BITS & PIECES
M.I.A. is back in action with a brand new album called KALA (Interscope) and it should serve notice to all that the freshness and vitality of the music on her debut album was no fluke. The first single from KALA, "Boyz," has already climbed high up on the charts and should be rocking on your iPod in heavy rotation. In need of a soulful funky track for your latest MP3 playlist? Look no further than "Alright" by neo-soultress Ledisi. This first single from her new album LOST & FOUND (Verve) gets a fantastic deep house treatment, the Soulflower Mix, by Matty Heilbronn. Additional strong mixes by Funky Junction & Antony Reale, Angel Manuel, and Dave Warrin make the maxi-single a top-notch release. Looking for a lot of the music you hear on the late night dance floors at Hydrate, Jackhammer, Charlie's, and Circuit? Well, if you can't find it at Borderline Music, be sure to check www.PerfectBeat.com. This site offers a great selection of dance CD singles, including many exclusives, and is steadily increasing the number of digital downloads available for purchase.

MOST DEF!
Considered by many to be the most powerful and influential dance music label in the world, the UK-based Defected Records is trying its hardest to live up to the billing with two October releases that are sure to be huge global hits. First up is LIVE AT THE PLAYBOY MANSION mixed by Bob Sinclar. The selection of Sinclar as steward of this third installment of Playboy Mansion CDs (Dimitri from Paris guided the first two) was a master stroke as the Parisian house music DJ/remixer/producer behind recent chart-toppers "World Hold On" and "Love Generation" is most definitely at the top of his game. LIVE is a double CD set with 38 tracks that you'd expect to hear at a Playboy Mansion party: a sexy groovy mix of songs that represent the best of the house music, disco, R&B, and soul genres from the likes of Barbara Tucker, Grace Jones, Junior Jack, First Choice, and of course Sinclar.

Next up on Defected's release schedule this Fall is another double CD set: DEFECTED PRESENTS DEF MIX. This is basically a "best of" presentation of some of the greatest house music tracks produced by the Def Mix record label. Home to the legendary music maestros Frankie Knuckle and David Morales, Def Mix is truly one of the pioneering organizations of the electronic dance music scene. This CD celebrates Def Mix's 20th anniversary and includes the most memorable tracks from the Def Mix discography: Mariah Carey's 'Dreamlover,' Jamiroquai's 'Space Cowboy,' Shawn Christopher's 'Don't Loose The Magic,' Alison Limerick's 'Where Love Lives,' Ce Ce Peniston's 'Finally,' and Frankie Knuckles' 'The Whistle Song.' For those truly seeking a musical understanding about the early history and roots of electronic dance music, this CD is a must.

NOCTURNAL EMMISSIONS
One of the more pleasing continuous mixed CDs to come across my desk of late is NOCTURNAL (Koch / Twisted) from DJ Matt Darey. The U.K.-based Darey has been a fixture on the dance music scene since the mid-1990s and has gained worldwide acclaim for his weekly Nocturnal Radio mixshow. While Darey is especially well-known and respected within progressive house and trance music circles - he is cited as a major influence on DJs such as Oakenfold, Tiësto, and Paul van Dyk - this new CD explores a wide range of genres (progressive, trance, electro, breaks, tech, and house). It includes three exclusive Darey tracks as well as key cuts from Robbie Rivera, Gabriel & Dresden, and Tocadisco. This is good stuff here!