Audiobulb Records, Switches

Switches CD - £7.49 www.audiobulb.com

Audiobulb Records presents 14 tracks from a variety of young electronic artists. The label identifies itself as releasing "Exploratory Electronic Music" which suggests a willingness to release off-centre material.

Track 1: The album starts with Kuffer's mangled glitch and synthesis that develops into a slow groove before breaking down into the ambience of spiralling female voices. This track has a clean feel despite the DSP degradation of audio.

Track 2: He Can Jog produces a piece with sublime melodic elements and a delicately drilled-up beat that soars away.

Track 3: Marion's music is both delicate and pretty although a little short. Using off kilter beats and plucked string notes this female artist shows off her classical composition skills.

Track 4: The next track by Claudia feels disconnected, like a bad dream with sound samples talking about neurological problems. I found this track disturbing and disorientating.

Track 5: Disastrato's track next is full of clicks and switches - with a wonderful deep reverb noise at the end. Another disorientating track using the sound of a music box to convey childhood memories. The snarling sound of someone blowing his or her nose is both unexpected and humorous.

Track 6: OTI's sound is very professional in sound quality, and very claming to listen to - classic summer ambience incorporating children playing in a park.

Track 7: Bllix offers intertwined IDM style melodies and beat, but I wanted this track to have more variation in the frequency range. The attention is all on the melodic sweeps and the track needs a tight bass to add interest to the lower end.

Track 8: A track from an artist who has previous full-length releases. Diagram of Suburban Chaos brings in a sad but appealing melody underpinned by a stuttering rhythm. The track explores tempo changes but in my opinion it is too long.

Track 9: Henry Duclos brings the weakest track of the compilation, an unfocussed merging of cold stuttering glitch. For this track to work more warmth and bass is required.

Track 10: Autistici uses very exploratory sounds from natural ambience and the microtonal schools within this wintry ambient piece.

Track 11: Build's track thoroughly centred and interesting with fantastic percussive detail and a simple melodic top. To my ears Build's music is superbly pretty, intricate and yet simple and stripped back.

Track 12: Phrizzm uses a well-rounded sound incorporating harsher beat noises than the other artists. Similar in feel and technique to Diagram of Suburban Chaos's, as the track slows down and speeds up. These interesting tempo changes uncover core elements within the sound design.

Track 13: Room provides a gentle melody and glitchy beats but this track does not progress in terms of development of the sound. I felt further pads or strings could have been used to create a more dramatic ending.

Track 14: Effacer provides the last listed track with a rolling ambient piece including percussive bongos and a rattling rhythm. The track meanders and leaves me feeling sleepy.

Secret track?: After 3 minutes of silence - the finale is a strange abstract experiment of clicks and switches backed by detuned crackle. It is not clear whether this final stretch of audio experimentation belongs to Effacer's track?

Overall an interesting insight into this young label. More variation could have improved the attention span but the tracks do work together, gently guiding the listener between beauty, strangeness and a sense of the disconnected.