Various Artists Sci.Fi.Hi.Fi_03: Alex Smoke

• Words: David Hemingway
• Label: Soma
• XLR8R Rating: /10

With previous installments from Ewan Pearson and Luciano, Soma's Sci.Fi.Hi.Fi seems to be evolving into a must-have mix series. What the host label's own Alex Menzies' contribution lacks in straight-forward immediacy, it more than makes up for in intrigue: That a recording project inspired by a curio shop in the midst of a Swedish forest (Porn Sword Tobacco) begins Sci.Fi.Hi.Fi_03 is telling but Smoke also deploys the likes of Burial, Rhythm & Sound, Model 500, and Troy Pierce in a skilled, measured manner. A trio of Menzies' own tracks (as Alex Smoke and Quixote) make for a nice finale.