Digital Delight

Reflecting the current burst of new talent in the house scene Digital Delight's 'X' is the tenth compilation from the label and a great representation of a strain of house music that has foundations in hip hop and disco. Label boss Sishi Rosch's music has been described as Future Gangsta House, and this is a great description for some of the productions found on 'X'... The sounds emanating from this release are a mix of funk, RnB, hip hop and disco - and they've been produced by an all-star of talented young people from around the globe. Mexico, Spain and the UK among the nations contributing to this compilation.

It's a sound that's most definitely become the 'in thing' to a degree, but by no means are Digital Delight jumping on the bandwagon, these guys have been rolling out this kind of sound for quite some time now. Take Death On The Balcony's Stairway To The Stars, the opening track - that mean and moody synth bassline, the claps, abstract vocals... done by many producers at the moment, but DOTB are masters in this field and pull it off with panache.

There are hip hop samples aplenty on this compilation, but one of the standout tracks features vocals that wouldn't be out of place on the soundtrack to a cheesy eighties movie... Fatal Attraction by Nobody Knows is a masterpiece with brilliant lyrics, a funky instrumental and a no-nonsense snare that will get your foot tapping in an instant. Other great moments come from Brits Ben Pearce with Take Off Your Socks and Matt Fear and Will Crawshaw with Just One, Lee Webster invites us to a Gangsta Party with his KRS-One sampling track, while Sishi's DJ partner in crime Miguel Puente funks up the dancefloor with How We Do and then there's Rosch's own vicious track, Thug Wayz.

By the close you might be wondering just how anything else can top the fresh selection of music you've just heard, then WiLDKATS step up with 112 and crank the level even higher. The track is straight hip hop through and through, executed with skill and full of energy - I can't stop playing it on repeat, a perfect closer to a great album.

Murky in places, X is a solid compilation full of tracks that you might expect to hear in the twilight hours of a great warehouse party, or even on the beach at a summertime electronic music festival. Wherever these tunes get played there's no doubt you'll be nodding your head and throwing a few shapes in approval.