Mukul - You Don't Know Me

With the ethereal strings, throbbing beats, and a bisexual vocal interchange between a sultry, smoky feline and a masculine drawl stretched out into a rumbling bassline, Mukul sound just like a trip-hop version of fetishistic future pop goons Die Form. 'You Don't Know Me' is a delightfully sleazy dancerfloor-creeping anthem that would do the pretentious goth crowds proud as well as the less self-conscious. Unfortunately, Howie B's remix is less claustrophobic, more minimalist; rapping the squelchy bass refrain around a click beat and losing a lot of the film noir unease. As Mukul's first UK release, 'You Don't Know Me,' not to forget the b-side 'Happy Birthday', it looks like this Mumbain is perfectly primed to revitalise trip-hop into some lurching, catchy sex monster. [Ali Maloney]