A decorated veteran of the pop-fashion wars, Towa Tei made his name as the DJ in Deee-Lite, who weren't exactly the geniuses they pretended to be. But he's much more fun as a solo knob-twiddler, mixing international sounds into his light, delicate style of headphone techno. His second solo album, Sound Museum, offers a slick flow of samba, robotic disco, jazz fusion and a dash of hip-hop. Towa assembles an inspired police lineup of guest vocalists, from rapper Boogie Brown (formerly known as Charlie Brown, of the Leaders of the New School) to one-time locomotion advocate, the Australian songstress Kylie Minogue. You have to admire a mind sick enough to turn Hall and Oates' "Private Eyes" into a hilariously seductive bossa-nova ballad. But Biz Markie steals the whole damn show on the fuzzed-out bass loop "BMT," commanding you to do the freak and do the rock. (RS 781)

ROB SHEFFIELD