As one of Europe's largest distributors of cutting-edge music, EFA have had their hands in an innumerable amount of quality electronica over the past decade. And to prove that they are more than a business mechanism, the company has annually released their State of E:Motion compilation, gathering the best of the releases they have worked in the past year. For the tenth installment of the series, EFA went whole hog, releasing a triple-CD set that showcases the diverse modes of electronic mind and body music that carries their logo. Neatly divided into three categories -- "From Downbeat to House," "From Electro to Techno," and "From Dub to Electronica" -- the packaging focuses mainly on the independent labels that distribute through EFA, using them as the primary identifier for each track. That is not to say the actual artists aren't given full credit for their work. But this method clearly maps out the location of more quality music, well beyond the boundaries of this particular set. Despite the incredible diversity of source material (EFA houses nearly 200 labels), and the scope of styles represented here, the selected tracks are held together by a common thread of maintaining the spirit of exploration often thought lost in electronic music. From the space funk of Ian Pooley to the clashing electro-tech of Chicks on Speed and the glitch chanteuse melancholy of Laub, The EFA Dance Department will keep your head nodding and eyebrows raised for an entire afternoon. ~ Joshua Glazer, All Music Guide