Splazsh, released last month on Honest Jon’s Records, could prove to be one of the best albums of 2010. Werk Discs boss, Darren Cunningham (aka Actress), came to public attention with the arrival of his debut album, Hazyville, in 2008.

Before this point though, Actress was quietly shaping his label’s credentials, delivering some pretty forward thinking music of his own but also releasing tracks by Lukid, Starkey and Zomby (whose killer Werk LP, Where Were You in ’92, is widely regarded to be the most accurate homage to the UK Rave scene produced to date).

Cunningham’s debut long player was crafted over the course of a few years whereas Splazsh was devised over a much shorter period of time. As a result this album benefits from a certain coherence perhaps lacking in Actress’s debut. He reinforces his ability to surprise here but there is also a great consistency to the album that must be admired considering the breadth of influences referenced.

The album sounds like an amalgamation of Detroit techno, US garage, Rave, 80s pop and Super Mario Land. All slung together with a knowing, almost nonchalant, swagger.

As a whole Splazsh is a terrific journey, though some of the songs are so mesmerising that clear highlights appear. Get Ohn (Fairlight mix) is an absolute beast of a track, one that commands attention with a thunderous bottom end, skippy kick drums and mutated Rave stabs. Supreme Cunnilingus is a puzzling but enjoyable precursor to The Kettle Man which sounds like a furious Flying Lotus.

Another stand out is Always Human, reportedly created entirely from parts of an old Human League record. The end result is a jacking garage roller, rich in chopped vocals and muffled organ hooks.

Cunningham’s reported obsession with Prince is extremely apparent across this album. Purple Splazsh channels a soft rock sound straight out of Sign O’ The Times: weighty snare drums, explicit guitar hooks and a healthy dollop of sex thrown in for good measure. Also check Hubble, a personal homage to the Purple One’s anthemic Erotic City. Six stars is pretty hard to give at the best of times, but this is utterly essential listening.

Jaime Williams