Compilation Recommendations October 2015

Review: Harmless Records are keeping Bill Brewster busy. Having seemingly exhausted the back catalogues of an impressive list of New York labels - P&P, Easy Street, Fresh Records, Sam etc - the DJ historian has turned his attention to Chicago's DJ International Records. Over the course of three CDs - not to mention his usual detailed sleeve notes - Brewster tells the story of the influential '80s house label, from the pioneering early works of Frankie Knuckles, Chip-E and Fingers Inc, through the timeless anthems of Joe Smooth, Farley Jackmaster Funk and Sterling Void, to the hip-house of Fast Eddie and Tyree Cooper. Being Brewster, there are also a few forgotten gems and deeper selections to be found, too, making this a fitting tribute to one of dance music's most important labels.

Review: Given Masters At Work's longevity and the seemingly bottomless depth of their discography, it's perhaps unsurprising that Defected has decided to make the veteran New York duo the first recipients of a second House Masters compilation. As with the first volume, the four-disc set offers a mix of well-known anthems ("To Be In Love", "It's Alright, I Feel It", "Mind Fluid" etc), classic remixes (an early rework of Debbie Gibson, an on-point house remake of Loose Joints' disco smasher "Is It All Over My Face", long-forgotten rubs of George Benson and Femi Kuti), and deeper selections (dubs of Chic and Neneh Cherry). There's also a chance to enjoy again some of the duo's lesser-celebrated early 2000s singles, including their brilliant tribute to Fela Kuti, and the "Our Time Is Coming" hook-up with Roy Ayers). Immaculate stuff.

Review: Gerd Jansen's first collection of autobahn-inspired "ambient-not-ambient" cuts, released back in 2012, was something of an overlooked triumph. If anything, this second volume in the series - once again packed with exclusive, never-before-heard material - is even better. There are glistening, far-sighted excursions from Leon Vynehall, Shan and Orson Wells, a brilliant chunk of shuffling dancefloor hypnotism from Joy Orbison, and some vintage, low-slung ambient fare from Dutch veteran Orlando Voorn. Meanwhile, Disco Nihilist's "Melancholy" is formidable emotive - unsurprising, given the Detroit and deep synth-pop influences - while Lauer's "Autofahrn" is a thrillingly authentic Kraftwerk tribute.

Review: Given the evocative, emotion-rich nature of his solo piano compositions, Nils Frahm seems a smart choice to mix the latest installment of the long-running Late Night Tales series. He predictably does a fine job, too, putting together an atmospheric, slowly evolving soundscape that variously takes in Four Tet, Boards of Canada, spooky world music (The Beka Forest People of South East Cameroon), crackly 1930s ballads (Gene Autry, recorded from an old 78rpm disc), hazy downtempo jazz (Dictaphone, Miles Davis), Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and the out-there dub textures of Rhythm & Sound. Throw in a few of his immaculate compositions, and you have an alluring late night treat.

Review: Sebastian 'Minilogue' Mullaert and Kontra-Musik boss Ulf Eriksson have a "long-lasting musical love affair". It's one that's seen them frequently play club gigs together, where they blend the boundaries between DJing and live performance. The Dance was recorded at one such session at Inkonst in Malmo, Sweden, and sees them deliver the kind of atmospheric, undulating, slowly evolving, minimalist techno journey for which they've become renowned. Amongst the 17 tracks you'll find nine previously unreleased cuts, including three from Mullaert, and some impressive exclusives from Andreas Tilliander and Porn Sword Tobacco & SVN.

