Compilation Recommendations April 2011

Review: Defected's annual celebration of big Miami Winter Conference tunes returns, this time before the last mohitos have been supped and the final pool parties ended. The first disc is mostly soulful and uplifting, with the usual array of Defected stalwarts - Sandy Rivera, Rasmus Faber etc - rubbing shoulders with the likes of Tom Middleton and Simbad (whose deep, vocal cut "Come Join In" stands out). Disc two, meanwhile, offers a few more surprises, with an interesting mix of piano-laden deep house tracks (Joris Voorn remixing a Stephan Bodzin/Marc Romboy collaboration), cultured electro-house (the obligatory Dirty South remix) and some pleasant Latin shuffle (Noveau Yorican).

Review: There's going to be plenty of heat surrounding this mix-up from hot US DJ crews Wolf + Lamb and Soul Clap, and it's easy to see why. As commercially released DJ mixes go, it's exceptional. Packed with fresh material and refreshingly eclectic, it sprints between tracksboth upbeat and downtempo at a breathless pace. From sparse nocturnal house and Arp-heavy noughties boogie to dubbed-out grooves, space-age electro and sweeping cinematic instrumentals, this installment of "DJ Kicks" has it all. Hell, there's even a spot of pedal steel skank from Slow Hands. With a cultured, considered feel and all manner of unreleased audio delights from the Wolf + Lamb family, it's an outstanding hour of entertainment.

Review: Hessle Audio's baby faced production genius David Kennedy effectively uses this Fabric Live mix to sign off the Ramadanman pseudonym that has delivered so many classics of recent times. FabricLive 56 should be seen as a wider celebration of the many disparate strains of forward-thinking bass music that populate so many screen inches and record shop shelves. The 30 track selection expertly weaves through everything from dubstep, future garage, stripped-back post-rave and UK funky to next-level electro, noughties bruk, tropical beats and heavyweight 808-workouts. The impeccable mixing, action-packed vibe and heavyweight tracklist (MJ Cole and Wiley, Addison Groove, Joy Orbison, Pinch, Girl Unit, Mala etc) combine to make something very special indeed a lesson in 21st century beats and bass from one of the scene's brightest stars.

Review: Over the last two decades, Andy Moor has earned a reputation as a purveyor of fine progressive house and (whisper it quietly) prog trance. For fans of Moor's distinct DJ style a kind of euphoric but musically sophisticated mix of catchy melodies, positive chords and epic breakdowns "Breaking The Silence Volume 2" is a real treat an action-packed progressive journey that doesn't so much boast peaks and troughs and peaks and more peaks. While the first disc slowly builds up the pressure from classic-style prog to big dancefloor anthems over an entertaining hour the second disc goes for the jugular straight from the off, delivering a cultured take on prog trance that's hard to resist.

Review: Fans of original Brazilian bossa nova have been spoiled recently. Following hot on the heels of Soul Jazz's thrilling collection of 1960s originals, Brazil Bossa Beat is this excellent compilation of similarly vintage Brazilian rarities. While Soul Jazz's set focused entirely on bossa nova, Viagem Vol 3 - compiled by Italian bossa revivalist Nicola Conte - casts its net wider, taking in a fine selection of samba jazz alongside the bossa beats. It's actually these cuts that really hit the spot, with stand-out contributions from such little-known artists as Octoons, Luiz Carlos Sa and Carlos Sondres, whose Afro-flavoured "Samba De Negro" is outstanding.

Review: Over the last two decades, Andy Moor has earned a reputation as a purveyor of fine progressive house and (whisper it quietly) prog trance. For fans of Moor's distinct DJ style a kind of euphoric but musically sophisticated mix of catchy melodies, positive chords and epic breakdowns Breaking The Silence Volume 2 is a real treat an action-packed progressive journey that doesn't so much boast peaks and troughs and peaks and more peaks. While the first disc slowly builds up the pressure from classic-style prog to big dancefloor anthems over an entertaining hour the second disc goes for the jugular straight from the off, delivering a cultured take on prog trance that's hard to resist.

Review: With its origins in New York's underground gay clubs, it was almost inevitable that disco would get progressively camper as it evolved. This latest volume in Harmless' Disco Discharge charts that progression, collecting together some of the most outrageous disco, freestyle and Euro disco hits of the late 1970s and early '80s. There are big and brassy anthems (Dan Hartman's "Relight My Fire"), covers of infamous showstoppers (Boystown Gang's surprisingly good version of "Can't Take My Eyes Of You"), classic Hi-NRG stompers (People Like Us' "Midnight Lover"), hilarious "Funky Town" rip-offs (The Fantastiques' "Mama She Told Me") and even a spot of Elvis (Bobby O's tasteful cover of "Suspicious Minds").