(Warp/Inertia)

The latest offering from one of the leading talents in modern mixology, Prefuse 73, has all the bleeps and beeps you would expect as well as a few surprises thrown in. From an apparently similar school of thought to DJ Shadow, Guillermo Scott Herren once again draws on a dazzling array of resources from all eras of vinyl, slices them up and glues them back together in a strange and occasionally beautiful patchwork of sound. This is not really an album to sit and chill out to over a cup of tea; rather it is an experimental stab at creating alternative sound scapes. There’s no doubt he’ll either be heralded as a genius or denuded as a madman for this one – or perhaps a little of both.

It’s “based on reactions to certain things that happened to me during the past year or so” says Herren, indicating that his environment must have been more than a little warped. Short, fuzzy and sometimes complicated, Security Screening’s tunes vary between 31 seconds and four minutes long and vary considerably in their approach. While One Word Extinguisher and Surrounded by Silence were much more deeply ingrained in the hip-hop culture from whence Prefuse 73 originally came, Security Screenings dabbles ever more heavily in synth, shrieks and wibbles than ever before – and he’s even collaborated with Four Tet on a track.

It’s an uneasy ride at times, sprinkled with moments of relative genius. Herren never lets the listener rest too easy – just as you’re getting used to a track, he’ll whip the rug from under your feet and add in a few layers, change tack or even skitter off completely into yet another track. Saying that, it’s strangely hypnotic at times and you’ll find yourself trying to second guess his next move. From the intro The Letter P to the outro, cutely titled We Leave You in a Cloud of Thick Smoke and Sleep, it’s a bit of a trip – but one worth taking a few times.