Various

It’s a bit surprising that a forward-thinking dance label like Guidance is looking backwards with this compilation, but the quality of the tracks more than justifies their inclusion, even if most are a couple of years old. The focus here is on electro-pop and they have gone out of their way to include some of the better examples of the genre, and have avoided the kitsch as much as possible. Schneider TM, GD Luxxe & Solvent, Telepopmusik and Soviet are showcased at their sonic best and the Alpine Stars’ classic "77 Sunset Strip” is a definite highlight of the collection. There are some funkier tracks represented here, such as Zoot Woman’s "Chicago, Detroit, LA” and "One Day Trip In An Elevator” by Handpolished. The CD slows down towards the end with some down-tempo tracks, including an interesting and spooky cover of "Blue Monday” by Flunk. It all closes off nicely with Lali Puna’s "Fast Forward,” ironically the oldest track in the compilation (it was released in 1999). While not exactly shining a light on the best and the brightest of what’s going on right now, this compilation is a good primer in the genre and pulls together some A-list artists for those looking for a more casual introduction.