' first public step as was a crazy-quilt suite of and samples. He swiftly proved that wasn't merely about pulling clever stunts. The London-based producer progressed from wayward hip-hop beats to off-center pop songs, threading 's deep ambient interlude "Inner Space" through a chunky remix of 's "Afrika" one moment, then dabbling in making proper tunes replete with his endearing vocals, which carried hints of . From 12" to 12", his categorically evasive instrumentals and unorthodox pop songs attained more definition and individuality and at the same time turned more collaborative. The "post- " tag was shed as his output became more prone to comparisons to that of studio boffins like , or any member of -- artists narrowly classified as synth pop. , ' first true album, is the culmination of short-form releases for labels like , and . Issued on his own , it's a resolutely lively and slightly dazed exploration of misshapen pop forms. Like the best of what preceded it, the album wasn't made by alone. The glinting title track is elevated by background vocals from and a liquid line from saxophonist . (keyboards), , his partners in secondary outlets , appear throughout, with the latter showcased in the lapping mutant house track "It's No Spirit" like an apparition of seems to push all the right buttons, even when he does something otherwise unthinkable for 2016, such as craft a gauzy, pulsating groove that supports a saxophone -- that of -- as the lead instrument. Going by the seemingly happenstance way everything else is presented, it's not likely that and his mates were plotting to come up with a cover of an imagined -era B-side. It just came out that way. That and all else here, "written, recorded, blah blah blah by ," as printed in the sleeve with credit-deflecting nonchalance, is delightful. ~ Andy Kellman