VARIOUS ARTISTS”Platinum on Black” ffrr* * *Deep...

VARIOUS ARTISTS

“Platinum on Black”

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Deep house. Progressive. Tribal. Ambient. Trance. A novice trying to navigate through these many tributaries of contemporary dance music can easily get lost in a maze of endless sub-genres and hybrid forms. One of the most notable achievements of this state-of-the-art dance compilation is the way it puts it all in perspective. The 14 tracks adroitly outline the way the throbbing, Philly soul-derived form called house gave birth to today’s techno as it absorbed influences ranging from Kraftwerk to Brian Eno.

Soul Solution’s “Love, Peace, and Happiness” (featuring that staple of house music, the belting diva) and Joe Roberts’ “Back in My Life” are throwbacks to the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, when house roots lay firmly in black, gay clubs and the music fused spirituality with sensuality, optimism with melancholia.

Later tracks show a disco flavor, rework ethereal, ambient offerings into more muscular, dance-friendly options (One Dove’s “White Love”), tap into a venomously hilarious, ribald vein exemplified by Sagat’s “F-- Dat” and end the whole enterprise with techno’s most acclaimed, cerebral outfit, Orbital.

The best tracks, though, are the Goodmen’s wildly percussive workout “Give It Up” and a completely revamped version of Utah Saints’ techno hit “What Can You Do for Me,” now a classic house stomper featuring Gwen Guthrie on lead vocals. Easily one of the best dance compilations available.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). A rating of five stars (a classic) is reserved for retrospective albums.