This Is Electroclash [3CD]

Though the Cleopatra subsidiary Hypnotic rarely does any favors to the styles it attempts to define, This Is Electroclash is a surprisingly clever three-disc set (the third is a mix of the previous material by DJ SkOOby). Each of the first two leads off with a track by an electroclash favorite (Ladytron and Felix Da Housecat), though neither are particularly good selections, and none of the other artists roped into the scene appear here. Instead, the compilers licensed a raft of synth-pop tracks from the '80s, balanced with more recent electro-techno from a few second-rank producers. The older tracks are mostly watershed moments: the Normal's scene-starting "Warm Leatherette," Soft Cell's "Tainted Love," Visage's "Fade to Gray," and Gary Numan's My Dying Bride." (A few others appear in remixed form, including Berlin, Heaven 17, Information Society, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, and, bizarrely, Anita Bell) Of the newer tracks, there's a few weak points, but also some smart choices, like a remix by the Faint of Joy Electric's "We Are Rock." Not exactly scene-defining, but an interesting selection of tracks nonetheless. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide