K-X-P – III (Part One)

Falling somewhere between krautrock and techno, while also incorporating elements of free jazz and psychedelic rock, the beguiling output of Finland’s K-X-P is probably best filed under high-fantasy than any specific musical genre. Dark, other-worldly and unabashadly epic in its ambition, their music sounds as suited to scoring some mythical saga from their home nation's rich folklore as does filing a dancefloor.

Their third album can be every bit as goofy as that sounds, featuring synth choirs, shamanistic chanting and atmospheric wind noises, throwing in the occasional eastern-flavoured vocal sample in case things didn’t sound mystical enough. But on two of these six tracks – the LCD Soundsystem stomp of Obsolete and Beyond and deliciously funky Descend to Eternal – the fusion ignites spectacularly, producing a sweeping, dramatic kind of body music that transports the listener to another realm entirely, and is probably tremendous live. [Andrew Gordon]