Public Tranist recordings, a group of heads from Toronto, presents their latest compilation, The Blue Night Network, Vol. 2. This group of talented musicians has come together to provide an outlet for various musical styles - introducing several artists who will no doubt have projects on the label in the future.

The album begins with the drum and bass stylings of the label's founder, Moonstarr, prgressing into tracks by Genetic, Cold Mission and Dan Lui. The sounds are very minimalist sounding, but hype nevertheless as Toronto once again proves it's ability to adapt and produce ill versions of any musical style.

Next, some of the label's hip-hop artists are showcased, beginning with the turntable acrobatics of M-Roc. This is followed by the driving bass of Audix's "Plaza." RADAR is up next, with a demonstration of his beatboxing talents.

One of the strengths of this album is it's ability to blur the distictions between musical styles. An excellent example is "Lansdowne" by Murr, which has a drum and bass snare, but nevertheless feels more like hip-hop than most drum and bass. "Corners" by L A L also blends hip-hop, electronica and soul to wonderful effect.

From there, the album moves into techno/house based stylings at a slightly lower tempo. Unlike some that I've heard though, these tracks don't sound too repetetive or inorganic. As a whole, the album strikes a good balance between innovation and remaing true to the musical past of each respective genre.

Tracks to specifically check for include "No Compromise," "Plaza," "Lansdowne," "Corners," "Polymorphism," and "The French Connection."

This experimental collaboration album showcases a lot of local talent. It's a great CD to pick up if you're looking to increase the variety of your collection. I, for one, look forward to EPs or full length releases from many of these groups.