Cocoon Compilation L CD

Possibly inspired by their summer season in Ibiza, this latest Cocoon collection is noticeably breezier and more melody-driven than previous outings. Sure, the shuffling beats and floor-friendly rhythms remain, but there's far more emphasis on quiet beauty. Take Of Us and Visionquest's opener "Equillibrio" sets the tone, delivering soft-focus chords and touchy-feely beauty. The first half of the collection largely follows suit, before Christian Smith, Guy J and Mark Reeve up the tempo, beefing up the drums and dropping in rave-friendly elements in true techno style. It's pretty much what you'd expect - bar the mad, stomping jazz-house of Adam Port's "Black Noise" - but the quality threshold is high. Cocoon will get few complaints from DJs.