XLR8R

Let's say you have to write a libretto for Terry Gilliam's Brazil using chunky machine sounds instead of human language. If you're solid, the result would be something like Prefuse 73's Extinguished: Outtakes: alien, slightly boggy, sonically addled. Unlike his wax-slinging brethren, Prefuse is more interested in creating atmosphere than making pastiche for its own sake-so you get the tailored soundscapes without the "check out this sample" bravado. Though the album's one-drop beats get laborious, Prefuse switches it up in the fizzling "Dubs That Don't Match," and the cinematic "Whisper in My Ear to Tell Me You Hate Me."