Compilation Recommendations May 2012

Review: For their latest trip into the outer reaches of 1980s synthesizer music, Roller Disco Records have turned to two men steeped in Italo and synth-wave history; Hague-based digger Intergalactic Gary and Danish synthesizer veteran Flemming Dalum. Predictably, both men deliver delicious, all action mixes full to bursting with dusty gems and long-forgotten oddness. Intergalactic Gary handles the first disc, dropping a scintillating series of Italo-wave gems; European new-wave synth records that wobble with mascara-wearing intent. Dalum's disc is a touch baggier, gleefully moving between Euro-goth, skewed synth-pop, odd-wave strangeness and strutting, avant-Italo. If you think of yourself as something of a synth-fancier, you need this in your life.

Review: If you're of a certain vintage, the idea of a three-CD mix-up from veteran DJ, producer, quiff-sporter and rockabilly champion Andrew Weatherall will make you go a bit weak at the knees. If it doesn't, it should, because Masterpiece is the acid casual-turned-rave hero's best mix comp for yonks. Musically, it ties in closely with the sound pushed at his now near-legendary A Love From Outer Space parties (a collaboration with longtime friend/DJ pal Sean Johnston) - think dubbed-out disco, near-Balearic nu-disco, obscure slo-mo acid chuggers, wide-eyed psychedelic groovery, contemporary new wave curiosities, touchy-feely darkroom stompers and fluid, synth-heavy deep house. It flows magnificently, the music is terrific and there are more musical surprises than you can possibly imagine.

Review: Given her current popularity, it's no surprise to see all-conquering house hero Maya Jane Coles mixing the latest instalment of !K7's long-running DJ Kicks series. The diminutive DJ/producer is in fine form, too, mixing up typically atmospheric house cuts and clandestine deepness with saucer-eyed late night faves and forgotten B-sides (see Bozzwell's surprisingly emotional "In My Cocoon"). As a mix it's as deep, melodic and groovy as you'd expect, with a strong vocal theme running throughout. As it progresses, it tiptoes further into bleary-eyed darkroom territory, via stand-out cuts from Marcel Dettmann, Caribou (his thrilling remix of Virgo Four), Gerry Read and T Williams.

Review: Tirk offshoot Nang has put out a formidable amount of material over the last few years, almost single-handedly breathing new life into the twitching corpse of European nu-disco. This third collection in their in-house The Array series rounds up some of their best-loved releases of recent times, throwing in a few exclusives to boot. As with much of the label's output, it's a decent mixture of punk-funk influenced disco hipness (see Heels Of Love's contributions and the Fernando/Toomy Disco rework of Hiem & Phil Oakey's "2AM"), bubbling Balearic disco (Rayko, Science Frontiers) and skewed synthesizer fetishism (Andrew Meecham's excellent opener).

Review: Given his long association with Defected - and in particular Strictly Rhythm - it was probably only a matter of time before Yoruba Records chief Osunlade was asked to mix an instalment of the long-running In The House series. Those expecting Osunlade's usual African rhythms, organic soul and shuffling grooves are in for a treat. The first disc, in particular, scratches this itch, offering a string of world music-inspired treats from himself and like-minded producers Ame, Marcus Wogull and Atjazz. Disc two pushes thing up a notch, wandering into soulful garage flavours whilst retaining the loveable deepness to which Osunlade is most associated.

Review: Given his meteoric rise over the last two years, it's perhaps no surprise to find New York-based techno star Levon Vincent behind the decks on this latest Fabric mix. His mixing and production style - dubby, fluid and loose, but prone to periods of paranoid darkness and intense moments of sun-bright clarity - is tailor-made for an album like this. As a result, Fabric 63 is a memorable journey that touches on all of these traits, from the spine tingling, dubwise deepness of his own "The End" and apocalyptic "Early Reflections", to the elastic, melody-driven rubberyness of Joey Anderson, reflective groovery of Jus-Ed and growling menace of Anthony Parasole.

