Track of the Day: Robert Edwin

Like Stereolab and Cornelius, Robert Edwin is fluent in loungy space pop. But the Japanese (or Japan-based? not sure which) electronic artist doesn't like to keep the surface of his sound very smooth. He rips up chunks of post-rock, free jazz, funk, and hip-hop, throwing all their jagged edges into his mix so they stick out at unexpected angles. The resulting tracks sound like groovy robots on a lot of acid, machines that are shaking the loose wires until sparks fly. Edwin has a number of tunes available on his MySpace page, each of which is drastically different from the previous one. Start with "Dark to Dark," which laces pretty keyboard and sax melodies through some deep electro-space exploration.