Erlend Oye

This oddest entry in the !K7 label's acclaimed DJ-Kicks series is marred by mediocre mixing and awkward segues; its auteur -- Norwegian Erlend Oye -- never touches a cross-fader or adjusts the pitch control. Instead, the geeky Kings of Convenience singer selects tracks and sings over several of them in a modest Nordic voice that coats everything in a gray-matte finish. Oye's taste leans toward the Nerf-soft -- melodic tech-house mingling with plinky electro-pop --but he manages to slide in some tough, hypnotic techno from Jürgen Paape, Justus Kohncke and Jackmate. (Mysteriously, he chooses weak efforts from excellent producers such as Ricardo Villalobos and Morgan Geist.) But if you fancy Oye crooning the Smiths' "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" over Röyksopp's finger-snapping house beats or warbling "Always on My Mind" to Skateboard's Detroitian techno, this could be up your alley.