New Order

Easily the most popular act to deliver a volume in the after-hours mix series Back to Mine, New Order have been much more than artists, but true tastemakers, over their two-decade history. Accordingly, instead of the narrow swath of downbeat usually found on this type of compilation, the quartet (minus Gillian Gilbert) selected tracks by 14 artists whose only clear connections are as iconoclasts. Rock experimentalists from the '60s and '70s like Captain Beefheart, Cat Stevens, Roxy Music, and Can stand next to a trio of classics from the acid house explosion of the late '80s: Derrick May's "The Dance," Joey Beltram's "Energy Flash," and Primal Scream's "Higher Than the Sun." The Velvet Underground follows on from Missy Elliott, and the end of Mantronix's electro-rap classic "Bassline" butts heads with the Groundhogs' roadhouse blues "Cherry Red." Obviously, this is leagues away from a Sasha mix album, or even a David Holmes Essential Collection for that matter. It's an informed mixtape, the type you get from one of your hipper friends; and, depending on how much you care about music history (or how much you follow New Order), this is either downright essential or slightly conceited. It's perfectly in line with New Order's history of quality control, though, which is a high recommendation in and of itself. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide