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To say I've been excited at the release of Dan Ghenacia's first compilation CD in over two years would be an understatement. Admittedly I am a bit of a Ghenacia stalker, though thankfully I have refrained from fan mail thus far. However, I keep a close eye on the Parisian's Freak n' Chic imprint, and religiously check his tour diary to see when I can get my next dose of Gallic  head noddery.

It seems the long wait has been justified as his latest mix album, Eyelights, weaves seamlessly between the surreal and the sublime, focusing on Ghenacia's trademark deep house style but with a modern groovy element that magnifies everything good about dance music right now. A smattering of quirky vocals and hypnotic samplesrun as a theme throughout this well structured compilation, which keeps you guessing from start to finish. 

The mixing is seamless and the track selection excellent, as you would expect from Dan Ghenacia, but this isn't one of those "look how good my label is" compilations. There are handful of exclusive Freak n' Chic tracks from the likes of David K, Shonky, Dyed Soundorom, and Chris Carrier, but each are justified by their quality. Overall, the focus of Eyelights is on providing a true reflection of what makes Dan tick, rather than simply being a label showcase. Which means (lucky us) quality music from the past, present, and future.  

The rolling bass notes of David K's Western Journey set the mark for the entire album, while, Skat's Concrete Jungle is will implode the sanest of mindsas jungle noises weave between intense,looping samples crafted to destroy after-hour dancefloors. The tribal percussion and huge drops of Jonny D's Walkman are where the CD reaches its peak in terms of pace. However, there is still fuel left in the fire in the form of the huge Time Zero by Shonky and the blissful horns and tribal chanting of Andomat 3000 's BDNT, which is worthy of a mention for its ingenuity alone. 

Eyelights is more than just a collection of tracks. It feels like a lovingly nurtured piecelayered with class and quality.  The factor that impresses me the most is how it plays on expectation; as every track drops a new dynamic is introduced, adding to the overall mood of the compilation. And all executed in a subtle way only an underground A-lister of this magnitude could achieve.  

Mr Ghenacia, Eye salute you!