Review: This instalment in the Disco Discharge series is the best yet. As the Disco Exotica subtitle hints, it focuses largely on the curious, experimental end of the genre championed by cosmic disco originals such as Daniele Baldelli. So, we get tongue-in-cheek dancefloor covers of rock staples (Hot RS's epic "House Of The Rising Sun", a bonkers version of "Inna Gadda Da Vida"), out-there oddities (Sylvia Lone's strange "Extraterrestrial Love") and forgotten gems from popsters Toni Basil (she of "Mickey" fame), Bette Midler and Boney M.

Review: It's been nearly 20 years since Madrid-based darkroom tribalist DJ Chus dropped his first 12". The time seems perfect for a career retrospective then, with mainstream clubbing behemoth Defected duly obliging. House Masters is a suitably hefty two-disc selection of his finest productions and remixes, which should have a feeling of familiarity to those that. have followed the career trajectory of DJ Chus.. Expect sweaty, percussion-heavy workouts that sit somewhere between the shirts-off pump of golden era Tenaglia and the handbag-friendly soulfulness of classic Defected releases. It's arguably the "Iberican" phase stuff (circa 2000-2005) that stands out, though there's plenty of newer material that also passes muster - most notably a near-anthemic remix of Kevin Saunderson's most recent Inner City outing.

Review: As a founder member of the LA beatmaking scene, Brighton-born DJ/producer Kutmah is arguably the ideal person to curate the latest instalment of Brownswood's Worldwide Family series. As you'd expect, he casts his net far and wide, offering up wonky beats, leftfield hip-hop rhytms and far-sighted grooves from all four corners of the globe. As well as the familiar names (Hud Mo, Slugabed, Fly' Lo'), the 21-track collection also includes some killer cuts from lesser-known names and rising stars. Check, for example, the fuzzy, dubwise opener from Mo Kolours, the droning bump of Sam Irl & Ritornell's "Three", or the next level synth-hop of Samiyam.

Review: For those with a keen taste in the more musical and melodic side of trance, Above & Beyond's Anjunabeats has always been a go-to label. 12 years after first pitching up, the imprint continues to deliver dreamy, uplifting trance that has more in common with classic progressive house than hard dance. Here, they deliver another two-disc installment of their Worldwide mix series. Israeli DJ/producer Maor Levi handles mixing duties on disc one, offering a smooth but uplifting selection that touches on crystalline ambience and bleary-eyed Balearic trance. Polish trancer Nitrus Oxide ups the ante on disc two, throwing more big riffs and even bigger builds into the mix to tease and tantalize the peaktime crew.

Review: With a discography that spans a wide range of contemporary bass music genres - most notably dubstep, drum and bass and the kind of wonky, experimental post-dubstep heaviness currently in vogue - DJ/producer Icicle is probably the ideal man to mix the latest installment of the well-loved Rinse series. Following a similar pattern to his excellent debut full-length for Shogun Audio (2011's Under The Ice), Rinse 19 characteristically shuffles between hulking basslines, atmospheric rollers and a myriad of beat patterns at a near furious pace. Along the way, he makes room to squeeze in a healthy dose of his own productions, as well as booming tracks from Rockwell, Distance and Youngsta.

Review: In recent years, Eddie Halliwell has cast off the shackles of hard house and embraced a softer sound, whilst still retaining a keen ear for the anthemic builds and drops associated with trance and hard dance. It's this electro house-goes-trance sound that's explored here, on his first full-length mix for main room dance specialists Toolroom. It's as energetic, uplifting and smile-inducing as you'd expect, offering a mix of darker moments, strobe-bright builds and a smattering of his own re-edits. With some Toolroom exclusives thrown in for good measure, it should prove an enticing proposition for fans of main room dance.

Review: Underground Resistance associate Frank "DJ 3000" Juncaj has never been the most high profile crew member, but he's nevertheless provided techno heads with some seriously high quality material over the years - mostly through his own Motech imprint. Here he celebrates 10 years of the label with an expansive compilation featuring some of his favourite reworks from the catalogue. There's a good mixture of robust loop techno (see the reworks from Robert Hood and Ken Ishii), classic UR-ish Detroit club techno (see Enthousiaste Gasten's version of "Pressure"), hypnotic European style floor fillers (versions from Luke Hess and Anoynm) and even a couple of bumpin' downtempo tracks (Glasgow Chavez's remix of "Equatorial Soil").