Berlin-based electro duo Modeselektor’s third album, “Monkeytown,” is a slicker, more compact effort than the duo’s previous work, and few of this year’s dance releases will dare to sound this eclectic. Hip-hop, house and dubstep influences ripple through the album, so any attempt to define the sound too emphatically is bound to fail.

This eclecticism is helped not least by the excellent vocal collaborations on “Monkeytown.” Los Angeles rapper Busdriver is razor-sharp on “Pretentious Friends,” as he takes some sly swipes at the kind of hipster crowd that doubtlessly makes up a healthy portion of Modeselektor’s fan base. Radiohead’s Thom Yorke returns after appearing on the duo’s previous album, 2007’s bloated but sometimes brilliant “Happy Birthday!” Of the two appearances Yorke makes on “Monkeytown,” the grandiose “This,” demands more attention, and that song may be the album’s standout track. Modeselektor shows its technical prowess on “This,” as endless layers of vocals jolt and reverberate over the thudding bass; as the melody comes into focus, Yorke is given the space to deliver his familiar falsetto to great effect.

All this talk of guest vocalists, however, should not take away from Modeselektor’s solo work. “German Clap” and “Evil Twin” are both dance-floor destroyers in the making, the latter seeing the duo embrace its dark side with an aggressive, in-your-face beat. Perhaps inevitably, the strive for constant variation does leave “Monkeytown” sounding a little disjointed. There can be no doubt, however, that as electronic music so often seems to be compartmentalized into over-simplified genre terms, Modeselektor is one of the few groups who can sweep aside such labeling with ease and bravado.