Compilation Recommendations September 2013

Review: His powers to thrill and surprise may have waned in recent years, but Nottingham's Charles Webster remains one of British house music's genuine legends. In the two decades since his first single appeared in stores, Webster has provided deep house heads with too many highlights to mention, under a myriad of pseudonyms (Furry Phreaks, Presence, DJ Profile, and Love From San Francisco being the best-known). Using new re-edits, unreleased remixes and unheard exclusives, this edition of Defected's House Masters series charts his impressive career to date, mixing the familiar ("I Understand You", "Want Me (Like Water)", "Better Day"), with lesser-known fare (including, surprisingly, Webster's superb but overlooked remix of A Reminiscent Drive's "2 Sides to Every Story").

Review: And so it is that we say a teary goodbye to Claremont 56's superb Originals series of decidedly Balearic compilations. While a bespoke vinyl box set featuring tracks from the series is due at the end of September, this is the last official installment. This time round, NYC-based, Tokyo-raised Frenchman Alex From Tokyo is the man at the controls. Predictably, his selections are spot on, from the laidback, jazz guitar-flecked bliss of his own Tokyo Black Star re-edit of Pepe California's "Meli-Fali", and the wide-eyed synth-Balearica of Violets' "Sunset", to the tongue-in-cheek post-disco funk of Electric Guitars' "Night Bears", and the 1983 proto-house/boogie dubbiness of Tia Monae's "Don't Keep Me Waiting (Dub Mix)". In other words, it's as impeccable and essential as the rest of the series.

Review: Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Bubblers series has always been a reliable source of new, previously unheard music - all, of course, with a soulful bent - from a mix of rising underground stars and genuinely new talent. This tenth installment sticks to the tried-and-tested formula, offering a mixture of global, soul-flecked sounds and styles from both familiar names (Philip Owusu, Eska and Dean Blunt, who predictably thrills with the harp-laden beauty of "Flaxen") and previously unknown talent (check the fuzzy stoner soul of Bludd Relations, the enveloping soulful house of Paul Hill and the delightful samba soul of Joao Sobral). It's rare that a 16-track compilation will impress throughout, but Brownswood Bubblers 10 does just that.

Review: Considering that they've put out nearly 500 releases in the last two decades, one 20-year Kompilation was never going to be enough for Kompakt. This second, two-disc trawl is perhaps better balanced than the first, including more of the label's eccentric electronic output - and, notably, more of their "techno-pop" and "ambient pop" - than the more dancefloor-centric first volume. Whether you're a seasoned label-watcher or not, there's much to enjoy, from the droning, kraut-influenced soundscapes of Walls and cosmic indie-pop of Whomadewho, to the glistening electronica of Coma and the chugging Italo-influenced electrofunk of Steadycam's "Knock-Kneed". As celebrations go, it's pretty special.

Review: If you're going to describe a collection as "definitive", it better be damn good. Thankfully, Terry Farley's five-disc love letter to the roots of Chicago house - and acid in particular - is pretty special. Aside from featuring all the obvious classics - "Can You Feel It", "Baby Wants To Ride", "Face It", "Slam", "Washing Machine" etc - there are plenty of underground anthems (see Charles B's superb "Lack of Love" and Ron Hardy's "Sensation"), little known cuts (contributions from Gene Hunt, Mr & Mrs Dale and Cool McCool) and even a smattering of previously unreleased cuts (see Frankie Knuckles "Bad Boy (featuring Jamie Principle)"). The package also boasts an authoritative 32-page booklet tracing the history of Chicago house between '85 and '91, making it a must-have.

Review: Given her status as Germany's first lady of quality house, it's perhaps a little surprising that Fabic have left it this long to ask Cassy Britton to contribute to their consistently on-point mix series. The Panorama Bar resident doesn't disappoint, dropping a fluid and evocative mix that refuses to stick to one narrow groove. The most striking thing - aside from Cassy's deft touch - is the quality of the material on show. To list all the highlights would take an age, but keep an eye out for Benjamin Damage's tactile piano jam "010x", the bass-heavy, Detroit-influenced Depth of Basic Soul Unit, the ragged electronic strut of Losoul, and the soulful melancholy of Duster Valentine's "(My Back is) Against The Wall".

