Sometimes, neither the vocals nor backing can save the show:В 'On Top' features uninspired rapping from New York MC T.Shirt ('The night's forever young/ It's us that gets old') that falls flat over offbeat thuds and simulated siren wails.

On 'Insane', Streten distorts Australian singer Moon Holiday's lovely but affectless voice into a melodic foil to his throbbing builds and drops. Her featherlight refrain 'Hush now, you're standing on a landmine' is the centerpiece around which snares skitter and arpeggios twinkle, her voice soaring as Streten drops a judicious beat into the bridge. On 'Sleepless', singer/model Jezzabell Doran is Streten's Jessie Ware, thoughВ he gives George Maple more of the spotlightВ on 'Bring You Down'. Those features mask the fact that most of his songs are structured around samey, distracting background swoops that introduce climactic moments. It'sВ a little long on instrumental filler ('Space Cadet', 'Warm Thoughts', 'Ezra'), highlighting the fact that at this point in his career, samples and singers are Streten's most effective asset. Streten explores his sonic palette with varying degrees of success on Flume. While his approach to warped sound owes much to Dilla, Flume's aesthetic can be compared to SBTRKT'sВ integration of R&B's bedside intimacy with distant beats and silky voiced female singers.

He listens to J Dilla and Flying Lotus, started tinkering with production when he was barely a teenager, and still makes music in his parents' basement. He doesn't come off as a firestarter, though, or even all that different from other young electronic producers.

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