Ah, a nice clean bassline can be a glorious thing, the nimble backbone of many a song with its clean distinct shape weaving through a melody in an oh so dependable manner.

Sod that.

Sometimes a bassline needs to cast aside such aspersions and get down and downright dirty. Enter stage left Ministry Of Sounds new Electro House Sessions a rock solid collection of some of the filthiest electronic dance you can shake a stick at. It rides squarely in the face of the commercial sector and there’s a lot to be familiar with in this collection. Tracks like Mason Vs Princess Superstar and Eric Prydz/Pink Floyd are common place but in this context they fit perfectly. Filtered beats hang back before lurching forward for the drop, and it all hangs together with a lovely consistency throughout. As a mix its measured and controlled and we see familiar songs shown in a darker light.

Some of the tracks on here might have a little bit of age on their backs but don’t be dissuaded. Its nice to see some of the older material get unearthed and dragged back for a new outing (Kernkraft 400, Bloc Party’s Banquet in its Boyz Noise remixed form…step forward and take a bow). The second disc kicks off in a decidedly more minimal fashion, ditching a good deal of the sparse and sexy vocals and amping up the tweak value for an added sense of dubbiness to the tracks

Essentially if you like your house dark and filtered and hip grindingly sexy then this is a mix CD that you should undeniably own. Accept no substitutes.