Mr. Velcro Fastener/Various

Electro is definitely an obsession for this Finnish duo (Tatu Peltonen and Tatu Metsätähti) but it has less to do with the synthetic clothes than sophisticated synths. The retro impulse behind Deep:Inside is also closer early ’90s Warp than it is with anything from the ’80s. Autechre and the Black Dog are here with skittering beats and analog noises, which for all of their technical wizardry, win the "classic” status for their hyperactive melodies. There’s also a lot of eclectic fusions, like with the opera samples on H.E.A.D.’s "EFS 4,” the indie-guitar riffs on Fuijya & Miyagi’s "Electro Karaoke” and the Matrix-meets-LL Cool J rap on John Tejada’s to "Genetical Love.” The freestyle side of electro is well represented by Monolake, Doctor Rockit and even Mr. Velcro Fastener, but none is sweeter than the marriage of b-boy 808s and futuristic melancholy on Voice Stealer’s "Evaluation” or Kenny Larkin’s gorgeously slow "Tedra.” No two tracks sound alike on DeepInside, yet everything is characterised by a delicate synergy between programming and songwriting. Now that electroclash is officially dead, this is the place to begin.