Various Artists - 'Kitsune Maison 4' (Kitsune) Released 11/06/07

The uber-cool French label slink out the 4th edition of their Maison series, again proving they know better than us when it comes to music. Kicking off with the rather disappointing Darkel track, ‘Be My Friend’. Darkel’s album was a big disappointment last year and the track really gets the compilation off on the wrong foot. The Air solo project makes chilled out music with a constant fuzz, not pleasant. Old favourites The Whip though get things back on track with 'Divebomb', a mellower take on their usual electro pop thumpers but still keeping the urgency we have come to expect.

Kitsune have the enviable habit of featuring bands just about to enter the zeitgeist, they did it with Klaxons, Simian Mobile Disco and Digitalism. Now, on two of the best tracks on the album, they’ve done it again with Foals and Hadouken!. Foals, ‘Hummer’, really kicks off the compilation into full on electro-rock mode. Foals have been gaining a lot of deserved attention and the track is pulsating. Hadouken! have been gaining a mix of attention, some good some bad, but their track ‘Tuning In’, stays just on the right side of cartoon grindie, displaying a real energy about it. The tempo is kept up from this point, Riot In Belgium channel the spirit of Technotronic, in a good way, with the Adam Sky remix of ‘La Musique’ and Passions ‘Emergency’ keeps the heart rate at the right side of sweating.

Unlike many compilations the Kitsune Maison series always has a great flow, like a proper dance track, it builds slowly until it hits its stride and then calmly levels out at the end. Guns N Bombs take the medal for the most explosive song with ‘Crossover Appeal’, a full on digitalismesque stomper, which may result in an outbreak of hands in the air when played to crowds. Punks Jump Up trash out a rather fetching slice of electro disco, ‘Dance To Our Disco’ followed by Thieves Like Us, who seem to have taken the title literally with ‘Drugs In My Body’. A hazy smoke filled piece of work. Crystal Castles slow matters down a notch with the dreamy new rave warblings of ‘Knights’. Whitey brings matters to close, rapping a comatose lyric over a head nodder of a beat with ‘Stay On The Outside’, an instant stoner classic. Kitsune do leave a little surprise at the end with a lovely slice of classic funky French house as an extra track.

Kitsune continue to keep their high standards with only one really duff track on show. This and the entire series is a must have compilation for any lover of electro.