JEN RAY

For years, WFMU FM DJ Jason Forrest went by the stage name "Donna Summer," even though Forrest — a white guy from South Carolina — was in no way, shape or form related to the African-American disco legend. Supposedly he took the name to tweak our preconceived notions of gender (he's reportedly said as much in interviews), but I think he became Donna Summer because, in the broad strokes, that's what Forrest does: He matches up things that usually don't go together. He's the "Conjunction Junction" of the rock world.

Forrest may have dropped the stage name, but he's still making the same wonderful, nearly indescribable music he's been making in near anonymity for several years. His new album, "Shamelessly Exciting," is a perfect introduction to Forrest's sound, which is, simply put, a little bit of everything. Forrest creates breakneck dance tracks, Frankenstein-like, from pieces of other recognizable songs, and the resulting grooves go way beyond sampling and mash ups. For example, "My 36 Favorite Punk Songs" contains just that, digitally cut and rearranged into a two-minute twenty-second headbanger that's nearly equal to the sum of its parts. (For hours of aggravating fun, try to name all the individual songs Forrest used. I gave up at 22.)

It may be a little too busy for discotheques (though "War Photographer" deserves to be a club hit) and too schizophrenic for pop radio (but "Nightclothes and Headphones," a collaboration with singer Laura Cantrell, is one of the prettiest songs of the year). On an iPod's shuffle setting — where the unexpected is more or less, um, expected — Forrest's songs will stick to you like sugar-laced napalm. Jason Forrest loves to love you, baby.

Pick up "Shamelessly Exciting" at Sonic Boom or Easy Street.