V/A - The Hacienda Classics

A re-release to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Hacienda, this three-disc compilation is compiled and mixed by Peter Hook (New Order), the now sadly deceased Tony Wilson, and original Hacienda DJ Mike Pickering. There's a ridiculous amount of class on here: alongside familiar Madchester classics like Step On (Happy Mondays) and Pacific State (808 State), Hook and co offer up the best of the 80s and 90s dance music that used to rock the legendary club - from K-Klass's Rhythm is a Mystery to Future Sound Of London's Papua New Guinea. The beauty of this compilation is that it shows you that the rigorous genre conventions of early 21st century dance were completely absent from the nascent scene the Hacienda created. Everything here is, or can be, house music, or techno, or whatever you want to call it - each track has a beat, a hook, and a vibe that makes you want to shake your arse. So Young MC nices up to Kariya's Baby Let Me Love You For Tonight, Stakker Humanoid mixes into Black Box's Ride On Time. The compilation may be a cynical, money-grabbing thing, but it's also an important document, and a testament to (arguably) the best club the UK ever produced. Wish you were there? I guess that's the point. [Bram Gieben]