Vangel

Once again brilliantly hand-packaged in the recycled 5 & ¼ inch floppy computer discs from which the label derives its name, Vangel's newest, Biblio, is sure to stand out from the pack, although the hard copies are necessarily limited in quantity. Still, it all comes down to the music and over time Vangel's sound has evolved from noisy, El-P-inspired hip-hop filtered through alias Peterdeadpan to jazzy, adult contemporary electronica. Whether downtempo or verging on drum & bass, often both in one song, Vangel builds upon his initial skeleton of Biblio with a variety of live instrumentation, including mandolin, acoustic and electric guitars, alto sax, oboe, flute and other woodwind instruments amongst the clean and crisp, reconstituted drum beats. The two instances of vocals, presumably from sample sources (as no one is credited), add a New Age hippy sound to opening track "Cold Rain" and injects a little taste of Jarvis Cocker-like Brit-pop into "Trew Lub." It's only five songs deep but Vangel's Biblio marks the mass migration of the dance floor from the club to the elevator. You've been warned.