Compilation Recommendations November 2011

Review: Factory Records has always been a source of fascination for music historians and reissue merchants, though their focus has usually been on the label's indie credentials. Here crate-digging experts Strut take a different approach, shining a light on the label's contribution to dancefloor culture in the post-punk years. Largely steering clear of the biggest anthems, FAC Dance offers a good mix of familiar tunes ("Love Tempo", "Confusion", "Cold As Ice" etc), long-forgotten gems (see the alt electro-funk of A Certain Ratio and Marcel King's E'd-up Hacienda anthem "Reach For Love") and genuine curiosities (check The Duratti Column's dubbed-out proto Balearica, the piano-laden Latino vibes of Quando Quango's "Genius" and Biting Tongues oddball post-punk Afro-fusion). A fitting tribute to a truly visionary label.

Review: Claremont 56's Originals series has long been a treasure trove of weird and wonderful sun-kissed music, with successive selectors offering up tracklists so deep you'd need a PHD in crate-digging to find all the obscure gems on display. For this sixth instalment, Claremont 56 boss Paul 'Mudd' Murphy has turned to longtime pal and perennial White Isle fave Phil Mison. He faithfully upholds the series' Balearic credentials with a wonderful selection of unlikely sunrise soundtracks, from the touchy-feely classic deep house of African Dreams and lazy samba of Jorge Ben to the jazz-funk fusion of Christy Essien Ighowe and stargazing synth wizardry of TNPE.

Review: 12 years after popping out their debut vinyl release, Brighton's Tru Thoughts label continues to release an impressive mix of interesting, comfortable and undeniably floor-friendly music. If you've not been paying attention of late - and you'd be forgiven for sleeping on Tru Thoughts after all this time - then this budget-priced two-disc trawl through recent releases is well worth a listen. There's the usual mix of downtempo, jazz, soul, hip-hop, dubstep, Afro-Cuban and broken beats, with notable forays into dancefloor territory from Dave Jones (under both his Zed Bias and Maddslinky alter-egos), Hidden Orchestra and Bristolian combo Smerins Anti Social Club. The latter's cheeky dubwise version of the Doctor Who theme (featuring Tenor Fly) is particularly good.

Review: New York's Body & Soul parties have built up quite a reputation over the past 15 years, not least for their ability to get the city's partygoers dancing on a Sunday afternoon. It's perhaps fitting that the three DJs who have done most to create that incredible atmosphere - Messer's Francois K, Joe Claussel and Danny Krivit - are on hand to mix this two-disc retrospective. Musically, it touches on all the party's staples, from classic soulful disco and New Jersey garage to heavy afro-house, spiritual jazz and 80s soul. With the esteemed trio in fine form and a great mix of underground gems and well-known hits, 15 Years Of Body & Soul is a gloriously fitting celebration.

Review: Over the years, there have been numerous approaches taken towards the DJ Kicks series, from spooky nerd-outs and downtempo voyages to funk-laden journeys and inspired, willy-waving eclecticism. On this latest instalment, Hotflush boss Scuba has decided to go for an all-out dancefloor assault. Yet this is no ordinary club-friendly mix. It touches on all strains of bass music with moments that take in juke, techno, dubstep, wonky, future garage, acid, broken beat and more. The rate that Scuba charges through tracks can only be described as furious, shifting between ragged floor fillers, emotion-rich groovers and atmosphere-heavy mood pieces at a rate of knots. That it never seems forced or breathless is testament to his skills. As bass music mixes go, you'll find few better.

Review: Congratulations are due to veteran British D&B label Shogun Audio, as this compilation of never-before-heard tracks marks their fiftieth release. As you'd imagine, there are some reliably big hitters present, including Commix, Friction, Icicle and Rockwell. Musically it's impressively varied, flitting between slick, garage-influenced soulful flavours, pulsating low-end skank and relentless rollers. There's even the odd trip into atmospheric dubstep territory (see Icicle & Distance's "Exhale"). With such high-grade producers on show highlights come thick and fast, with Break's flourishing "Tryin" and the smart two-step soul of Alix Perez, Spectrasoul and Rockwell's "Montellier" standing out. An essential purchase for junglists everywhere.

Review: For those with a love of contemporary big room house, Strictly Rhythm's Strictly 4 DJs series has always been a reliable source of high quality club fodder. This foruth instalment is no different. As usual, it offers two discs of unmixed material fresh from the Strictly mastering studio. There's a mixture of arms-aloft vocal anthems (see the obligatory remix of Morillo and Thoenick's "Stronger" and Jpey Negro's Ben Westbeech remix) and heads-down instrumentals. In the latter category, look out for David Trott's bubbling, acid-tinged remixc of Norman Doray's "Kalifornia" and Baggi Begovic's "Roffa"- both are certified bangers.

Review: For those with an interest in the development of electronic music in the late '70s and early '80s, the sporadic synth-wave collections from New York-based Minimal Wave Records have always been essential listening. This latest missive, originally released on a limited vinyl pressing earlier this year, offers another treasure trove of little known and unreleased material from the period. Most pleasingly, it offers a truly global outlook, showcasing music from Japan, the US, UK and the former Yugoslavia. Predictably, there's much to enjoy, from the skewiff vocoder electro of Polaroid and low-end madness of Robert Lawrence to the synth-phonic doodlings of Reserve and new wave strut of Danton's Voice.