Compilation Recommendations July 2015

Review: The Sources series of record label retrospectives, compiled by renowned crate digger and journalist Bill Brewster, has previously delivered excellent retrospectives on Easy Street and Fresh Records. Here, Brewster turns his attention to another New York institution of the late '70s and early '80s, popular disco imprint Sam Records. As with previous instalments, Brewster tells the story in loosely chronological order, highlighting both well-known classics - think Vicky D, Komiko, John Davis & The Monster Orchestra and K.I.D - and lesser-known gems. It's these latter selections, including the Evasions' brilliant "All Wrapped Up", Underground's smooth "Behind My Back" and the alien boogie of the Webboes' "Under The Wear", that make this an essential purchase for disco and electrofunk heads.

Review: Given his long-standing dedication to the sound, there could be few more fitting DJs to compile a two-disc set of 90s House & Garage than Joey Negro. While there are, of course, some fairly well-known anthems present - the Masters At Work produced "Voices in My Mind" by Voices, and Kerri Chandler's brilliant "Ladbroke Grove", in particular - the vast majority of the veteran Essex DJ's "personal selections" will be unfamiliar to all but the most dedicated US garage and soulful house heads. The excellent track list includes a couple of killer Mood II Swing jams, a lesser-known Tony Humphries instrumental take on A Bitch Named Johanna's organ-heavy "Freak It", and a thunderous, sub-heavy Fire Island remix of Michael Watford.

Review: In 1997, fresh from the success of his brilliant debut album Communications, Anthony Child took his Surgeon project to Tresor. It was the beginning of a productive partnership between the Midlands techno titan and the similarly weighty German imprint. Tresor 97-99 gathers together Child's three albums for the Berlin-based label, offering them in freshly re-mastered form. Disc one boasts the frenzied intensity and intergalactic freakiness of 1997's Basictonalvocabulary, while disc two hosts the jazzier loops, funkier samples and weirder ambient interludes of 98's Balance. As for disc three, that's 99's Force + Form, one of Child's most inspired outings. It consists of four long crackly, hypnotic, full-throttle workouts, including the uplifting, samba-tinged brilliance of "All The Heart of it All".

Review: Since 2012, Soul Jazz's Sounds of the Universe offshoot - named, of course, after the imprint's London store - has delivered a string of inspired 12" singles featuring exclusive cuts from the likes of Andres (the brilliant, Latin-tinged house gem "Ribena"), Tevo Howard (the yearning, deep, instrumental synth-pop of "Summer Romance"), and Heatsick (the deliciously wonky "Snakes & Ladders"). Here, they gather together these inspired, previously vinyl-only moments on CD for the first time, alongside a second disc of never before heard cuts. This selection is, of course, every bit as good, and boasts stunning contributions from DJ Stingray (the fluid Detroit electro of "Cytokines"), Seven Davis Jnr, Ras G and Golden Teacher (the dubwise, off-kilter pulse of "Maladroit").

Review: Having previously released recordings of DJ sets in Toronto, Cordoba, London and Slovenia, John Digweed's latest Live In... adventure sees the Bedrock boss ripping it up at The Treehouse in Miami. Of course, given Digweed's generally smooth, melodious and tactile style, "ripping it up" barely seems an appropriate description. Certainly, he's in fine form, effortlessly building the mood and intensity across three hugely entertaining discs. So, while the first disc is deep, woozy and emotive - featuring Diggers' faves from the likes of Omid 16B, Cosmic Cowboys and Of Norway - things get darker, tougher, bouncier and chunkier on discs two and three. Understandably, It's at this point that the crowd is at its' most rapturous.

Review: Given that the label only launched in 2011, it's remarkable that Shaun Reeves, Ryan Crosson, Lee Curtiss and Seth Troxler's has already notched up 50 releases. To celebrate, they've put together this three-disc retrospective. The first two discs deliver an unmixed selection of hits and favourites - the likes of Benoit & Sergio's "Walk & Talk", Leo Zero's delicious remix of Footprintz "Fear of Numbers", Maceo Plex's "Falling", and Tale of Us's "Dark Song" - with DJ Three offering up a back catalogue mix on CD3. Throughout, the label's distinctive approach to house - fluid, atmospheric, blessed with clear Balearic and synth-pop influences - shines through, making Visionquest Ultraviolet 1 a superb celebration of one of electronic music's most celebrated labels.

Review: Given his longevity - not to mention the high esteem in which he's held as a selector - it's rather surprising that this is only DJ Koze's second mix CD. Having indulged his dancefloor side with 2004's All People Is My Friends on Kompakt, here he digs deep into his post-club crates for a DJ Kicks selection that relies heavily on well-swung electronica and left-of-centre instrumental hip-hop beats. It's a fine mix, all told, shot through with a quietly soulful vibes, his usual eccentricity and some killer selections (Broadcast, Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, his own quirky remix of Session Victim). There are a few curious, homemade downtempo mash-ups, too, plus - bizarrely - a surprisingly impressive track from William Shatner. Yes, that William Shatner.

Review: Back in the mid 1970s, young engineer Terry 'T.K' Kane and Harry Stone joined forces to launch a studio and record distribution business in Miami. It would spawn a huge number of in-house labels, and even greater number of funk and disco releases, and even a string of million-selling artists. Given this legacy, it's little surprise to see Athens of the North paying tribute to the funk side of Henry Stone's impressive legacy with this superb collection. While there are a few tried-and-tested cuts to be found - see the T Connection and Little Beaver cuts - for the most part The Miami Sound focuses on more obscure - but no less hard-hitting - gems from the likes of Jonny K, Stevens & Foster and Leno Philips.

Review: It's long been something of a tradition for Tosca's albums to be followed, within a year, by a set of remixes and alternative versions. Shopsca: The Outta Here Versions maintains this trend, delivering all-new reworks of the Viennese duo's 2014 full length, Outta Here. While there's a thread of blazed dub running throughout, the variety of the reworks is actually rather impressive. FaltyDL's version of "Have Some Fun" - all bittersweet horns and fizzing future-jazz electronics - is particularly inspired, while the Ogris Debris version of "Kickin' It Down" is a wild, electrofunk-meets-glitch-house gem. Throw in some dub disco style reworks and a woozy house re-fix of "Crazy Love" from Tom Demac, and you have a rather strong set.

Review: Having previously impressed with a pair of mix CDs on their No. 19 Music imprint, Art Department has finally received the call from Fabric. Opening and closing with the same Basic Channel classic - "Mutism" - the now solo Canadian act offers a whirlwind tour of inspirations and musical obsessions. So, after a deep and hypnotic start, they subtly move through the gears, firstly via the jackin' deep house-meets-tech house of Fred P's breathless "reshape" of Brooks Mosher's "Get Ready", and later via the alien pump of Ngly's "Service Cost". By the time Nitejams' Detroit-influenced Chicago jacker "Untitled (NJ01-B1)" swaggers into view, the party's in full swing.

Review: Since 2010, Zeb Samuels' Deep Heads imprint has been on a mission to prove that dubstep can be as deep, melodious, evocative and musically rich as any other electronic music style. This second label compilation - featuring two unmixed CDs, and a bonus DJ mix from Phaeleh - continues this approach. Via a range of previous Deep Heads releases and previously unheard cuts, Samuels and company prove that dubstep can still be sub-heavy and floor-friendly, whilst embracing the sort of rich, jazzy chords, tactile electronics and soulful elements often found in summery deep house and Rhodes-laden downtempo productions. There's much to admire, including killer cuts from Geode, Synkro, Submotion Orchestra and Mercy, whose two-step inspired "Serrana Love" is sublime.