Compilation Recommendations February 2016

Review: Given the upsurge in interest in Mood II Swing's distinctively tough take on 1990s US garage, it was probably only a matter of time before someone put together a proper career retrospective. Fittingly, it is re-born '90s New York house imprint Strictly Rhythm that does the honours. The three-disc, originals-and-remixes format is similar in style and tone to Defected's House Masters series, and the results are similarly enjoyable. What shines through most is the quality of John Ciafone and Lem Springsteen's grooves, which while rooted in the organ-heavy shuffle of US garage were often notably tougher and darker. While there is some repetition (vocal and dub versions of some tracks are included on different discs), there's no denying the quality of the material.

Review: Last year's Cold Waves Of Color compilation, a re-mastered sprint through the back catalogue of Gary Ramon's obscure 1980s post-punk and new wave stable Color Tapes, was something of a must-have for those interested in the development of left-of-centre electronic and experimental pop music during the period. This follow-up is, if anything, even better, and digs deeper into the label's little-explored archives for inspiration. Over the course of 12 mesmerizing tracks, it variously touches on moody electro (Void's brilliant "Transvision"), beat-less vocal creepiness (The Lord), left-of-centre dark-wave synth-pop (Space Brothers), and the kind of balls-out, surging proto-EBM that still sounds heavy 30-odd years after it was first released (Beserk In A Hayfield's brilliant "Pulse").

Review: Five years on from his last mix CD - the solid, two-disc Made For The Night on Defected - Jesse Rose has been given a chance to put together the latest installment in the long running FabricLive series. While the overriding mood is deep, soulful and bumpin', he includes a dash of the rolling, fidget-influenced sounds he was once famous for (see the Induceve track), plus nods towards woozy, late night acid house/disc fusions (Shit Robot), string-laden tech-house (Staygold remixing Mathias Kaden), and the kind of heavyweight grooves that were once the preserve of Derrick Carter (a killer blend of Sean Miller's "Malaba" and 3rd Face's Brazilian house smasher "Canto Della Liberta").

Review: You have to admire the depth and variety of DJ Muro's record collection. The renowned crate digger's sprawling discography contains hundreds of mix CDs in a multitude of styles, from hip-hop, disco, boogie and obscure funk, to slow jams, Balearica and soundtrack instrumentals. Here, he delivers the third installment in his Super Funky Reggae Breaks series, once again digging deep to present a killer collection of largely obscure material. As usual, there's no track list - that would spoil the fun, after all - with the 28 tracks touching on ska, roots, dub, rocksteady, reggae-disco and, of course, "super funky reggae". It is, of course, a hugely entertaining romp from one of Japanese dance music's most versatile DJs.