FAY

DIN, the debut album by FAY (aka Fay Davis-Jeffers, of Chicago experimental outfit Pit Er Pat), is an unusual one to pinpoint. Heavily loop- and sample-based, but using very organic samples, including a lot of Marie Daulne-like voice play, the tracks on DIN are cut to a frenetic pace. The end result exists somewhere in the unexpected space between Leila and Imogen Heap, with the beats coming off like Timbaland meets Sheila Chandra. On creating the album, apparently each sound was placed using visual space. FAY's brand of avant-pop manages to straddle the academic and the accessible without missing a skewed, fractured beat. Heavily rhythmic and erratic, FAY comes across like a cyborg Steve Reich on caffeine, at times, and at others as the unlikely love child of M.I.A. and Yoko Ono. DIN is a thrillingly confusing album of organic electronic music with a clear, human presence.