Klute is among the select few producers in drum ‘n’ bass who choose not to bash you about the head with their productions. On his latest long-player, The Emperor’s New Clothes, he continues his tradition of giving the listener, not one, but two complete discs of original music. Using the structure created by the drums and the bass as a loose framework, Klute’s special touch lies in bringing in elements from a variety of different styles. There are more than a few songs with atmospheric washes as their driving force on the first disc. On numbers such as “Never Never” the mystical, eerie quality is the hook, giving the song a unique beauty, and on “Property Is Theft” the pretty vocal and synth inputs add the spark. “Troiler” boasts an edgy guitar riff that gives it an interesting bite. Midway through the disc the bass is given its head and allowed to guide the tracks more, taking them in a good direction. On the second disc, after the slow opener, Klute turns his attention to the floor. Still keeping with his more cerebral approach, the beats are given more prominence and the bass is twisted in a more pumping direction to start people moving, such as on “Freedom Come.” Not limiting himself to obvious ways to get a floor going, there is a bit of saucy funk thrown into “Sold Out” and some teeth-drilling bass on “Why We Fight.” While there aren’t enough ideas here to warrant two whole hours, Emperor’s New Clothes has enough going on with it to at least serve as the soundtrack to a long drive, or a long overdue spring cleaning.