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AMP 2

(Astralwerks)

The first AMP compilation (Caroline) helped turn American audiences on to mostly instrumental tracks by a decidedly Anglocentric line-up. But the second companion to MTV's late-night electronica video showcase -- AMP 2 -- capitalizes on the real electronic revelation (and success) of the late '90s -- hip-hop. Rather than featuring lone electronic auteurs from across the Atlantic (i.e., Aphex Twin, Photek, and Orbital, who all had tracks on the first AMP installment), AMP 2 spotlights collaborations between big-name hip-hop MCs and an eclectic cast of beat junkies like Aphrodite, who deftly cross-cuts old-school electro-funk and slippery drum 'n' bass on a remix of the Jungle Brothers' "Jungle Brother."

Elsewhere, Prodigy bring their beastly blast to bear on an old Method Man single, "Release Yo' Self," and KRS One takes Goldie back to the boogie-down Bronx with the head-spinning groove of "Digital." Anyone already familiar with British electronica won't find anything particularly new about AMP 2's more straightforward cuts, like drum 'n' bass master Roni Size's "Brown Paper Bag," or Adam F's jazzy "Circles." And hip-hop itself has always been an electronic medium. But AMP 2 does introduce some true hip-hop flavor to the techno melting pot that is electronica.

-- Michael Endelman