THE ANNUAL 2010

It’s been a brilliant album release year and one I thought lacked great dance music. Perhaps it’s that we just don’t receive much dance music to review, because when I listened to this compilation I started to feel pangs of regret…

In fact the width and depth of dance music on this beautifully presented Ministry Of Sound Boxed Set is nothing short of stunning. Care had been taken to provide a single mix on each of the 3 discs. In all there are no less than 60 tracks and it’s all killer, no filler. Think I’m kidding? Check this out: Armond Van Helden, Eric Prydz, Dizzee Rascal, Chicane, Gave Guetta feat Kelly Rowland, Example, Deadmau5 & Kaskade, Calvin Harris, SNAP!, 4 Strings, Pauk van Dyk, TV Rock, Empire Of The Sun, Royksopp, Friendly Fires, Jack Penate, Bloc Party, Simian Mobile Disco, Fake Blood and Sebastian Ingrosso - and that’s just the first CD! So what about the songs? Well, when I said ‘killer’ I meant it. ‘Holiday’, ‘When Love Takes Over’, ‘Watch The Sun Come Up’ ‘Poppiholla’, ‘I’m Not Alone’, ‘Be The One’, ‘In The Air’, ‘Audacity Of Huge’, ‘One More Chance’, etc, etc, etc..

CD2 is no less awesome with Basshunter (’Every Morning’), Pitbull (’I KNow You Want Me’), Basement Jaxx feat Sam Sparro (’Feeling Gone’), Kano (’Rock N Roller’), Tina More (’Touch Me’), Deborah Cox (’Beautiful U R’) and on and on and on…

CD3 adds The Prodigy (’Warrior’s Dance’ and ‘Omen’) plus many more. Now frankly, this is a Godsend for me because I can rush off a 3-song mix on our radio show without blinking an eyelid, and with top quality shit… Sound production and mixing are superb - someone has completed this little job with passion and love.

I’ve yet to hear a dance compilation this good and that’s why it’s my pick of Best Compilation of 2009, and well worthy of my 5/5 score. It just doesn’t get any better than this folks, and at less than £9 at Amazon it’s the bargain of the bloody century!

5/5 

CD1

1. Armand Van Helden and A-TRAK Present Duck Sauce aNYway
2. Eric Prydz Melo
3. Dizzee Rascal Holiday
4. Chicane Poppiholla
5. David Guetta Feat. Kelly Rowland When Love Takes Over
6. Example Watch The Sun Come Up Fred Falke Remix
7. Deadmau5 & Kaskade I Remember Vocal Mix
8. Calvin Harris I’m Not Alone MYNC’s Payback Mix Remix
9. SNAP! Rhythm Is A Dancer Armand Van Helden Remix
10. 4 Strings (Take Me Away) Into The Night Dave Darell Remix
11. Paul van Dyk Feat. Johnny McDaid Home Wippenberg Remix
12. TV Rock In The Air Axwell Remix
13. Empire Of The Sun We Are The People The Shapeshifters Vocal Remix - UK Edit
14. Röyksopp This Must Be It This Could Be Thin White Duke Remix
15. Friendly Fires Jump In The Pool Thin White Duke Remix
16. Jack Peñate Be The One Armand Van Helden Club Vocal
17. Bloc Party One More Chance
18. Simian Mobile Disco Audacity Of Huge
19. Fake Blood Fix Your Accent

CD2

1. Basshunter Every Morning
2. Pitbull I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)
3. Freemasons Presents Pegasus Pegasus
4. Booty Luv Say It Hott 22 Remix
5. Basement Jaxx Feat. Sam Sparro Feelings Gone Adrian Luz & Flores Full Vocal Remix
6. Jessie Malakouti Standing Up For The Lonely Moto Blanco Remix
7. Bandito Rockin At The Disco Digital Dog Club Edi
8. Dizzee Rascal Feat. Calvin Harris & Chrome Dance Wiv Me Night Rider’s Remix
9. Sharam Feat. Kid Cudi She Came Along Vandalism Remix
10. Orangez I Gotta Feeling Felix Grey Remix
11. Kano Rock N Roller Vandalism Remix
12. Tina More Touch Me Elektro Mix
13. Deborah Cox Beautiful U R Ali Payami Remix
14. Jessica Mauboy Burn Ali Payami Mix
15. Malibu Sneakers Get Down Again Raul Rincon Vocal Mix
16. Gathania Blame It On You Sidechains Dub
17. September Cant Get Over Buzz Junkies Dub Mix
18. Way Out West Only Love
19. MYNC, HCCR & Jose Nunez Boogers
20. Mark Knight & Funkagenda Good Times

CD3

1. Sidney Samson Riverside Rene Amez Riverkass Clean Remix
2. Chuckie & LMFAO Let The Bass Kick In Miami Bitch MYNC I’m In Richmond Bitch Remix
3. Dizzee Rascal & Armand Van Helden Bonkers Soulwax Re-Edit
4. The Prodigy Warrior’s Dance
5. Crookers Feat. Kardinal Offishall & Carla-Marie Put Your Hands On Me
6. Platnum Trippin’ Redlight X-Ray Remix
7. The Count & Sinden Mega
8. Gossip Love Long Distance Fake Blood Remix
9. Blame Stay Forever
10. Kid Cudi Vs Crookers Day ‘N’ Nite TC Remix
11. Sub Focus Rock It
12. Steve Angello & Laidback Luke Feat. Robin S. Show Me Love Blame Remix
13. DJ Fresh Gold Dust
14. SNAP! Cult Of SNAP! Matrix & Futurebound Remix
15. Brookes Brothers Tear You Down
16. Sharam Feat. Kid Cudi She Came Along Danny Byrd Remix
17. The Qemists Feat. Devlin Love S.W.A.G.
18. Danny Byrd Red Mist VIP
19. Don Diablo & Example Hooligans Spor Remix
20. The Prodigy Omen

Buyers’ Reviews

“Ministry of Sound have finally released a top quality Annual compilation… It’s taken them 10 years to do this though. Oh well never late than never!! I’ve been collecting ‘The Annuals’ since the first one, which was mixed by the legends Boy George and Radio One’s Pete Tong and released in 1995: - The Annual I. After `The Annual 2000′ all the others in between have been very commercial and lacked the exciting new mixes and ’slightly more risky’ tracks that the previous ones possessed.  However `The Annual 2010′ is an EPIC compilation of 2009’s dance music. Since the original Annuals (late nineties) dance music has diversified and there are now many more sub genres within it and The Annual 2010 includes all of these. The music ranges from classic trance, euro dance to dub step. Whoever has chosen these tracks and remixes have done an EXCELLENT job. The progression of the different dance genres throughout the compilation is seamless and is a must compilation to have as everyone will love this music. ”

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“Make no mistake this is the one album to get this year… and looks amazing packaging back to how it used to be in the 90s…quality from Ducksauce to Sidney Sampson…. “