If you haven’t heard already heard, UK progressive house hero Sasha is in town tonight (Aug 28) down at Red’s. And for those about to prog, we salute you. But, as for this column, it’s time to do a little house cleaning at Remix and let you know about the last batch of fine summer releases.

Firstly, all of you that finally turned on to the skeletal funk of Prefuse 73 this summer with his One Word Extinguisher on Warp will want to pick up its companion disc Extinguished: Outtakes (HHH1/2). It’s a mixed bag though; it takes the "outtakes" portion of the disc very seriously and is thus one of the most incoherent collections ever made. In short doses it still yields a ton of gold, from the full-length funk of "Tel Aviv’s Gravel Teeth" to brief spoken samples on "Pase Rock’s Preestyle" and "Culturwhorgasm"–which is sure to find itself on lots of mix tapes this year. ("Diarrhea Takes Over Your Life," though, is only as enjoyable as the title would suggest...) Because there’s so much good stuff amongst the junk it’s highly recommendable–but anyone wanting to jump into the world of Prefuse 73 should check out One Word Extinguisher first, then come back to this.

For those of us that hope this electro-pop revival never ends, there’s another reason to celebrate. Goodlife Recordings, from France, are now available in North America through PIAS. As a result, the releases are not only easier to find, but a lot cheaper as well. Kiko’s Midnight Magic (HH 1/2), though, is easily the most mediocre of the lot–full of sounds and pumping bass-lines, but without character (lively for the club, but not much for home listening). Although "Monique," the big hit, is a good time, with its sweeping early-’80s chords, too many of these tracks ("Magnetized," "Last Emotion") are just plain boring. Check out the compilation Goodlife Vol.1 for a better sampling of the good life.

Also more easily available, thanks to a recent distribution deal with Fusion3, is Montreal’s No Type. Originally an MP3-only label, their releases stretch from the abstract breakbeat sound of Sluts On Tape to the electro-pop of Oeuf Korreckt and on to crazier experiments with sound and noise. The Freest Of Radicals (HHHHH), a double disc release, is the best place to start. Made for the adventurous, its quality is high, as exemplified by: Tomas Jirku’s "I Think I’m In Love"–minimal techno of the highest order; Camp’s "Oeeel," which takes the blueprint of drum ’n’ bass, glitches it up and drops it on its head; and Jon Vaughn’s "Bouncing Ball (1+2) + Gravel Road," an interpolation of two of his pieces that meet for some of the craziest, yet funkiest techno that you’ll ever hear.

The second disc is full of innovation as well. Alphacat’s "Waveporn" speeds up some electro, plays with conventions for a bit, and then morphs into a slamming piece of techno that’s perfect for the dance floors of Tresor. Most of what’s listed here is the best of the accessible stuff. There are a few noise tracks, some sonic experimentalism and improvisation as well. But if you want some new sounds–and not ones that happened to come out this week–track it down. Other MP3 goodies can also be found at www.notype.com.

From noisy abstraction to something unquestionably gentle and beautiful: Colleen’s Everyone Alive Wants Answers, on Leaf Recordings (HHHHH), is the product of 26-year-old Parisian Cecile Schott. It’s a masterpiece in the style of Brian Eno’s "Ambient" series from the early 1980s. "Ritournelle’s" otherworldly strings bounce across some static and glitch as classic tape techniques are used on the sound to give it an alien quality; "Goodbye Sunshine" has a static collection of tape loops and chimes. "Long Live Mice In The Metro" stands out the most, though. Some late night sounds set the mood and then trumpets and horns are modulated to make them sound like they’re bouncing off metallic walls–absolutely stunning. What makes this disc work so well is that it uses techniques of old and new electronic music so well, and so gently, that it doesn’t put you off.

And finally, for the masses, we have Music for the Maases Vol.2 (HH 1/2) (Kinetic), a mix of Timo Maas’ remixes and productions. What’s most amazing about this is that it doesn’t completely stink. Oh, there’s poppy and cheesy tracks–throw up to Placebo’s ode to ketamine, "Special K," (it’s not all his fault; the original song is atrocious) or to his own cheese classic, "Unite" (shame on you Timo!). Where the disc works best is when it uses more natural or unique sounds (as opposed to the pre-programmed "spacey" sounds we’ve heard a million times). Such examples include his mix of Garbage ("Breaking Up The Girl") or Moloko ("Familiar Feelings"), and his remix of Moby’s "We Are All Made of Stars," which is about 60,000 times better than the original and is the best thing on this collection of Maas’ Underworld-meets-Frankfurt progressive trance sound.

Catch "Frequency", with Prosper and Eli, Saturdays from 6 to 8pm on CJSR FM88.