Tiny Little Widgets

This is the second artist album from globetrotting, Stuttgart-based DJ Martin Eyerer, who has crafted a sound for himself that is deeply rooted in house verities but manages never to get bogged down in the thudding, beats-for-beats'-sake tedium that characterize the music of so many of his colleagues. That's not to say that the beats aren't strong and regular: "Big Up" and "Good Time" are both as relentlessly thumpy as any acidhead could wish, and "The Shark" is positively trance-inducing in its metronomic throb. And there are moments (particularly on the rather generic "Catweasel" and the truly wanky guitar vehicle "Route 47") when the beats do fail to generate any real interest. But on most of these tracks, Eyerer incorporates enough out-of-left-field musical elements to bring in a breath of genuinely fresh air to the genre: "Un Empujon" is blissfully sunny Latin house; "Good Time" incorporates dancehall-style toasting (courtesy of guest vocalist Reggae Don) much more successfully than is usually the case with house-reggae fusion; "Jazzy Things" even brings a startling element of black nationalist rhetoric to the proceedings. "The Second Day," featuring singer Phil Barnes, is a lovely song featuring crisp drums and a lovely bassline. These are the moments that stick with you. The album comes with a companion disc of remixes by the likes of Benny Grauer, Namito, Patrick Zigon, and Gel Abril; they're a mixed bag, but mostly lots of fun.