Fundacion NYC
Wax will always have its place of honor, but MIDI controllers, laptops and other forms of technical wizardry continue to inspire DJs throughout the land. In 2004, one of the world's most popular, Sasha, performed extended aural surgery on hisInvolverrelease, molding ten tracks into a softer, vaguely ambient, yet still lethally danceable mélange. But live, the studio tricks didn't translate with such panache. So he built his own tool, a box of circuits, knobs and processors he calls MAVEN, and took it for a test run onFundacion. The result, ironically, will make you forget all about the fancy gadgetry, since that's not the side of the brain that involves motor function. More house-oriented and playful, this is Sasha's most overtly dance floor-oriented release since 1999'sIbiza. 17 tracks are thoroughly diced and sliced, served up hot with sides of e!  lectro ("Electromagnetic") and driving pop (the album-ending one-two punch ofGoldfrappandM83, for instance). Say what you will about DJs without turntables, but no matter how innovative the means, the end goal remains the same: delirious crowds and late-night bliss. In a world where music has broken up into tiny digital pieces, astute artists like Sasha are only adapting.--Matthew Cooke