Album of the year

BT, This Binary Universe, 2006
Brian Transeau is more commonly associated with trance and rave music, about which I know absolutely nothing, and by all accounts this is something more experimental and different from him. I came across this album on the audio channels of a flight sometime around May, and it stayed in my head because I recalled parts of it as being the perfect accompaniment to a very slow sunrise seen from altitude. This Binary Universe is different from just about anything else I've ever heard, and to classify it simply as 'ambient' would just be lazy and inattentive. Transeau makes use of a technique called circuit bending, which involves miswiring keyboards and children's toys to achieve sounds that are then time-corrected to keep the beat of the song. Yes, it's mostly electronic throughout, with some jazz and classical influences plus some complex rhythms given a very smooth veneer, but the compositions are such that if you're prepared to engage with them on an almost intellectual level and explore what Transeau is doing they become very rewarding indeed, and the level of detail involved is extraordinary. Best track: 'See You on the Other Side', a hypnotic 15 minutes which has one of the most interesting chord progressions I've heard all year, and it's something you could easily put on repeat and play all day. Brilliant and totally unique music.