Berlin-based gay night and label Cocktail d’Amore have been around for five years. To celebrate this milestone they’ve released this compilation,and perhaps in a nod to the escapism that can be a salve in times of economic, political and social struggle, they’ve called it Nothing Matters When We’re Dancing. Frequent club-goers will sympathise.

It starts with Wilderness Three by Lord of the Isles. It’s a dense, occasionally confusing, ambient and arpeggiated adventure across Neil McDonald’s keyboard. Dorisburg’s Under Vatten follows uneventfully, deflating the vibe a little, before Chymera’s Rainbow Brite lifts the tempo and mood adroitly, sounding like a tauter, instrumental version of Teengirl Fantasy’s Cheaters. The latter half is opened by Cocktail residents Discodromo and Massimiliano Pagliara on Le bipolarisme n’est pas le cubism, a frantic Chicago house track with some nods to Italo and new wave. Respite is found in Forever Sound’s Floor Elevator, which harks back to vibe of Chymera’s and J.E.E.P.’s tracks. Young Marco starts the final side with a typically lovely and shimmering take on ascending / descending Chicago house themes, and the package is rounded off by Black Deer (aka William Burnett aka Willie Burns) in contemplative mood.

Cocktail have put together a bold package here. With a compilation like this, personal taste will probably dictate how much you get out of it, but we can all agree that a healthy dose of escapism curated by some knowledgable gay Italians does everyone some good.

Crack Staff