At just 31, Mark Bell has produced albums by friend and continual collaborator Björk (“Homogenic”) and Depeche Mode (“Exciter”). And because he’s such an innovator, he also has the respect of the international techno community. One of Warp’s earliest signings, Bell’s LFO project helped establish a blueprint of challenging listening that works in and out of the clubs—an aesthetic that remains at the core of the electronic label more than a decade later. On this third LFO album (the first in seven years), songs like opener “Blown” and “Moistly” are beguiling, almost ambient pieces that reveal Bell’s talent at balancing intricate micro-details. But the true highlight is the single, “Freak,” a stuttering, maniacal beast of a dancefloor anthem that sets a new high bar in soulful techno that a lot of producers will have considerable trouble reaching.—TP
