F-Comm moi! What a collection - and masterfully mixed by Jori Hulkkonen and Laurent Garnier to boot!
On the Jori CD Finland's finest gets to scoop out some of the more recent artists on Eric Morand and Laurent Garnier's superb label.
It's atmospheric, engaging and demonstrates the range of signings; from Ready Made FC featuring David Sylvian, to upbeat Llorca mixes, to tracks from The Youngsters and Aqua Bassino.
It purifies the simplicity of class house. In one, much over used word, it's quality.
The tracks are vaguely mixed, but not annoyingly so. It's house music, bus music, club music, gym music, travelling music.
The genres mould together despite variety from minimalist squelches to New York-y deep housey numbers.
Meanwhile Laurent Garnier's 'Rare Voyage' on CD2 demonstrates the label's historic versatility.
While it might not 'grab' as quickly as Jori's, it's stuffed full of impossible to find F Com cuts. It's here you'll find the rare of the collection.
The great thing about F-Com is they maintain independence in a world littered with money making marketing tactics. They don't just batter out old rope on compilations to make a few quid, and they release limited runs.
Eric Morand's 'Megasoft Office' series has always sounded fresh, but with this CD, its simplistic packaging and fine 'rooting' through the back catalogue, the selectors have outdone themselves, put the class into classic and taken the hot-air out of rare. Buy it and share it.