BT

Brian Transeau, more commonly referred to as BT, is considered by his peers and followers to be one of the creators of the progressive house/trance style of dance music, and his percolating swells of mood-enhancing compositions are among the most popular in the genre. On his fourth full-length, Emotional Technology, the musician/producer plays host to a number of A-list guests. There’s Hollywood sexpot Rose McGowan, who breathes naughtily over “Superfabulous”; ‘N Sync’s J.C. Chasez, who pours his soulful croons into “The Force of Gravity”; and Gang Starr’s Guru, who rhymes smoothly on “Knowledge Of Self.” Transeau himself very ably takes over vocal duties on six tracks, adopting a plaintive delivery that helps him hit his stride on standouts like “Dark Heart Dawning” and “Simply Being Loved (Somnambulist).”

Although Transeau keeps his eye on the dance floor, Emotional Technology also has an eclectic bent to it. Grinding rock guitar, gentle acoustic plucking, turntablist cuts (courtesy of DJ Swamp), live percussion, and escalating strings are all heard. As fantastically innovative as that might sound, it’s held together by a cheesy trance glue generated by synthesizers and the annoying ethereal warbles of Caroline Lavelle and Jan Johnston. The gratuitously epic buildups and breaks that are the cornerstones of progressive house are still the main ingredients on Emotional Technology. Still, all the time Transeau spent working with ‘N Sync must have rubbed off on him, because as frustrating as Emotional Technology is to listen to, it is definitely an attempt at 21st-century pop. — Lily Moayeri