Various – Après Compilation review

Artist: Various
Title: Après Compilation
Label: Future Classic
Genre: Disco/Nu-Disco
Format: Digital
Buy From: Juno Download

This instalment of  Future Classic’s Après series celebrates the kind of laid back, disco infused house music played at the label’s Sunday afternoon party. For the past three years, Future Classic has taken over the Tilbury Hotel in Sydney, Australia, to host their weekly, low key party complete with BBQ and a terrace kitted with for the crowd to enjoy the sun kissed, relaxed atmosphere in the afternoon sunshine. Prestigious selections of guests that include Jazzanova, Marcus Worgull and Will Saul, who always play unannounced here, are given the opportunity to play more diverse sets than they would in a club.

This CD brings the sound of those parties together with a flavour of the label’s previous four releases. Featuring Après organisers, friends and collaborators, the album goes some way to giving a feel for the close knit family feel of Future Classic and its associated parties.

Moving through sun-drenched electronica and soul-kissed disco, the opening tracks set the scene for their marvelous setting perfectly. Gear shifts and tempo changes swing back and forth as the mix progresses, giving an indication of what a Sunday afternoon at the Tilbury would be like.

A full and rounded compilation, Après serves as both a documentation of the label’s existence and ethos, plus, as an incitement for people to check out more about this burgeoning Australian label.

Review: Tom Jones