It's all too easy for nostalgia to tip into something negative. At its best it's a celebration of the best the past has to offer while putting it balanceinto a contemporary context; at its worst it's moaning that things aren't as good as they used to be. Hercules & Love Affair have always been firmly in the first category. Main man Andy Butler takes classic house and disco sounds and uses them to craft dance music that has one foot in the past, the other cutting a rug on dancefloors right now. It's a well-judged and expertly executed balance.

The same applies to Hercules & Love Affair's DJ Kicks set, which ranges from proto house, through New York's golden years in the '90s, to Chicago jack tracks and modern takes on house music's halcyon days. It's a mix that includes a lot of old music, but it's not outmoded. It's there for a reason. "It's fun to remind myself why I like old records," says Butler. "I'm naturally drawn to a more classic sound. When it comes to dancing I'm more inspired to get on up and shake it if feels like there's a lot of substance and depth to a record."

The mix opens with 'Don't Keep Me Waiting' by Mankind, a disco groove that sounds like it was made in 1982, but which, in fact, dates from 1997. "I discovered that track when I was 17 and it has a proto disco early house feel to it. It was the first time I heard people authentically hit that old sound on the head. I came back to Denver and I started playing all this music that blended electronic disco and early house. It had a big impact on me."

Next up are a trio of late '80s/early '90s tracks that mash-up house, new beat and early sampling technology - see 'Strut Your Techno Stuff' by Fax Yourself. "It's just crazy really roughly and rudely sampled," says Butler. "That track has a lot of quirkiness and a lot of body and beef. I love playing that style. It's hyper referential." However, one of this quartet of retro cuts is actually Hercules & Love A.......
więcej