Paper Tigers

Finland-based house producer Sasu Ripatti records under the monikers Uusitalo, Vladislav Delay, and of course the more song-oriented and hugely successful Luomo. This 2006 "glitch house" album is one of those very rare dance collections that speaks as much to the dancefloor groovers moving about languidly as the furrowed-brow "Intelligent Dance Music" enthusiasts listening at home through fancy headphones while posting diatribes on Internet messsage boards. Ripatti might intellectually tinker about with house music's synth wash plus beats plus house diva formula, but never at the expense of rhythm or release. A few songs such as "Let You Know" are downright sensuous, while others like the jazzy, dub-pop "The Tease Is Over" have pretty huge pop hooks working for them (as well as the lovely vocals of Johanna Ivanainen). His most straightforward release under his most straightforward secret identity, the biggest complaint is that the songs aren't stretched out from five and seven minutes into a dozen. Of course, that would make them less poppy, but these are worlds the listener aches to spend more time inside of!