Various Artists - 'Kitsune Maison 6' (Kitsune) Released 27/10/08

The melodic one, as it’s affectionately known, is the sixth instalment of the self-titled Maison Compilation, put together by infamous fashion house, record label and French sensation Kitsuné. Combining the Paris office playlist with label owner favourites, the eighteen tracks on display not only form a commonly denominated foundation of chic but what could also be the catwalk soundtrack for the latest Kitsuné collection. As brand defining as the clothing range ‘Compilation 6’ serves up more cold cuts than Judge Jules on a weeks work experience at a charcuterie in Lyon and in keeping with the previous five is tres, tres frais, which for all you GCSE-less monolingual anglophiles means very, very cool.

Adhering to the strict grammar of fashion, the self-proclaimed taste-makers cut their cloth from vintage styles and cyclical hand-me-downs to produce bespoke haute couture; their winter ’08 collection deliciously embracing lavish eighties electro disco. First down the runway with an unapologetic strut that sells Kitsuné as a way of life beyond mass-market reach is the euphorically tempered ‘Want U’ courtesy of Stockholm’s Lo-Fi-Fnk and the crossover appeal of La Roux’s ‘Quicksand’, Pnau’s ‘With You Forever’ and You Love Her Coz She’s Dead with their MDMA lollipop licking ‘Superheroes’. And they’re not alone; bringing up the rear and revelling in genre mining the 80’s era is We Have Band with ‘Hear It In The Cans’, David E Sugar with ‘Although You May Laugh’ and Grovesnor, the solo project of ex Hot Chip Rob Smoughton, with ‘Drive Your Car (Hot Chip Remix)’.

But Kitsuné is more than a passing phase of restyled retro fit high-tops; the weight of Ted & Francis’ ‘I Wish I Was A Polar Bear’ is intensely head crushing, the stop-start back fuzz of autoKratz ‘Stay The Same’ relentless and if you ever needed an excuse to double drop on a Monday morning, look no further than the runaway bass of Beni’s ‘My Love Sees You’. And with more choice contributions from the likes of Digitalism, A-Trak, Streetlife DJs and Appaloosa, Kitsuné hit the ground running without hesitation, stumble or breaking a sweat, effortlessly distinguishing themselves from knock-off market stall imitations.