Being a successful producer doesn't always equate to success on the other side of the mixing board. Though some producers have made the leap with aplomb (Timbaland and Magoo, Puff Daddy), it's a tougher transition for others. (Go to the record store and look how many Babyface albums they have lying around.)

Such is the challenge that greets Howie B, the pre-eminent electronic collaborator in Europe. After receiving notches on his headboard from luminaries like Tricky, U2, Luscious Jackson, Everything But the Girl, and Bjork, Howie released his second solo album. Following his critically- acclaimed debut Music for Babies, Turn the Dark Off takes off in a different direction, exploring electronic wavelengths that have yet to be discovered on our American shores.

Before judging any DJ's record, it's important to remember that a DJ isn't responsible for providing us with catchy melodies and bouncy chord progressions. The DJ is trying to make people shake their asses; to provide a soundtrack for a transcendent experience that may occur over three or four hours. Hard as that may be to chop into four- and- a- half minute segments and shrink wrap in a jewel case, it can be done.

That noted, B's Turn the Dark Off is an excellent record, one that functions on two levels. While serving as one helluva dance record, Dark is also very deep in music theory. Adhering closely to the so- called "Magic Beat Theory", Howie keeps dropping in the new stuff every 4-8 measures. It's beautiful to be able to get up and dance like a scarecrow to a record, and also having the option of sitting down and dissecting the structure of every song beat for beat.

Eschewing the sugary-sweet, metal/ pop brand of electronica preferred by Prodigy, as well as the vocal- laden spaciousness of Tricky, Turn the Dark Off sounds imported directly from a London night club. The only vocals on the album are various words or phrases that occur happenstance to a loop.

The track "Limbo" takes the listener on a ride in a dub- submarine, with pings and whistles sounding throughout. "Angels Go Bald:Too" is phenomenal, with odd starts and stops that reminded me of when you're riding in a car or sitting in class, trying to stay awake, and then all of a sudden you hear the loud sound of nothing envelop you, like somebody's turning the sound off. "Sore Brown Eyes" is another fantastic track, with Howie introducing various elements in spurts throughout the song, and then bringing them all together into a bittersweet symphony at the end.

So, don't go buying Turn the Dark Off and then try to drive around listening to it on your car's Realistic tape deck. Give it the space and attention it deserves by taking it home, turning up the stereo, and then killing the lights. Then, go nuts.

-Lang Whitaker