Renaissance Recordings

Brace yourselves, Hercules fans. While this valuable back catalogue of DFA DJ Andy Butler’s favorite disco and house cuts smacks of “Raise Me Up” (one of many highlights from Hercules’ self-titled 2008 debut), there’s only one Love Affair exclusive to be found on this double-disc set. “I Can’t Wait”, a sparse house track featuring the laconic femme vocals of neither Kim Ann nor Nomi (or for that matter, Antony), drags on through vibrating backing arrangements of dirty synths as the chorus repeats, “I won’t bear this cross, I won’t wear these chains.” The remaining tracks recount Butler’s love of Euro-dance, The Clash, and Italo-disco, a collision of styles that gets the party started. Take the boldfaced In Flagranti’s “I Never Screwed Around Before”, in which Butler decoupages Joe Strummer over a La Bouche-esque beat; punk meets house only to get sideswiped in drama. But while Butler wears his influences close to his chest (there’s no Aoki-ing around with these samples), Sidetracked remains a well-executed exercise in curation. Consider it Butler’s immaculate collection, closing with the lushest, pearliest confection of house disco yet: Rainbow Team’s “Dreaming”, which soars to heights even Antony can’t reach.