The press release for this EP throws name-dropping references around with gay abandon, which always makes me a little suspicious as if it’s covering up the fact that the material isn’t strong enough to stand on its own. But this may be a little unfair of me in Danzen Jetzt’s case. This foursome hail from Berlin and Montreal, and have also involved themselves in producing material for Planet Mu and Rephlex. But as the music here suggests, they are not likely to fit into any preconceived pigeonholes with any great ease.

When I first heard it, I confess it put it to one side as being another predictable example of the recent European penchant for avant-garde, formless noise, of which I have heard so much in recent months. But coming back to it, it is not nearly as random as it might initially appear. There is often a discernible rhythm beneath the skin of all the staccato noises and static. As on recent French releases fascinated by chimes and glockenspiels, Dancen Jezt can sometimes overdo the winsome retro flavour or irritating fractures, but it doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously. Standout tracks include the multi-textured rubbery robotic funk of Aric Ongo and the blender-video arcade makeout that is Hunde.