Likewise, jazz hasn't been doing too well lately, losing the sense of intrigue and danger it had in its heyday. GQ even ran a feature article called "Why Jazz Sucks."

That's why New York's "Nublu" scene – centered around a record label of the same name – has so much going for it. Its artists typically start with a dance or jazz template and add elements of techno, trance, R&B and blues. Combining the two uninspired genres, and sprinkling in other kinds of music, might be the best way to save both.

Problem is: Many Nubluers take cues from their city's elitist fashion scene, valuing originality too far above accessibility. They often end up in John Cage territory, too boring to sit through and too distracting for background music.

Citysearch dubs the Nublu club itself (62 Ave. C) a "cozy little music lounge with no attitude and no posers," conceding soon thereafter that "the entrance is marked only by a small blue light over the door" and the crowd is "artsy" and "eclectic." "No pretense," though!

Kudu's 'Death of the Party' (4.5 stars) is the scene's best and most listener-friendly act, and a good place to start. It serves as a sample platter of everything Nublu has to offer, with dance beats, jazz and techno instrumentation and some incredible R&B melodies.

"Hot Lava" kicks the album off in a vaudevillian manner that will remind listeners of last year's Outkast track "Call the Law." In short order, Kudu sets heads spinning with the insanely catchy chorus to "Love Me in Your Language," the almost synth-pop atmosphere of "Playing House" and the quirky though bordering-on-annoying techno-rap of "King King (Attack of the Egomaniac)."

The most intriguing track is "Black Betty," a sinister, almost gothic take on the classic work song. Then there's the trippy "Hey 50," the street-feeling "Let's Finish," the bouncy and aggressive "Neon Graveyard" and the big band horns of "Physical World." Each song has its own beat, its own personality. 'Death of the Party' manages eclecticism without sounding scattered, and that's quite a feat.

The only conceivable objection is that it's perhaps too accessible. It's not hard to imagine many of the tracks in your standard dance club, albeit classing up the place with musical innovation. And a lot of the lyrics focus on sex, clubbing, blah blah blah.

But for the average pop music listener, Kudu has conceived and executed the perfect introduction to Nublu. Enjoy.

Here are some quick takes on Nublu's other releases:

Lovetrio in Dub: Featuring U-Roy (4 stars) is quite innovative and catchy, a sort of reggae-techno blend with occasional jazz solos. It doesn't fit in with the rest of the Nublu scene, but the record serves as a unique, welcome breath of fresh air. One thing listeners may dislike is how the keyboards can make reggae, a lively and energetic genre of music, sound a bit sterile.

Wax Poetic's 'Copenhagen' (4 stars) rivals 'Death of the Party' in catchiness, mostly keeping away from Nublu's jazz influences in favor of a hard rock and R&B flavor. Techno touches, concise song structure and strong melodies provide enough ear candy that listeners never tire. Bluesy, emotive female vocals. Main downside: Only about a half-hour long.

Unfortunately, the band loses energy on 'Instanbul' (3 stars), a listenable jazz record with a laid back, hazy vibe. It mixes instrumental tracks with female and male vocals to great effect; instances of genius here and there, to be sure, but in the end there's nothing upbeat enough to keep an audience awake. Main upside: Shows how one band can turn out two radically different recordings.

Our Theory (4 stars) is primarily an organic, instrumental jazz outfit, with some electronic leanings. The hyper "Nu" is quite annoying, however. Terrific as background music, by and large – some of the solos demonstrate proficiency and melody, but it's not a record most people could just sit down and listen to.

Nublu Orchestra: Conducted by Butch Morris (2.5 stars) is techno-influenced easy jazz at its best and ridiculously nonsensical – or sometimes repetitive – at its worst. One could describe almost nothing here as "catchy," and almost everything as "artsy." The female vocals soothe when the singer actually puts coherent phrases together.

Better yet, here's a note from the back of the case: "Known for his method of composing in real time through a system of signals of his invention that allows him to organize a vocabulary of sound and rhythm coaxed extemporaneously from an orchestra into coherent compositions as they are imparted (much like skywriting, where puffs of seemingly indiscriminate smoke become language under the amazed eye, or action painting), Mr. Morris herein directs a protean assembly culled from…various Nublu repertory bands."

To take issue with the skywriting analogy, when an airplane spells out a word, other people know what the hell it means.

Forro in the Dark's 'Bonfires of Sao Joao' (1.5 stars) – don't get it. Maybe hokey, often country-tinged folk with flute solos is what they're going for. If so, they hit the nail on the head. To their credit, they did manage to work various cultures' traditional music into the mix. Maybe it would work over the PA for some kind of theme party?

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