Various Artists – Stones Throw and Leaving Records present Dual Form

On a rather more experimental, far-out, noise-based tip than most Stones Throw outings, this team-up with fellow LA label Leaving Records serves as a breeding ground for the more leftfield, sonically challenging artists on the periphery of the California beat scene.

There are a few familiar faces – multi-instrumental lo-fi songstress Julia Holter, who delivers a live recording of a minimal, sparse, organ-led song; Anticon alum Odd Nosdam, whose expansive, synth-driven jam Sisters hits the right euphoric notes; while experimental bass terrorists Run DMT delve into woozy psych-rock territory on the crepuscular Bardo States Dream Walker.

Elsewhere we get FlyLo-esque space-age jams from yuk. on Atimo, mescaline-spiked alt.hip-hop from Sound Wizard BZB & MC Set, wonky electro-pop from Dream Love, and drunken, jazzy hip-hop breaks and fractured booming bass from Oscar McClure. It's a mixed bag, with the emphasis on experimental beats rather than catchy melodies, but as an introduction to a whole host of new producers, it shows a lot of promise.