A Bugged Out mixed by Felix Da Housecat

This is Felix da Housecat's second mix for Bugged Out!, following a double-disc set released three years prior that was split with Justin Robertson. It wouldn't be as much of a letdown if it had predated his 2002 Excursions mix for Obsessive. While well-mixed and sequenced, it's merely a series of decent -- and sometimes phenomenal -- tracks when compared to Excursions, with far less range. Little in the way of banging techno can be heard; all space is reserved for early-2000s left-field house and neo-electro, along with a couple '80s classics (Anne Clark's "Our Darkness" and Frankie Knuckles and Jamie Principle's "It's a Cold World"). And it's sly nods to early-'80s scenes that fill the majority of the tracks, whether it's Charles Manier's allusions to industrial-dance pioneers Liaisons Dangereuses, Metro Area's abstraction of underground disco-boogie, or Ladytron's modern remodeling of synth pop. Those disappointed with the lack of surprises should track down the U.K. edition of the release on React; it adds a second disc/mix dominated by '80s tracks -- from the likes of Art of Noise, Giorgio Moroder, Chas Jankel, Yoko Ono, and Yello. In fact, the second disc helps make up for the first's shortcomings. ~ Andy Kellman|