What with Hercules & Love Affair recruiting Antony Hegarty for the much hyped ‘Blind’, and this Croation-born and Juilliard-educated producer creating tracks with titles like ‘Love Songs Of The Hanging Gardens’ there is a quiet little movement of producers looking for some drama with their disco, taking their cue from the likes of Marc Almond and The Associates. Kelley Polar and his viola appeared on some of Metro Area’s finest works including the classic ‘Miura’ and this partnership continues with Polar’s debut on Morgan Geist’s label, with Darshan Jesrani at the mixing desk. With Polar’s ears tuned to  everything from Kraftwerk and Schubert to Thomas Dolby and Dvorak this was never going to be an everyday dance record, and the album might take a couple of listens; but once the yearning leftfield pop of ‘Satellites’, the sinister disco of ‘Entropy Reigns’, and the cascading synth licks of ‘Chrysanthemum’ get inside your head, the romantic yet dark Polar sound won’t let you go. In the same way as a group like Dr Buzzard’s Savannah Band went left of the disco mainstream, Kelley Polar is eschewing the Bandelli fixations of many of his contemporaries to create highly individual music that brings some drama and character to electronic music. A brave and infectious record. (Andy Thomas)