CD: Review: Clubber's Guide to ... 2001

Clubber's Guide to ... 2001: Ministry of Sound

By the BBC's Nigel Packer

London superclub Ministry of Sound saw out the old year with a massive party at the Millennium Dome.

Now it welcomes in the new with a compilation of tracks tipped for dancefloor success over the coming months.

Tall Paul is the man from the Ministry charged with a spot of crystal-ball gazing, and there's not a New Year hangover in sight on a slick and lively collection mixed seamlessly together by the in-demand DJ.

Tall Paul is a DJ in demand

A pumping house beat drives its way through 37 tracks ranging from Fatboy Slim's four-letter outburst Star 69 to the sweet soul of Cleptomaniacs' All I Do.

It's a crowd-pleasing collection which lacks bite at times, but there's enough variety within its grooves to offer something for most dancefloor devotees.

A "cooler house sound" is Tall Paul's prediction for the coming year, and true to his word he serves up a set which simmers rather than boils.

Reworking

The pick of the New Year revolutions include Rui Da Silva's laid back anthem Touch Me plus the choked guitar and silvery strings of Santos' Camels - both heading for a singles chart near you.

The swirling trance sounds of Datar's B, Joshua Ryan's Pistolwhip and Schiller's Das Glockenspiel provide further memorable moments, while Darude's contribution Feel The Beat sounds tame and over-familiar in comparison.

Alan Braxe & Fred Falke's Intro has a bouncing Chic-style bassline, and it also boasts the album's niftiest segue as it bleeds smoothly into the choppy funk of M&S' Salsoul Nugget.

Meanwhile, electro old-timer Gary Numan continues to rake in the royalties as a result of his ongoing popularity among the DJ fraternity.

Last year Armand Van Helden reworked Numan's 1979 hit Cars into a huge club hit.

Now Giresse has done much the same with Are Friends Electric - Numan's breakthrough hit with Tubeway Army - which is put through the grinder on closing track Mon Ami.