The Sonic Circuits Festival of Experimental Music came to its conclusion on Saturday, the same night that many other District residents attended some free event out in Columbia. While one of the highlights of the festival is the caliber of the talent that comes in from overseas (such as Magma, Merzbow, Fennesz and Richard Pinhas), a large chunk of the festival lineup hails from the D.C. metro area and Sonic Circuits regularly showcases these artists throughout the year. The third District of Noise compilation almost succeeds in being as sonically wide-reaching as the festival lineup, while also giving D.C. residents a taste of the very talented local experimental music community.

The “instrument” often associated with the experimental/noise scene is the laptop, and there are certainly no lack of tracks constructed from music software. Yet the record boasts a surprising amount diversity among these electronic tracks.