Glasgow’s mighty Soma Recordings is one of the few electronic dance music labels still thriving after starting in the early 90s post-rave explosion, now up to its 260th single and long ranked among the world’s finest. They never signed their soul to a major, still release vinyl and boast an uncanny knack of blueprinting future sonic trends while never losing sight of their music’s roots or the dancefloor. Much of this success is down to co-founders Stuart MacMillan and Orde Meikle, aka Slam, being acutely aware of current musical developments and what raises a club’s roof by DJing relentlessly around the world for the last 20 years while treating the roster more like a family. Now it’s that time of year again and Soma’s annual compilation of highlights from their year’s releases, which have become something of an institution. And what a year they’ve had! 2008 was notable for new names like Decimal, Mr Copy, Xpansul, Harvey McKay and Beroshima joining Slam [here with Adam Beyer’s remix of ‘Staccato Rave’] and stalwarts Silicone Soul, Octogen, Funk D’Void, Vector Lovers, warped Let’s Go Outside plus The Black Dog, whose Train By The Autobahn shows up with its stunning Robert Hood mix. Despite this disparate range of characters and electronic styles the label can still boast a present a recognisable signature sound and vision characterised by deep passion, rampant innovation and countless spine-tingling dancefloor moments. The turkey’s bell-end!
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Kris Needs
