*** Q-Burns Abstract Message

OEUVRE

(Astralwerks)

For the past few years beat-heavy labels like Mephisto, Sunburn, Om, and Ubiquity have fed on a steady diet of EPs and singles by Central Florida's Michael Donaldson, a/k/a Q-Burns, whose moniker is taken from the DJ term for wear on a record from cueing or scratching too much. Oeuvre brings together some of Q-Burns' singles and unreleased tracks, which blend the straight-ahead slap of techno with the rubbery bounce of hip-hop. The collection reaches as far back as 1995 (the moody, noirish "141 Revenge Street," Q-Burns' first track ever) to present the cream of Donaldson's craft. Sometimes laced with jazz, sometimes machine-gun fierce, the disc moves adeptly from block-rocking beats to hypnotic ambiance. All of which should go a long way toward whetting appetites for the new Q-Burns full-length that's due from Astralwerks this fall.

-- Bob Toevs