Incredible Sound Of Gilles Peterson, The

The Gilles Peterson entry in the INCredible Sound of series of various artists compilations allows at-home listeners to experience what a set of the DJ's musical choices might be like at one of his club appearances. His approach is amazingly eclectic, managing to include everything from a cover of introspective folky Nick Drake's "River Man" to Minnie Riperton's "Les Fleur" and Pharaoh Sanders' "Rejoice." Just looking at the list of selections, you wouldn't think they could work together as a coherent collection, much less get and keep a dancefloor moving. But the key is sequencing: Peterson has a wonderful sense of how one track can flow into another, moving the musical mood 180 degrees without disturbing the listener or abruptly changing the beat. Alterations of the pace are always gradual enough to sustain continuity, yet over the course of the album the music changes styles frequently, incorporating a witty rap on "Your Revolution," Sarah Jones' sexual-denial take-off on Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" that might have been entitled, "Your Revolution Will Not Happen Between These Thighs," before concluding with a flurry of tracks featuring Latin percussion. Peterson is a musical generalist with a much broader sense of what dance music can be than most DJs, especially those in the U.S., and the result can be heard on this consistently engaging compilation. (INCredible Sounds of Gilles Peterson was initially released in the U.K. in 1999; it was picked up for U.S. release by Epic Records on August 15, 2000.) ~ William Ruhlmann|