From the staggering electro beats of the opening "Gigolo Style," it's clear that DJ Hell's International DeeJay Gigolos label didn't jump on the '80s revival bandwagon -- they pretty much near started it. This initial compiling of Gigolo's earliest vinyl releases displays all of the traits that would make Gigolo one of the premier electronic labels in the early 2000s. Scorching electro and highly charged Chicago jack music meets with an irreverent, tongue-in-cheek German sensibility (contrary to stereotypes, German electronic producers seem to carry a high degree of comic sensibility). Christopher Just cracks about being "a disco dancer/and a sweet romancer," while DJ Naughty "Rock(s) das Haus." But while this disc is filled with German chuckles, the most out-there piece comes from Boston's Chris Korda, leader of the Church of Euthanasia, whose "Save the Planet, Kill Yourself" is an '80s-R&B-meets-'90s-rave rev-up with an absurd yet chilling alien soliloquy about the failing of the earth's ecosystem. Not your typical stone-faced techno presentation. Fans of typical Detroit/Berlin hard techno would do best to skip this disc, for despite the inclusion of two tracks by Jeff Mills, they are both excessively brief loop pieces with little value beyond DJ tools. This is a shame, especially since "Move Your Body," the track from Mills' Shifty Disco EP that wasn't included here, is one of the best tracks the producer has done. This isn't the best DeeJay Gigolo has to offer. Later compilations would watch the label mature into a taste-making powerhouse. But for an early glimpse of how techno can become a sexy form of music, this compilation is definitely worth a check. Besides, the sleeve is filled with homoerotic pictures of a '70s Arnold Schwarzenegger lounging on a bed with another Mr. Universe contestant. Hysterical and borderline scandalous. ~ Joshua Glazer|

Rovi