Electro House Recommendations January 2012

Review: Whilst the return of Junior Boys will always be a welcome sight, especially when they are ploughing the sort of Canadian slant on Down With Prince era Hot Chip demonstrated on "You'll Improve Me", this twelve inch is all about the Caribou remix. This year has seen Dan Snaith deliver countless memorable dancefloor moments under both the established Caribou alias and the more recent Daphni, and this latest effort is right up there with his best. Naturally epic in execution yet organic in it's construction, Caribou's arrangement rises gradually from the glitchy beginnings into a full blown behemoth tinged with 2 step undertones - it essentially sounds like something few other producers would attempt with any degree of success.

Review: A tireless DJ and producer who's worked flat out since his teens to rewrite techno, and also the foremost authority on DJing while wearing a matching baseball cap and hoodie, Alex Ridha's Boys Noize alias is celebrated with this long-overdue collection of remixes spanning back to 2004. Most of what's included is just simply essential - his brutal re-edit of Late of the Pier's "Focker" for example, or his heavenly take on Feist's "My Moon, My Man". These are joined by other essential remixes, such as his unreleased reworking of Justice's "Phantom (Part 2)" which totally outdoes his French contemporaries, and his storming remix of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus". Essential.

Review: Not many record sleeves these days are as striking as Deadmau5's very own Mau5trap. His Iconic rodent head now synonymous with quality electronic music and in recent times covering a wide spectrum too. The latest comes from one of the imprint's very first signings, featuring the stunning tones of Fiora and sitting somewhere between prog, house, and trance. The Club mix does exactly what it says on the tin, with that extra bit of power deliver by a chunkier bassline. One to watch for 2012 Jacob Plant lays it down big, bad, and heavy for his dubstep cut.

Review: Love her or loathe her, there's no doubting that Lady Gaga is a phenomenon that can't be ignored, but even those who find her original material a little too "pop" for their tastes may find this remix compilation, filled with surprisingly interesting remixers, to be essential listening. Big room club tackle is offered by the likes of Michael Woods and Guena LG, but more esoteric tastes are catered for with reworks from The Horrors and Metronomy, as well as Twin Shadow's brilliant version that transplants "Born This Way" to the end credits of an 80s movie. Perhaps most surprising is Wild Beasts' remix of "You & I", which takes the original's slightly country rock tone and drapes it in reverb to deliver some serious end of night vibes.