Bargrooves: Magenta

Continuing his popular Bargrooves series, Seamless Recordings head Ben Sowton, with help this time from guest DJ (and labelmate) James Fierce, compiled 24 tracks for 2006's Magenta. The two-disc album is much like the others in the series, a well-mixed selection of house music from both famous and lesser-known artists. Sowton gives a set that resembles his live ones: smooth and clean, yet still kind of funky, while Fierce uses techno and global influences, as well as work from some of his own personal favorites, Mark Farina and DJ Heather, who's featured on the closing track, "Soundz," by Johnny Fiasco, for his set. It's music meant for white-walled clubs with high-stemmed drinks and long cigarettes, unobtrusive yet somehow still yet oddly inviting, almost warm. As an album, Magenta doesn't stand out from the rest of Bargrooves, but as the series is consistently pretty good, that's not really a bad thing. ~ Marisa Brown|