Mu

Quite possibly the weirdest album yet from nomadic house music hero Maurice Fulton, Afro Finger and Gel was born out of his relationship with Japanese frontwoman Mutsumi Kanamori. The two met at the infamous Electric Chair party in Sheffield, England, and apparently it was love at first sight. He had found his Mu-se and she had found a husband. The results are wild and adventurous without falling prey to obvious references to bands of yesteryear or hipper-than-thou posturing.

Mu veers from raucous outbursts ("Let's Get Sick") to spoken-word passages ("My Name is Tommi") to straight-up weird shit ("Hello Bored Biz Man"). Fulton provides a perfect backdrop of fucked-up beats and oddball sonics that often recall Squarepusher's early drill and bass material. There's a distinctly live element in his programming, with percussion that incorporates Latin and African rhythms. It's this reckless abandon Fulton has toward genre boundaries that makes his work so vital right now. At a time when the dance-punk movement seems to be lacking direction, Afro Finger and Gel provides a much-needed call to arms and a giant middle finger.