Consistency and quality-control aren't always necessarily in plentiful supply in the ever-shifting, fast turnover world of Dance music. One artist who most definitely eschews that statement is erstwhile New Yorker, Matthew Dear.

Since2003'sDog Daysfirst made the dancerati prick up their ears, Dear has continued to innovate rather than imitate, releasing a slew of albums showcasing his unique blend of angular, glitch-ridden pop songs imbued with a sardonic, lyrical world view.

New outing,Beams, is certainly no exception. Taking its lead fromBlack City, its brooding electronic predecessor,Beamsgives further flesh to Dear's fusion of dancefloor rhythms, off-kilter hooks and strange tales well told.

When FM caught up with him, he was in-between studios, having decamped from his Brooklyn apartment to an idyllic new home-cum-musical-HQ in the forest. After the jump we take a tour of some of his favourite bits of studio gear.