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Played by: Reed & Radley

Review: Ten years of tech house powerhouse Exploited's exploits - pardon the pun! A born and bred Berliner, Shir Khan started the label in his home city in 2007. The imprint now plays host to a who's who in the current tech-house climate - including Adana Twins, Doctor Dru, Claptone, Joyce Muniz, Urulu and Cocolores to name a few. Its artists have been receiving full support from tastemakers such as Pete Tong, Soul Clap, Wolf & Lamb and Kraak & Smaak. All the usual suspects appear here: many golden oldies and even some newbie surprises too - perfect for the Christmas season and to forecast trends moving forward into 2018. To prove their relevance, they've served up a whopper of a compilation: over five dozen tracks showcasing their illustrious discography. We are certain that these are timeless grooves and will prove to be just as relevant another decade.

Some of these go as far back as 2009! Take for instance Malente & Dex feat. Analogik's "Gipsy Kings" which homed in that whole loopy latin house trend - popularised by similar tunes like "We No Speak Americano". Swedish electro house dons Zoo Brazil appear as well, with their 2012 dancefloor hit "Rock The House", then get deep and slinky with Moodymanc's 2013 sleeper hit "Joy" (Ralph Lawson Dub). They were even doing jazzy/dusty deep house as far back as 2011, like on Homework's "Whipped Cream". Remember Serge Santiago's remix of Murphy Jax's "Let's Get To It" featuring the inimitable Mike Dunn? It's here!

But when best describing the label's success thus far, we'd have to give honorable mentions to the true staples of the label. The legendary Chicagoan James Curd (formerly one half of the Greenskeepers) has kept on going from his new home of Adelaide, Australia and served up some of his best work in years. The emotive and bittersweet "Forever My Friend" is just one example. Likewise, Belgium's Compuphonic appears several times also - his recent hit from earlier this year "Metropolis" appears in all its soulful and evocative glory. Here's to another 10 guys, cheers!

Played by: Dave Clarke

Played by: FINGERMAN, Rayko, Kongisto, FRAN DEEPER

Review: Fran Deeper's Spa in Disco label is now 11 years old. To celebrate, the popular nu-disco imprint has unveiled this celebratory compilation. Andy Buchan gets things going in fine style via the mid-tempo nu-disco-meets-classic-house flex of 'House Party (Disco Version)', before Chewy Rubs drops some Soundstream-esque loopy disco-house ('Feel Good Factor') and Frank Virgilo takes a similar tack on 'Never Too Late'. From then on, it's a joyous sprint to the finish, with hands-aloft outings courtesy of Funk Hunk and others being joined by killer cuts courtesy of Juan Laya & Jorge Montiel (the rubbery bass guitar-propelled 'Funk Supreme'), Hiva & Funky Junkie (the hard-wired disco-funk of 'Hola') and Shakavoy (the party-starting 'Get Funky').

Played by: Juno Recommends Deep House, Dam Swindle

Review: In 2003, amid a shifting landscape of closing record stores and evolving electronic music genres, Phonica Records emerged as a haven for dance and electronic music enthusiasts. Founded by Simon Rigg, Tom Relleen, and Heidi Van Den Amstel with backing from The Vinyl Factory - Phonica aimed to be a welcoming hub for all genres. Starting quietly, the shop gradually gained a strong reputation, fueled by the founders' ties to Koobla Records. Phonica thrived in its early years by championing emerging genres like electro house and minimal-micro house from labels like Kompakt and Perlon. In 2007, the Phonica record label was born, evolving into a platform for both staff and emerging talents, featuring early releases by now-established artists such as Peggy Gou and Four Tet. In 2023, celebrating its 20th anniversary, Phonica showcases its journey with 20 Years Of Phonica - a compilation boasting 18 exclusive tracks from established and rising artists across the label's diverse musical spectrum. Hot tips include tracks by Willow, Dorisburg, Ron Basejam, Roman Flugel and more!

Review: Hearty congratulations to Michael Reinboth, whose Compost Records' imprint recently celebrated its 25th birthday. As a way of marking this momentous occasion, the label has conjured up this expansive compilation, which offers up a blend of fresh remixes of label classics, overlooked revisions, bonus cuts and the odd hard-to-find classic (see Move D's superb "Hurt Me", which first appeared on the imprint in the mid-90s). Highlights are plentiful from start to finish, with Roman Flugel's throbbing rework of Beanfield's "Human Patterns", I:Cube's LFO-influenced re-make of A Forest Mighty Black's "Fresh In My Mind", Joakim's funk-fuelled acid take on Marbert Rocel's "Dance Slow" and Die Orangen's wonderfully druggy interpretation of Marsmobil's "Sometimes I Don't Regret" all catching the ear.

Played by: Chris Massey, Flash Atkins, Juno Recommends Disco, LEGO EDIT, JAMES ROD, Andy Buchan, Kongisto

Review: Label co-owner Flash Atkins is at the controls for this second celebration of Paper Music's first 25 years. While there's a smattering of material from the label's first 15 years, the majority of Atkins' selections come from releases put out over the last decade. Like its' predecessor, it's an action-packed affair full of high quality cuts. Standouts include the swirling nu-disco bliss of Rave-Enka's "Honningen", the hazy lounge-jazz-meets-house sleaziness of Diskobeistet's "Birklunden", the piano-powered chunkiness of Leon Sweet's "Beat Slave Auto", the analogue deep house bubbliness of Doc L Junior's "Twilight" and the early morning deep house hypnotism of Ryan Kick's remix of Space Coast's "Just Past Midnight". Best of all, though, is the TB-303-powered hypno-house insanity of Ralph Myerz and The Kosmik Diamondz 14-minute "Acid 4 Eddie".

Played by: Juno Recommends Rock/Indie