Bob Sinclar: Bob Sinclar Live at the Playboy Mansion

The intention of DJ Bob Sinclar’s Live at the Playboy Mansion is to transport the listener poolside at Hugh Hefner’s pleasure palace. Since I have never been anywhere remotely resembling that exotic locale, I cannot say if the effect is fully achieved. What is obvious is that Sinclar took great care in selecting these two-discs’ worth of disco and house tracks. The material runs the gamut from the sublime (Michael Zager’s “Let’s All Chant”, John Davis’ take on “Bourgie, Bourgie”) to the suspect (a re-make of the already unnecessary “A Fifth of Beethoven”). Sinclar’s segue choices are inspired, especially on the mostly stellar Disc 2 where the unlikely pair of Bohannon (“Let’s Start the Dance”) and Wings (“Goodnight Tonight”) provides one of the most thrilling moments. Save for some inevitable awkwardness between mixes of ’70s and ’00s cuts, Live at the Playboy Mansion is an irresistible invitation to shake off the shackles of urban ennui.