Dis-Jointed proves less can be more. The compilation weighs in at only 10 tracks, but its brevity manages to highlight the excellence of each song. It helps that two of San Francisco's best musical minds, the Groove Merchant's Chris Veltri and DJ Vinnie Esparza, assembled the tracks while embracing an impressively diverse array of sounds and sensibilities. There're no restrictions on geography, genre, and even era, yet Dis-Jointed never feels, um, disjointed. The transition from the deep dub of Horace Andy's "Musical Episode" to the old-school instrumentation of Ronnie Gee's "Raptivity" feels utterly natural, despite the span of 20 years and multiple styles.

There's nary a flat track here, making standouts a challenge to select, but the trio that end the album are especially great. Jamaica's Zap Pow offer up a reggae version of Kool and the Gang's early classic "N.T." with their "Lottery Spin," transforming the Gang's funk snap into a cool riddim shuffle. That's followed by the moody surf-meets-psychedelia vibe of Miami's Human Race and their self-titled single from the early '70s. Dis-Jointed closes with the U.K.'s Flavornaughts and their mellow instrumental "New Dawn," an underrated 1997 single with chiming bells, sparkling vibes, and soulful horns that caught little attention the first time around. It's a testament to Dis-Jointed's reach that it can make even such a recent song sound timeless. DJs Vinnie Esparza and Cool Chris perform second Fridays, Loose Booty, Hush Hush Lounge, S.F. (415) 241-9944. Esparza DJs first Fridays, Tasters Choice, Julip, S.F. (415) 474-3216; third Saturdays, Hella Tight, Milk, S.F. (415) 387-6455. (Oliver Wang)

Rum Diary
Poisons That Save Lives (Substandard)

Dear Diary,

Who'da thunk that kooky-nutty Cotati foursome, the Rum Diary, had it in them? We were all playing dodge ball in music writers' remedial phys ed, thinking we had them pegged as merely the pale pretenders to your throne, darling Diary. Tracks like "Sathergate," off 2002's A Key to Slow Time EP (Springman), only hinted at the evolution found on their new album, Poisons That Save Lives. Apparently there's a lot of majestic art-rock action, Mogwai style, going down these days, up north.

Once simply a sleepy, pretty indie rock unit like so many others, the band take the pop in dream pop down a notch on Poisons and instead emphasize meandering yet dramatic grooves, washes of Moog, snappy touches of snare, and epic, orchestral climaxes. Dual drums and dual bass can do that, putting the focus on ambient drone rather than melodic moan. Only dreamtime will tell: if the Rum Diary keep it up, these ambitious dudes might even skip a grade and surpass the Dropscience and the other indie name-checks on Poisons' sleeve – as well as heavy-lidded instrumentalists like Tristeza and Mercury Program – and become the real NorCal BMOC that bands like BRMC wanna be. But rest assured, they'll never steal your thunder, dearest Diary!

Sweet dreams, ya big gorilla. Rum Diary play Thurs/20, Cafe du Nord, S.F. (415) 861-5016; Fri/21, Phoenix Theater, Petaluma. (707) 762-3565; Sun/23, Outhouse, Los Gatos. (408) 395-5553. (Kimberly Chun)

Juju
Exercise 002 (Breakbeat Science)

The continuum of drum 'n' bass mix CDs overrepresents both dark, pounding beats and light, jazzy licks, because there are so few people tackling the gray area between hardcore and softcore. Having run local label Phuturo since 2000, and holding down identically named Tuesday nights at the Top for the last five years, San Francisco's Juju steps up to two turntables for Exercise 002 and shows jungle fans how the West was won.

With a nod to the popularity of Brazilian d 'n' b, the release kicks off with music from Sao Paulo's Drumagick and Mikrob. Both deliver sunny, bossanova-tinged breaks, but they're far from lightweight: each is grounded by weighty low end and a driving dance-floor pulse. From there, Juju moves into crisp, high-tech rollers – this is fast-forward music for the airports of the 25th century.

On his own "Space Vato" track, Juju takes a sharp turn into heavy metal – or should I say mental? – territory, throwing down the growling, drum-driven style that never seems to go out of vogue on the dance floor. Wisely steering clear of typical anthems, Juju pilots the ship at warp speed into a sea of jumpy bass lines, braking at the spacey weave of Echo's "Out of Time."

Exercise 002 showcases clean mixing and cutting-edge tracks, but those qualities are industry standards. The real standout is Juju's deft programming and his representation of some of the finest names in stateside drum 'n' bass, including San Francisco's Abstract and Echo, Santa Cruz's Red Army, and New York City's DJ-producers Dara, Mathematics, and Craze. Juju performs Tuesdays, Phuturo, Top, S.F. (415) 864-7386. (Vivian Host) Alias
Muted (Anticon)

If you'd asked me two years ago which member of Anticon had the best chance of crossing over to the mainstream, I would've said none. Oakland's ragtag "Goonies are good enough" crew of Midwest expats didn't seem destined for the middle of the road, but these days if there's a slim chance of one of them heading there, my money is on Alias. His live performances and Three Phase Irony EP went beyond the navel-gazing of so-called backpackers – or at least it had a refreshing earnestness that would play well in the suburbs.