The popular pedal steel maestro (you'll find him on records by Björk, Beck and The Verve, among others) also pursues his own distinct brand of ambient country when he's not spicing up other people's records with inspired contributions that only occasionally resemble the traditional sound of the instrument.

Here he's collaborated with a range of electronic noodlers including Luke Vibert, Bent and Groove Armada, as well as South London country outlaws the Alabama 3, to create an soundtrack for a future cocktail lounge of the imagination – like some twisted ambient dream on the edge of a nightmare. The pedal steel's there on every track, but often squeezed into unusual shapes – processed to sound like a sitar, or reverbed out of all recognition.

This is a heavily layered record with electronic rhythm tracks augmented by acoustic instruments, but the 5.1 mix is a fine example of a well nigh perfect balancing act – tabla, cello, guitars and fiddles mingle effortlessly with the electronics, both complementing each other.