Fluorescent Grey is the brainchild of Bay Area producer Robbie Martin, who has been turning out weirdo electronics since the mid-90s. His recordings as Fluorescent Grey sit in an appropriately gray area where post-punk, noise, jazz, IDM, and techno churn into contorted and jagged slabs of rhythm and texture.

His latest release, Smelted, is also one of his best; it captures everything that he's been pushing for the past many decades. The record's centerpiece is "Mi Call ET," which starts with jazzy melodies spliced over a skittering break. Slowly, things get creepier, as detuned strings and strange organic samples slither like recently fed boa constrictors across the track. Elsewhere on the record, he plays with IDM ("Nulltroduction"), electro-adjacent drug chug ("Il Mac TEI"), and the strangest drum & bass track you'll hear all year ("Everything Is Turning Into Steam").

Martin has been operating in the shadows for years, giving him the time and space to develop his own unique approach to electronic music. With a release this strong, maybe a few more people will discover one of the Bay Area's best-kept secrets.