In rotation: Compilations

Cosmic Balearic Beats Vol. 1

Various artists Eskimo
The spacey sounds pioneered by early-’80s Italian DJs have inspired a whole new generation of cosmic producers. Truth be told, it’s not easy to execute the combination of disorienting synthesizers, funk bass, Afro-tinged percussion and new-wave rock guitar. So it’s a bit of a shock to find so many contemporary acts doing it well. This collection from the Belgian label includes the spectacular nu-disco of Stratus, the blistering sci-fi epic “Personal Angst” from New York’s In Flagranti and 11 more tracks from unknowns like Spektrum in what might be dance music’s most promising scene.

Defected in the House: Goa 09

Various artists Defected
Goa, a former Portuguese colony on India’s west coast, has been a pleasure destination for hippies, off-duty soldiers and hedonists for decades. There’s even a brand of trance music named for it. In recent years, however, more Western DJs have brought the sublime sounds of house to the music-hungry clubbers who party on the unspoiled beaches. Defected’s Simon Dunmore, top Indian DJ Pearl and producer ATFC curate three discs that approximate a raging night of deep beats on the sand—with dense percussion and spiritual vibes pervading.

Delicious RMXXOLOGY

Various artists Delicious Vinyl
During the ’80s, the L.A. electro-rap label Delicious Vinyl brought us Tone Loc, the Pharcyde and Young MC. Curators Rick Ross and Peaches free today’s producers to rework the original beats from the label vaults on two discs—one vocal, one instrumental. The sources are pure hip-hop, but the new versions are postmodern and multiflavored. Naturally, Peaches gets to do “Wild Thing,” and Diplo remixes “Bust a Move” to incredible effect. Versions from Aaron LaCrate and Debonair Samir are predictable Baltimore bounce, leaving France’s Mr. Flash’s “Sittin on Chrome” to battle Hot Chip’s instrumental “Passin’ Me By.”

Fabric 43: Metro Area

Various artists Fabric
New York tastemakers Metro Area have denied us a proper new album for five years, but up pops this DJ mix for London’s Fabric to sate our hunger. The fellows tell us they had but five days to put the mix together, and a delirious sense of risk taking informs the manic assemblage of some 23 tunes. Geist and Jesrani even do a (silly) spoken-word bit to usher us into their world. What follows is a unique set of Euro disco, nu-disco, new wave and just plain amazing—but sometimes tongue-in-cheek—selection of non-obvious dance tracks. Far from serious but still essential.

Fool’s Gold Remixed

Various artists Fool’s Gold/Scion
DJ A-Trak and music scribe Nick Catchdubs launched their boutique record label to release all the new electro-bloghouse-boogie-bass their friends were crafting for the young North American club scene. On this comp, key tunes from Fool’s Gold acts—Kid Sister’s “Pro Nails” and Kid Cudi’s “Day ’N’ Nite”—get worked over with loud, splattery beats by friends of the label like Surkin and Shadow Dancer. The bonus disc (24 Karat Hits) is a mix of the Fool’s Gold originals with a few gems like Simian Mobile Disco’s “Pro Nails.” Altogether, it’s a perfect sonic news bulletin for what’s happening with the under-30 set.

Kitsuné Maison Compilation 6

Various artists Kitsuné
It takes time to start a luxury clothing line, so one might as well found an übercool Parisian record label in the meantime, right? Gildas Loaec’s Kitsuné (named after the Japanese word for fox, as he markets his wares mainly in Tokyo) specializes in new pop, dance music, dance-punk and electro-rock that have a 15-minutes-in-the-future appeal, just like Tokyo. The Kitsuné Maison comps, culling straight from the demo pile, are often steps ahead and gather from various parallel scenes—from Brighton to Brooklyn to Ibiza. Previous editions have brought us good stuff from Foals, Klaxons and Riot in Belgium. Wade through some of the gems and junk on the latest edition—subtitled The Melodic One—for big-room ’80s dance from Streetlife DJs, the anthemic “Let’s Go” from France’s next-big-things the Shoes and the punky trance of Heartsrevolution. We could have probably lived without the return of Fischerspooner, however.