Invoking Public Image Ltd., it's a robotic voice that introduces Boys Noize's excellent 2012 effort Out of the Black, looping through that This is what you want, this is what you get couplet, although this time, there are no ironic intentions or snide ways about it. This aptly titled effort is a wall-to-wall triumph of speaker ripping, black as night and hooky with that heritage-style neo-electro that Alexander Ridha and his Boys Noize project have nailed and thrilled fans with previously, planet rocking and bass dropping like Bambaataa, the Miami bass scene, Skrillex, Fatboy Slim, and Kraftwerk all at the laptop, crafting something for the Mad Decent label or Paul Oakenfold's radio show. All that said, Out of the Black has a nimble way about it that's identifiable as Ridha, as Kraftwerk samples (the crowd-pleasing transmission XTC), a vicious Snoop Dogg appearance (Ho's give up the cat to the thunder man on the strutting Got It), and Giorgio Moroder-flavored Euro-disco (Chonchord and Reality both coast along the space ways) all enter and exit without disrupting the album's flow. As far as 2012 sounds, Rocky 2 is as garish and punchy as its movie sequel namesake with a bass drop that bangs around like a video game boss, and if the grime genre sipped syrup it would sound like the woozy wobbler Circus Full of Clowns with rapper Gizzle luring the listener into a cold, nightmarish world. It's arguably the one to skip, as the rest of this bass beast is cool over cold and fun over frightening, but leave it in for headphone listening as Out of the Black works either on the dancefloor or at the workstation, offering beat nuts from the Front 242 generation to the Deadmau5 kids their deep, dark, and delicious fix. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi

In The Black List, 25 prominent African-Americans of various professions, disciplines, and backgrounds offer their own stories and insights on black life in America....