Kiwi music off the beaten path

Don't be surprised if your limbs and insides start contorting in directions unknown when listening to the debut EP from the Fanatics. Yes, the jerking intensity of this duo - David Green (vocals/programming) and Tom Clark (vocals/guitar) - on stage has inspired a Joy Division/Ian Curtis comparison.

And the music is very much in a pulsing Joy Division vein. But, locked and loaded with a laptop, guitar and vocals (these guys don't need a drummer, by the way) they are a little more on the boogie, get down and get your ass shaking tip. All in a dark and devious way, of course.

Current single Models, with its sneering refrain "give me models, give me money", military precision and an irresistible hook, is the Fanatics at their best. And the cover of Dunedin legends Snapper's Buddy - although slower than the original - revives a lost New Zealand classic.

The Fanatics are something unique. Listen to them and feel staunch on the dancefloor.

On a more epic note, it's a beautiful thing when your bus breaks down and you get to listen to an entire 27-minute instrumental by Jakob. Dominion is a limited release (only available at gigs or at www.smokecds.com). Yes, it is more of the same, glorious, soaring soundscapes like on their albums Cale:Drew and Subset Of Sets but this novel release is what Jakob do best, play on and on without stopping. Plus, it gets hot, heavy and passionate for 10 minutes at the end.

You can almost touch every sound on Map Key Window by Rotor+. On this three-very-long-songs album, every note of the piano, every pluck of the piano's innards, every buzz of the blowfly and every glitchy movement are within reach. Those glitches are the most movement there is here but that's not what Rotor+ is about. The dynamics in the recording will clean your speakers out yet it will leave you wondering whether this is enjoyable for anyone but the composer. But it is so exquisitely recorded that you know Rotor+ isn't being self-indulgent, he's just in love with, and totally caring of, sound.

Watching an experimental musician such as Rosy Parlane perform can also leave you wondering whether it is self-indulgence or absolute brilliance.

There isn't much happening, but there's the most pristine noise - be it absolute calm or plain piercing. The tracks take an age to happen and most of the time little does happen. Or is it just because this type of music is so close to dance music that we automatically expect the beats to kick in and something to happen?

Parlane is a teacher in the beautiful art of patience and Iris is an extraordinary listen. The shards of sound that pelt down on you are sharp enough to pierce your skin. At times it sounds like an iced-over windscreen that's cracking and melting on time delay. He makes it easy to imagine it unfolding in front of you.

THE FANATICS: THE FANATICS EP (Capital Recordings)
(Herald rating: * * * *)
Electronic rock'n'roll from Auckland duo with a penchant for warped pop

JAKOB: DOMINION (Midium)
(Herald rating: * * * *)
Limited edition release of one 27-minute song from Napier's sonic adventurers

ROTOR+: MAP KEY WINDOW (RTCNZ)
(Herald rating: * * *)
Dunedin-based musician uses a metal bar, a blowfly and minimal beats to create something of beauty

ROSY PARLANE: IRIS (Touch Music)
(Herald rating: * * * *)
Auckland experimental artist who suspends sound and then mainlines it through your body