Luomo

Finland's finest purveyor of experimental house music -- there are more of them than you'd think -- returns, after two prolific years spent on other aliases, with his most focused Luomo effort yet. Longtime collaborator Johanna Livanainen lends breathy sensuality to half the tracks, with Robert Owens, Apparat and Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears lending extra light to the marquee. As ever, Luomo's bass lines are pneumatic and his synthesizers sparkle like a golden mist; emphatic drum patterns beat with the transplanted heart of Chicago's Trax label. It's as radiant as a lover's cheeks.