Luke Solomon

Ten years ago, DJs Luke Solomon and Derrick Carter joined forces to found a new dance music label. Their stated intention was that every release should "become a classic"; with that aim in mind, they named their label Classic Music. This two-disc set is a timely look back at the label's output over the past decade, with contributions from such familiar names as the Greens Keepers, DJ Sneak, and Robbie Hardkiss, along with some worthy entries by less well-known names and one track from Carter himself. The notes are coy about the provenance of these mixes; just about every track is presented in a remixed version, but it's not clear whether the remixes were made just for this retrospective or were all taken from previous releases. But this compilation is really aimed at those who don't already have an extensive collection of Classic titles in their DJ bags anyway, and it makes an excellent introduction to the label's consistently fine output. The more mainstream house fare (such as Metro Area's "Piña" and Carter's "End of the Line") is the least interesting, but it does blend nicely with more subtly complex tracks like Isolée's "Beau Mot Plage," DJ Bang's "Ju-Jitsu" (which cleverly incorporates children's rhymes), and the brilliant "Latin Love" by Sean Smith. As is almost always the case on compilations like this, singer Colette steals the show with her contribution (the smooth and lovely "Keep It Down"). Highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide