COMPLICATIONS: 2006 COMPILATIONS

I was having a hell of a time putting together a year-end record list until I realized how many of my favorite releases from 2006 were compilations. Separating these out made the process a lot easier. I'm not sure if it means anything about the year in general, such as a focus on producers or singles, but these compilations were better than most artist LPs that came out this year.



Kitsuné was definitely an influential part of my year, as it changed a lot about how I think about DJing and record labels in general. These two compilations were the biggest part of that influence. Once you weed past the crap remixes (Bloc Party, I'm looking at you) and the shit indie rock (can someone explain to me why Lovely Feathers released anything on Kitsuné?) there is some excellent stuff on these. Maison 2 is worth it just for the one-two punch of Digitalism's "Jupter Room" and Simian Mobile Disco's "Hustler," which alone really shaped some of my DJ sets, not to mention work from Joakim, Brennan Green, and Todd Terje's take on Fox N' Wolf. Maison 3 ups the ante with more Fox N' Wolf, a trippy SMD ballad, Klaxons vs. Van She, Boys Noize, Gossip vs. Soulwax, I could keep going but I won't. Maybe these should be higher than #5, since I will definitely think of Kitsuné when I think of 2006.



Led by DC's current star The Emperor Machine, this is a winding tangle of psyched out disco, dub, and dance music. And boy, is untangling it fun.



Having been a bit let down initially -- er, maybe not as let down as much as weirded out -- by Rub-N-Tug's aNYthing mix CD earlier in the year, I wasn't sure what to expect from their Fabric mix. Cut Copy tried to compile as much of the electro-punk et al movement as they could on their contribution to the series, and it made for a solid but rather boring collection of well-known tracks from the past couple years, many of which had worn out their welcome.

Maybe Rub-N-Tug took that as a challenge of sorts, because this mix just fucking KILLS it. It's an incredible blend of tracks with a uniform sound that is anything but boring. The guys bring together well known tracks and remixes, stuff you need to hear but haven't yet, and old shit you would hear nowhere else, into a mix that pushes forward with a danceable, fun sense of urgency, making for equally good headphone and dance-floor listening situations. See, I knew there was a reason I put them on my top 10 American artists list.



I wish someone had told me ahead of time that Lindstrøm was releasing a compilation of his recent singles work on his Feedelity label, since I had just finished acquiring all of his individual singles about the same time this came out. So yes, feel happy that this compilation has been organized so nice and neatly for you, and then marvel at some of the best dance music coming out of this decade. The collection plays like an album and solidifies Lindstrøm's status as one of the best producers around today. Come on, how can you go wrong with a song ttitle like "There's A Drink In My Bedroom And I Need A Hot Lady"? And if any of you were disappointed by his full-length collaboration with Prins Thomas (like I was), get on it and get this album.



What else did you expect? I've said it before and I'll say it again: if you had gone back in time about three years ago and tell me these would be coming out, I would have been drooling up until the release dates. Chapter Two contains some of the highest points in the DFA's catalog, including mixes for Junior Senior and Tiga. But Chapter One is really the killer, as it flows like some long-lost album for a tripped out dance party from Mars. It includes the duo's epic takes on Gorillaz' "DARE" and Hot Chip's "(Just Like We) Breakdown," and my personal favorite all-time remix for Jon Spencer and co.'s "Mars, Arizona." Calling this "hot shit" would be a gross understatement.