Review: The BEB boys have had this LP from Regis in the works for a while now, getting every coldwave freak from here to Timbuktu raving with excitement. Although this LP isn't made up wholly of new tracks, it is a fine compilation of the man's most important material post his purist techno days of the late 90's and early 2000's. Within, you'll find all of his most diverse and thought-provoking works, from the infamous remix of Raime's "This Foundry" to the gorgeous techno excursion that is the remix of "Loss" by Dalhous, a collection of works that span ambient, goth, techno and EBM. However, there a three new tunes: there's the excellent Nitzer Ebb-style remix of "Manbait" by Family Sex, the electrifying "CU1" by CUB, and the wavy, far-out trip that is "Plant Lillies At My Head" by Tropic Of Cancer. Yes, this is a bit special, so do the right thing.

Review: Patrick Adams and Peter Brown's P&P Records imprint has long been regarded as one of the disco-era's finest labels. While the soul and disco side of the label's output has been celebrated plenty of times, less attention has been paid to their funk and rap credentials. Here, Bill Brewster - whose recent trawl through P&P's soul and disco catalogue was rather good - aims to put the record straight over three action-packed discs. Due to the nature of the material, there are few well-known cuts - Spoonie G's early rap bomb "Spoonie Rap" excepted - but plenty of thrilling obscurities, from the Jimi Hendrix-goes-funk madness of Wild Honey's "I've Been Working", and the extended dancefloor workout that is Scott Davis & The Movements' "Freaktime", to stripped-back pioneering rap bombs from Fly Guy, Little Starski and Sweet G.

Review: Year-on-year, the Amsterdam Dance Event is getting bigger. Essentially a weeklong excuse to attend as many parties as possible (albeit with a worthy conference attached), 'ADE' is now an essential part of the international dance music calendar. Its' rising prominence is reflected in Defected's decision to release a celebratory compilation. In The House Amsterdam 2015 does a good job in that regard, smoothly moving between deep, soulful, big room and tech-tinged house across three mixed discs. There are plenty of contributions from Dutch talents - multiple remixes from Detroit Swindle, in particular - amongst other headline cuts from the likes of Art of Tones, Dusky, Kink and Seven Davis Jnr. Pleasingly, there's also another chance to enjoy Switch's 2004 classic "Get On Downz".

Review: On this first installment of Reel People Music's Soulful, Deep & Dope series, label boss Oli Lazarus delivers a master class in soulful dance music. Featuring a blend of Lazarus' productions, vintage label material and reworks from like-minded producers, the 12 tracks dutifully live up to the title's promise. His selections are, naturally, spot on, and effortlessly drift between rolling, US garage-influenced fare (see the HIMWOL remix of Drop Out Orchestra's "I Got It" and Rhemi's sparkling "Diamond"), synth boogie-influenced goodness (Reel People's excellent rework of Eloni Yawn's "No Excuses", a typically smooth Joey Negro remix of Porta Monique), and the kind of woozy broken beat fare capable of sending shivers down the spine.

Review: There's something rather admirable about this new compilation series from Shogun Audio. It aims to showcase "the rising stars of drum & bass", gathering together some of the best demos they've received in recent times. Happily, the quality threshold matches the label's lofty ambitions. There's much to admire throughout, from the cyber-sonic wobble of Karma's "Saturation Point" and the fizzing, string-laden grandiosity of Voltage's "Suspicious", to the sax-laden liquid shuffle of Paul Sg & Soultec's "Wishful Thinking", and the punishing jungle of Nickbee's "Elysium". If this is the future of drum & bass, then the genre is in safe hands.

Review: For the uninitiated, Nordstern is arguably Switzerland's most name-checked underground club. This year, the Basel institution turns 15. To celebrate, they've asked Israeli techno titan Shlomi Aber to put together this anniversary mix CD. Happily, the Cocoon, Cadenza and Renaissance regular has done a fine job, laying down a dark, atmospheric, dancefloor-friendly mix that would no doubt go down a treat at Nordstern. There are few surprises, but plenty of murky, evocative, armour-played techno treats, from the angular funk of Wire's "Contrast" and rolling rave stabs of DJ Hyperactive's "Venus" (as remixed by Truncate), to the woozy, glassy-eyed positivity of Entro Senestre's "DOHC".