Review: Armand Van Helden Masterpiece Compilation

There's few DJs with the career clout quite like Armand Van Helden. The Boston reared selector became iconic with New York house in the nineties, allaying a rougher edge to his drums and in the process helping pioneer the bass heavy sound of speed garage.

His remixes of Tori Amos, CJ Bolland and many others laid the foundation for the current urban dance explosion, not to mention original tracks such as 'Witch Doktor', and as such he's rightly feted as the don of a very specific sound.

All this makes him perfect to mix the latest three disc compilation in Ministry of Sound's Masterpiece series, following on from the likes of Goldie, Gilles Peterson and Francois K in the past to showcase his influences over the years, with each disc covering a select period in his musical past.

The Boston mix is exactly what you'd expect AVH to deliver, with classic house and garage of the New Jersey variety all in the mix. There's MAW's gorgeous rerub of St Etienne's 'Only love can break your heart', MK bringing slinky chords on his remix of Happyhead and the sharp stabs of 'This Pussy' from Go Bitch Go! - all before Logic's Strictly Rhythm released beautifully melodic 'The Warning' (below) closes the mix.

The other two discs mine two less easily attributed period to the DJ's upbringing. The Freestyle selection harks to his past as a dancer, the soul and electro infused genre lovingly reinstated here with a mix that shines a light on a sound many have forgotten.

To these ears though this compilation is all about the Yacht Rock mix. Here the lavishly produced sounds of soul infused rock from the late seventies and eighties are the basis of the mix, one Armand says is dedicated to his parent's record collection he was exposed to during his childhood.

As a sound this brand of music is all too frequently lumbered in the MOR pile, but as tracks from Christopher Cross, The Doobie Brothers and Chicago testify this was a truly great genre, even if it is easy to lambast and a bit on the theatrical side.

We're unsure whether the best moment rests with Exile's 'Kiss you all over' (famously off of Happy Gilmore) or Toto's 'Georgy Peorgy' (below), but it's an astute selection that oozes warmth. It's also exactly the kind of music you want when your afterparty moves on from standard club grooves into the really interesting part of the evening/morning. 

All in all it's another resolute success from Ministry with their series, once again peering into the past of a true legend of dance music. Take a bow Armand.

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