A legend in contemporary French music and a composer/producer renowned for fusing elements of classical music with electronic and avant-garde, Hector Zazou (myspace) passed away yesterday of an unnamed illness he had been battling for some time. Half French and half Spanish, Zazou was born in Algeria in 1948 and released a cacophony of albums from 1976 to 2008's Corps électriques and his upcoming release In The House of Mirrors on the label Crammed. Zazou......

Sure, we get the voting guides in the mail (not to mention the endless stream of postcards and pamphlets telling us who is endorsing who or what proposition) but in the digital age it should be easier to keep track of your intended votes. (Not to mention a great way to save paper!) The LA Times has just released its Electronic Voter Guide, which gives you a form to fill out with your selections that......

We've been hot on the trail of friend-of-LAist Jacob Soboroff and his Why Tuesday? voting-system reform initiative and 2008 campaign coverage. This morning he sent in an interview with our very own Secretary of State Debra Bowen, who was in New Hampshire yesterday to check out the efficiency of that state's No. 2 pencil-driven computerized voting systems. Visit Why Tuesday? for more on SoS Bowen's commitment to certifiable voting machines as well as '08 presidential......

In our never ending quest to squeeze in as many Top 10 lists as possible before the end of the January, we now present our highly subjective list of electronic albums from the past 350+ days. No prior knowledge of club music required. Consider this part of your education. 1. John Tejada "Cleaning Sounds is a Filthy Business" (Palette) Though he's a local boy, Tejada has always managed to stay a couple steps ahead......