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10. air - 10,000 hrz legend - correctly labelled as dark side of the moon safari, we saw air delve into their space rock roots and sense of humor to deliver an album that is not hard to digest coming from the sexy sounds we were used to. last year's album, the score to the virgin suicides, should have been a signal of what was to come, but it wasn't until it was here and received mixed reactions that any real press came out of it. critics were torn on how to rate them, and upon first listen, i thought it was shoddy work. however, thanks to see them live, with sebastian tellier, in chicago made me re-consider the album and its repercussions. once i had taken my first real listen, i realize what a great work of electronic rock fusion it was, and how well together the album was made.

9. steve roach - early man (reissue) - it was hard enough kicking myself that i missed 'the serpent's lair' in 2000 only to follow it up with his remastered version of 'early man', complete with a second disc of the dub sessions. the entire album was remastered with new equipment, and more importantly, with the increasing talent and nuance that steve roach is known for. his ambient soundscapes are unparalleled in my opinion, and his constant collaborations keep him going and keeps me happy. on early man, we see a journey into the early days of man, utilizing environments and reverb to show the caves, sounds of rocks to show primitive, and the ever so slight hint of drumming. it's breathtaking.

8. prefuse 73 - vocal studies and uprock narratives - the best crossover of hip-hop beats and intelligent dance music that i have ever heard. i was skeptical picking up something off the warp level with this goal in mind, but after learning that i should be more open-minded, i picked up scott herran's latest joint under the moniker prefuse 73. in short, phenomenal. the opening track alone was worth the $12 i shelled out for the disc, as he managed to change his beats up seven times flawlessly. appearances are made by mf doom and aesop rock to make it a great deal. the best sound to come out of the dirty south in a long time. future work includes singles with mos def and collaborative work to release an album in late 2002 or early 2003. you can bet what will be back on this list next year!

7. brian eno and j. peter schwalm - drawn from life - the return of eno after a long absence was a major kick in the pants for all the people who thought they knew dub/ambient music. this album received little hype and little press from astralwerks, which was disheartening. the album finds us returned to a funkier version of eno, with tracks including 'like pictures' and 'intenser', brian shows us that even for an old hack at the scene, he hasn't lost his touch. the whole album flows very nicely together and doesn't let up though the movements. good show.

6. creature - 367 show - released right to mp3, the best ambient work of the year without a doubt. chris has been awfully quiet holed up in his studio, and when this was made available at his website, i about cried. the technique and flow of the album shows definite presence in the scene, with the tracks mixed together to create the effect of his notorious live shows. the dark, quiet, mellow, and layered offerings make it a must have. but don't take my word for it, it's available and it's free at: http://www.c367.com. it's a hefty download, but worth the wait.

5. gorillaz - gorillaz - i was a bit skeptical of the frontman of blur putting together a side project that boasted to meld indie rock and hip-hop and reggae. however, i am always one to give it a try and it was a good thing i did. with production work coming from dan the automater and a guest appearance from del the funkee homosapien, we see the actual accomplishment of the goal. and it took the music industry by storm. i got the album right after it came out and within weeks you could hear 'clint eastwood' and '19-2000' bumping from cars across the nation. i listen to the album time and again, and just marvel at what was accomplished. kudos!

4. richie hawtin - de9: closer to the edit - as if decks, efx, and 909 wasn't enough to show that no one is a better dj than richie hawtin, he came back this year with this album. pushing the envelope and concept of the dj even further, he has added his own product (developed in partnership with john acquaviva) called final scratch to the mix. this allows him to chop up songs and play them through a turntable as if they were a record, controlling them in the same way. take this technology, along with 2 turntables, effects from both the laptop and the mix board and pedals, and the standard 909 drum machine, and the effect is pure genius. if you aren't amazed by the mix set, listen to it again. he managed, with the use of sample boards and final scratch, to mix six tracks at once. flawlessly. you do the math. he is the world's greatest dj. hands down.

3. sebastian tellier - l'incroyable verite - it really is the incredible truth. the entire album was produced by multi-instrumentalist sebastian tellier. it's a smoky french symphonic experience that delves into wicked themes and movements. the single, 'universe', is a dreary, droning track that jerks strings in the coldest of men. i remember many a night just listening to this album over and over again, soaking it in and understanding it for what it really was - a great work of art. sebastian tellier has a long future ahead of him should he continue to persue music. and his live show, utilizing the obscure theramin, was the best live act i've seen all year, even if it was only twenty minutes opening up for air.

2. future sound of london - papua new guinea translations - five years ago, after releasing the darkest work of ambient electro funk called 'dead cities', brian and garry fell into a funk. after countless isdn sets and envelope pushing, they had determined it was time to move in a new direction. and move they did. over the next five years, garry spent a good time finding himself, and that journey took him back to his birth years in the beginnings of electronic acid rock. melding this with the tenth anniversay of their smash single 'papua new guinea' and you get what was called 'papua new guinea translations'. this album is a sounding horn to the critics to stand up and take notice of their new mission. utilizing sounds and feel from the original song, they translated it into different thoughts and version, all as a cathartic effort to shed the skin of darkness and hate for the new coat of warmth and love. it's not cheezy. in fact, it's kind of warming to listen to. we forget our roots so easily, it's about time we step up and recognize them.