(K7)

www.k7.com

Downtempo, trip-hop, ambient electronic music is so early ‘90s. These days, if you hear it at all, it's probably on a car commercial or at that new Asian fusion restaurant down the street. Amazingly, Tosca still manages to make this often preciously slick genre exciting and engaging. The duo of Richard Dorfmeister and Rupert Huber - both electronica OG's - have been at it for well over a decade. And their latest album, No Hassle, feels as fresh as anything playing in the chill-out lounge circa 1994.

The album's initial one-two punch, "My First" and "Elitsa," is a soft, lovely caressing blow. Both are heady, slightly psychedelic mixes of loops and hushed vocal samples that are as tuneful as they are somnambulistic. From there, the music picks up the pace a bit, entering the jazzy funk of "Springer" and "Birthday." But "jazzy funk" is really a misnomer, conjuring images of cheesy synth-laden syncopation. This is acid jazz run through a Boards of Canada filter, resulting in a hypnotic and graceful blend of organic and electronic.

There is a lot going on in the layers of sound and atmosphere that comprise Tosca's body of work, even if it is basically ambient downtempo. Tempting as it may be, Tosca should definitely not be relegated to background music status.

Standout Tracks: "My First" "Elitsa" JONAH FLICKER