When purchasing this, expect nothing less than crazy electronica. Another Warp CD added to my ever-increasing collection makes me feel nothing but happy.

The brain behind Prefuse 73, Guillermo Scott Herren, obviously loves his music and technology. Preparations is a dazzling and brilliantly executed piece of work that will make a fantastic inclusion to any dance or indie fanatic’s collection.

Herren plays all of his own instruments and shows that his music and soul are well and truly genuine. After being forced by his mother to branch into playing many different instruments as a child, the effort was not all for nought. Preparations is a landmark for original music.

In the continually evolving music and artform of electronica, there are so many producers out there striving for their own sound and Herren most definitely has that. He laid his foundations then tagged the shit out of the building. This is Prefuse 73 territory! But onto the highlights…

After an uneasy intro filler track, Beaten Thursdays comes in wielding a double-edged sword: one side is the beauty of glockenspiel foreplay and the other is the harsh and brash drum beat that evens the track into an uneasy mix that when baked would probably taste bittersweet.

The Class of 73 Bells is a track full of underlying, almost secretive genius. The layering hides many instruments that you don’t really acknowledge unless you actually listen closely. An upbeat flute dominates the foreground, like the Pied Piper out to steal all the children of another town – then comes what I can only describe as a choir of stoned angels swooping around and singing an off-kilt, almost airsick melody.

Smoking Red is an absolute belter of a track. Starting off with crazy circuit-bending sounds and vocal samples, an absolutely triumphant drum beat brings the track into the world of avant garde rock music, and every single fill sounds like Buddy Rich going into another one of his absolutely immense drum solos. Jazzy drumming makes this track an instant win, with the background electronics bordering on feedback.

The rest of this album is filled with highlights, but these are the main standout tracks. As this is a Warp release expect some similarities to his label mates. With glitch and IDM all the rage on the label there are some instances of Aphex Twin deja-vu, but in such genres it’s easy to make music that sounds similar to every other artist that does it.

Glitch music can only go so far until the need for evolution takes place. In the meantime, accept no imitations. Prefuse 73 is here to stay.