Neotropic

Along the side of labelmates Coldcut and DJ Food, Riz Maslen (aka Small Fish with Spine) has a sound that's hard to pin down. Her tracks often explore different territory in electronic music -- from frenetic Jungle breaks to smoky downtempo grooves -- and her music often turns in on itself with psychedelic zeal, as peculiar samples and synthlines shift slowly to unpredictable results. Her niche lies in the more ambient side and the self-titled track "Neotropic," from her debut, 15 Levels Of Magnification, clearly shows her ability to get in touch with her spiritual side. The soothing track is featured on Quango's Journey into Ambient Groove Vol. 4.