CD: José Padilla - So Many Colours

CD: JOSE PADILLA - SO MANY COLOURS The sunset soundtracker creates an album of bits that will have you in pieces

The sunset soundtracker creates an album of bits that will have you in pieces

When International Feel label boss Mark Barrott moved from Uruguay to Ibiza, it was surely only a matter of time before he hooked up with Café Del Mar’s legendary sunset soundtracker José Padilla – inevitable even. The choice of producers to work alongside Padilla on this, his fourth album, is far from predictable however – in fact it’s inspired. Alongside Padilla himself and Barrott are Henning Severud (Telephones), Jan Schulte (Wolf Müller) and Lewis Day (Tornado Wallace).

CD: Hot Chip - Why Make Sense?

The band's sixth album has some good moments, but lacks consistency

Hot Chip are a band who have, over the years, brought a different personality to the hedonistic house party – one that often seems caught halfway between the kitchen and the designated dancefloor. This, their sixth album, sees them trying to edge their way towards the latter while questioning their place – and relevance – in the wider musical firmament.

CD: Todd Rundgren, Hans-Peter Lindstrøm and Emil Nikolaisen – Runddans

A warm breeze of ambient electronica that takes in dance beats, distorted vocals and proggy textures

Todd Rundgren is not known for sitting on his laurels and churning out the same old stuff year after year. Since Runt, his debut solo album from 1970, he has tried out a vast array of genres from heavy metal to prog rock, EDM and power pop, as well as having a prominent role in Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell. Runddans, his second album of 2015, sees him venture further into pastures new by teaming up with Scandinavian electronica boffins Hans-Peter Lindstrøm and Emil Nikolaisen for a one-track ambient beast – albeit one with a hefty injection of prog sounds.

theartsdesk in Aarhus: SPOT Festival 2015

THEARTSDESK IN AARHUS: SPOT FESTIVAL 2015 Overpowering intensity, mystery and seduction at Denmark’s prime showcase for Scandinavia’s music

Overpowering intensity, mystery and seduction at Denmark’s prime showcase for Scandinavia’s music

There’s no doubt SPOT is Europe’s tidiest music festival. In hosting SPOT, Denmark’s second-city Aarhus turns the expectation of what a festival can be around. There’s no mud, no one takes a stage late and the sound is always immaculate. Underworked stewards collect what little debris there is. The two main venues are so spotlessly non-rock they force the focus towards the music.

Antonacci, ROHO, Pappano, Royal Opera House

ANTONACCI, ROHO, PAPPANO, ROYAL OPERA HOUSE Nothing deep, but plenty of glitter as the Covent Garden pit band hits the stage

Nothing deep, but plenty of glitter as the Covent Garden pit band hits the stage

Few conductors would think of putting Bernstein’s comic-sexy Fancy Free ballet and the orgasmatron of Scriabin’s The Poem of Ecstasy together in a concert's second half. In fact I’ll wager, without research, that it’s never been done before. Yet as Music Director of the Royal Opera, Antonio Pappano has proved himself style-sensitive in everything from Mozart to Turnage – even Wagner, though that took time – and so he proved in bringing his orchestra onstage for their first, long-overdue mixed-programme concert together here.

CD: Django Django – Born Under Saturn

CD: DJANGO DJANGO – BORN UNDER SATURN The Scottish band strike gold with a move towards the dancefloor

The Scottish band strike gold with a move towards the dancefloor

So, what I’m probably supposed to do when reviewing Django Django’s new album, Born Under Saturn, is mention the sleeper-hit success of their 2012 self-titled debut. I’m then definitely supposed to do a funny and find some suitable similes before summing up with something pithy and sage. The trouble is, I’m stuck here grinning like an idiot while thoughts flit in and out without ever finding room to land. Melodies can do that to you – stop you thinking and drag you into the moment, where meaningful reflection is all but impossible.

CD: Squarepusher – Damogen Furies

CD: SQUAREPUSHER - DAMOGEN FURIES Electronica veteran returns with some challenging but engaging sounds

Electronica veteran returns with some challenging but engaging sounds

In his recent theartsdesk interview, Squarepusher (or Tom Jenkinson to his mum) stated: “A subtle wave of conservatism has washed gently across electronic music over the last five years. One of the things the new record smashes against is that.” On this he really isn’t kidding, and Damogen Furies is unlikely to be heard as mood music to your shopping experience in any high street stores in the foreseeable future. Hardcore rave sounds bump up against abrasive electro and abstract funk in a powerful tempest that is far from chilled out.

CD: Jimmy Somerville - Homage

CD: JIMMY SOMMERVILLE - HOMAGE Infectious disco tribute from a man who knows the genre inside out

Infectious disco tribute from a man who knows the genre inside-out

Disco was about the dancefloor: a music that delivered the goods in one-song bursts which made assembled revellers move. The album was not its natural home. Of course, the compilation thrives and albums with side-long tracks hit the right note, but an album entirely dedicated to disco by a single artist would struggle to have the impact of a single, killer cut. Jimmy Somerville’s Homage is, then, a brave release. The album is his tribute to the music he grew up with and which had always been an influence. It is his disco album.

CD: Carter Tutti – Carter Tutti Plays Chris & Cosey

Chris & Cosey take it to the stage with souped-up songs that go further than you might expect

There’s a danger in an artist having their work reinterpreted that the end result will be little more than a rough outline of the original. Look at Metallica’s axe job on the Velvet Underground for instance. Still, on the bright side, at least they increased the band’s "reach" to include jocks and morons.