Fidgital

As of late there has been a saturation of same-sounding dance releases, decent but utterly unremarkable club-oriented music that refuses to stand out from the crowd. Well, I'm happy to report that Vancouver's Fidgital (producer Keith Gilliard with singer Ryan Slemko and drummer Glenn Kruger) doesn't sound much like anything you've heard before. Updating the lounge-core phenomenon of the post-Swingers mid-'90s, Fidigtal makes "big band spy techno." Call it what you will, but these boy have their groove down pat. Albeit totally bipolar, those who appreciate the finer points of lounge (in which case also grab those Ultra Lounge compilations!) will enjoy this synthesis, as Spyglass revels in porno bass lines, horn explosions, funk-ridden keyboards and a dedicated techno pulse. Silly yet classily clubby, and occasionally even epic, few albums could add more spark to a cocktail party.