A natural choice for the ‘Masterpiece’ series, Gilles Peterson has a record collection the envy of many a DJ the world over – and the three mixes here find just shy of 50 of those tracks included for our delectation. This being Peterson it’s a given that we don’t know all of them, which is always a plus point, discovering new music as his mixes progress. CD1 looks at a more underground sound that includes Scuba and SBTRKT, but also delights in some quality house music from Bjorn Torske (via Todd Terje) and Mr Raoul K. The second mix, perhaps the most eclectic of the three, generates a lot of energy as it progresses, with Dinosaur L and Phuture providing two of many peaks. With CD1 ‘Dusk’ and CD2 ‘Dawn’ the third mix takes us to ‘Twilight’, enjoying some crazy vibraphone from Roy Ayers and brass from Light Of The World, as well as including a Charlie Winston song, ‘In Your Hands’ pulling at the heartstrings. As you’ll have guessed there is almost something for everyone here – which means some of the styles are spread a little thinly – but such is Peterson’s obvious enthusiasm for the project you can’t help but warm to his approach.
Various Artists – Masterpiece: Gilles Peterson – (Ministry Of Sound)
