Joey Negro would surely be the best possible lecturer in broad dance music history lessons. He seems to know all there is to know about disco and garage, but here he adds 1980s electro to his arsenal with a well-chosen set of tunes from when the form was particularly fresh and innovative, and from when he was starting out DJing. There are clear derivatives of the likes of Cybotron (Hashim’s classic ‘Al Naafiysh (The Soul)’ and rushes of energy like the thrilling ‘Computer Age (Push The Button)’ of Newcleus, while the vocals of Midnight Star’s ‘Freak-a-Zoid’ are pop brilliance. Digging further down, Paul Hardcastle’s ‘Rainforest’ is a curiosity packed full of good things, exploring funk and a kind of weird TV soundtrack brilliance along the way. One of Dave Lee’s very best comps under the Joey Negro moniker, a history lesson you’re guaranteed not to fall asleep in!
Ben Hogwood
5 out of 5
