Steve Bug

Dance floor dominator Steve Bug has never had any trouble pushing the envelope, whether it's through releasing work from some of the hottest house and techno producers around as head of Poker Flat, his world-class DJ sets or his pioneering releases. And his fifth LP, Noir, is certainly no exception. Dark, ethereal atmospherics, coupled with driving beats and electro-disco flourishes, are the order of the day. The numbers on Noir possess an urgency and cohesiveness that request the listener kicks back and takes the album in as a whole — this is most definitively a "headphones" album. That's not to say that Noir is devoid of dance floor material, as "Somewhere in the Night" sounds like Giorgio Moroder, if he listened to more techno. While not departing too far from the minimal sound that has come to define him, the mood on Noir is darker and more brooding than previous material. This is an ideal intro to fans new to Bug's considerable oeuvre.