in la belle province. This is their first collection in about three years and the time spent fine-tuning the label’s roster of new talent was clearly well spent. Palomino Falls open things up with the beautiful "Bruise Coloured Blue” and the disc continues through a wide range of styles, from ultra-minimal techno and ambient through to post-rock guitar treatments and dream pop. The styles may indeed be mixed but there is a strong feeling of completeness and vision to the compilation — clearly a collection of like-minded music makers who simply use different tools of expression. Ghislain Poirier’s track has a beautiful, dream-like quality, whereas Tim Heckner’s "Enima” recall the darker tones of artists like My Bloody Valentine. There are no straight ahead dance tracks here and that’s precisely the point. This is a compilation that truly lives the "less is more” philosophy and stands as living proof that the distinction between electronic and guitar-based music has grown increasingly irrelevant.