Drawing on the influence of post-war Polish jazz, Trip To Warsaw sees Surly recast the creepy, folkloric aesthetics and harmonics of that cult European jazz tradition into cinematic footwork music also informed by UK bass culture (from jungle to dubstep and beyond), and US hip-hop. Fittingly released by Loz, Poland-based record label Polish Juke , it's one of the understated masterworks of the year. For proof of impact, just check the ballroom ambiance of 'Thirteen,' and '4Q 510-511,' simple piano, double bass, brass and woodwind figures bubbling up into vigorous dancefloor workouts for the open-eared and fleet of foot.

"I wanted to get away from using too many traditional footwork sounds, try to convey the same rhythmic ideas using other sounds, and pay respect to the music I was sampling," explains Surly . Sitting inside a sunny freehouse behind Auckland's Karangahape Road strip, the New Zealand-born electronic music producer, and DJ is unpacking the concepts behind his new EP Trip To Warsaw .

"He strips back the drums and leaves room for impeccable jazz riffs to breathe in the mix while bumping the underlying rhythmic elements of footwork," enthuses Scott Bulloch, the New Zealand representative of Los Angeles' Hit + Run collective, and the co-founder of IZWID Records. Bulloch has been embedded in electronic music culture for decades. He's heard it all, but Surly's songs still floor him, and he isn't alone. "His footwork stuff is the bomb," adds Jessica Hansell, the musician, rapper, writer, and artist better known as Coco Solid. "I think re-imagining a genre while staying anchored in its tradition is what he's always been a master of."

Hansell would know, she's called on Surly for music production and remixes since the mid-2000s. "No matter what he's into or experimenting with, he's on that next shit. He'd chat with me about a sound, aesthetic or idea he was getting into, and years later it would be getting jacked. You're always thinking, 'Shit, Scott casually warned me about that!' I think he's got prophetic ears…This racket is full of 'Well actually' types if you're a woman, but he's not into that. He loves music and sharing."