Various Artists: Late Night Tales Presents After Dark – Nocturne

Despite what its triply-redundant title might suggest, Late Night Tales Presents After Dark – Nocturne is not a chill-out mix. It’s not exactly filled with thumpers, either. Instead, expert curator Bill Brewster, who authored the landmark tome Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (2000), has put together a surprisingly funky mix of curios. There’s the ’70s prog/proto-rap of Paladin’s “Third World”, the actual ’80s hip-hop of cult figure Plastic Bertrand’s “Stop Ou Encore”, and the anthemic soul of Rudy Norman’s “Back to the Streets”. But Brewster also makes room for worthy contemporary exclusives from Charli XCX and his own Hotel Motel project. The pièce de résistance, though, is the irresistibly groovy “L’Unica Chance” from Italian superstar Adriano Celentano. Bravo!