Review: For those searching for entertaining sounds at a reasonable price, Tru Thoughts' occasional Shapes compilations are ideal. For less than six quid, you get two discs packed full of label highlights, album cuts, forgotten remixes and unreleased gems. This edition, full to the brim with little-known gems, is one of the best for a while. Typically, it offers an eclectic blend of modern soul, revivalist funk, hip-hop influenced beats, downtempo grooves, shuffling house (see King Britt's remix of Hidden Orchestra) and jazz-flecked dancefloor moments. Highlights are plentiful; from the bright-eyed boogie revivalism of Hint's own remix of his T-Fly collaboration "Aliens Enter" to the righteous Latin beats of Drumagik's "Maracatu".

Review: It only seems like yesterday since Hot Chip's Joe Goddard launched his label Greco-Roman with pals Alexander Waldron and Dominic Mentsh, but its actually been about six years now. Here they take time out to stand back, evaluate and present the best of the label's output, which, if you do the same, adds up to quite an impressive list indeed. There's a whopping 24 tracks, (plus a convenient mixed version too) featuring label regulars such as Disclosure, T.E.E.D and Roosevelt. Highlights include the tropical Bodyform advert-isms of "Sunburn Modern", the mind melting "I'm Not Dancing" and Dixon's celestial remix of "Boiling".

Review: There's something admirable about the Kern series' remit, which asks DJs to dig deep and join the dots between contemporary cuts and lesser-known releases lurking in the far corners of their record collections. DJ Deep did a superb job with last year's first instalment, so the pressure's on German veteran DJ Hell to make this second volume equally special. For the most part, Hell rises to the challenge, offering a fluid, energetic, well-paced trawl through three decades of electronic music. Predictably, there are some brilliant surprises - No Smoke's 1989 Afro dub-house cut "Koro-Koro" and Joey Beltran in deep form for Nu Groove with 1991's "Quad 1" - as well as a smattrering of recent bangers (see DJ Yoav B's "Energize").

Review: The latest entry into the "tie-in compilation market" is Ibizan beachfront restaurant El Chiringuito, who have been serenading diners this summer with a selection of DJs playing suitably laidback fare. This first compilation was actually recorded live at one of those sessions, with Groove Armada and Mr Doris each handling a CD. The latter impresses with a suitably sunny downtempo set that takes in fuzzy modern soul, dub, bossa, horizontal broken beat and lounge flavours. Messers Findlay and Cato, meanwhile, take things up a notch with a silky selection of smooth deep house and bass-heavy sunset sounds, including reworks and lesser-known versions of many of their own tunes. Oh, and Fantastic Man's Balearic piano bomb "It's Essential".

Review: Next year marks 20 years since the first release on Nite Grooves, King Street Sounds' offshoot dedicated to the deeper end of American house music. Given the increased interest in vintage US house, it seems fitting that this back catalogue mix-up from DJ Spinna includes a smattering of early Nite Grooves releases. Cannily, Spinna manages to join the dots between almost two decades of goodness, contrasting early fare from the likes of Bassmental and Cevin Fisher, with more recent material from Nil By Mouth, Alex Font and Conga Squad. The result is a deep, undulating, warm trip through New York after dark, ending on the dancefloor at Cielo.

Review: Strut's recent foray into the world of industrial, EBM and new-wave with Trevor Jackson's superb Metal Dance compilation (the follow-up to which is due in September) has clearly given them a passion for the subject. Here, they allow Walls guitarist/producer Alessio Natalizia to curate a two-disc wander through Italy's hitherto under-explored 1980s new wave scene. It's a bit of an eye-opener, if truth be told, full of cold-wave, synth-wave and electronic oddities. Given the quality of the material, you don't have to look far for gems; check, for example, the discordant, dubwise oddness of 2+2=5's "Jacho's Story", the droning synths and backwards tape loops of L'Ultimo Arcano's bizarre "1984-85" and the wide-eyed bliss of ATROX's "Against The Odds". And that's just for starters. Stunning stuff, as usual.

Review: Brazilian jazz-funk combo Azymuth just keep going. Having released their first album in 1972, they continue to impress with their effortlessly soulful blends of samba-jazz and fusion grooves. Here, their overlooked (but excellent) Aurrora LP gets a deserved reissue (CD2), alongside a disc of new and recent remixes (CD1). These reworks are, for the most part, top notch, with a wide range of contemporary producers giving the ageing trio's work a fresh new feel. There are some deliciously rubbery jazz-funk-disco antics from We Are The Horseman, some wide-eyed Balearica from MODE, a couple of jaunty, summery jams from Oppolopo and Ashley Beedle, and a thumping, carnival-friendly techno re-jig of "Diz No Pe" from Kirk Degiorgio.