Firing Bullits, a.k.a. Richard Starke, crafts minimalist electronic music that still contains enough twists and turns in its beat patterns to keep you listening. Starke, born in Southampton, England, got his musical start at age 15 as the singer/guitarist/songwriter for the band Jane Pow. They released two LPs -- 1989's State and 1992's Love It Be It -- on Target Records, the label Starke ran with his brother, Andrew. After an unsatisfactory deal with the Acid Jazz label, Starke eventually left England for the States, landing in Bozeman, Mont., before moving to Seattle, Wash., where he now runs the college radio department at Loosegroove Records.

With Firing Bullits, which he started while living in Bozeman, Starke pulls in a wide variety of electronic sounds: dancing keyboard melodies, grooving bass lines, sampled voices and complex drum beats. The result is often bright –- these are songs that'll get your body moving, even in the comfort of your own home.

"Impact" is a simple track, based around a few loops of music. The song features a thick analog of sounds swooping back and forth like giant birds, while machine-generated beats flicker like twinkling lights and keyboards squelch out space-age melodies. Lovers of electronic music that quietly grabs your attention -- rather than bombarding you with loud, big beats -- should be sure to check this one out.

-- Nina Pearlman

Nina Pearlman is senior editor of The Rocket, a Seattle-based publication devoted to covering music in the Pacific Northwest. Her work has also appeared in such publications as Magnet, AP and New York Press.