If you needed further proof that the aural flavour of the year is smooth and glossy disco revivalism, then the latest Maison compilation from trend-setting uber-label Kitsuné should eradicate those final doubts in a blinding burst of disco ball funk. “Aieeeeee!” you’ll say, shielding your eyes from the safari suited splendour, “where be the bangerz?”. And a friendly man with an afro and sideburns the size of shoes will declare “Nay! The time of the banger has passed! Now come with me and fall into the disco strings.” And then you’ll wake up 5 hours later in a pool of amyl, wearing a vest made from a shagpile rug, thinking “I can’t remember anything after that lovely man showed me his disco strings”. But boy you had fun. You think.

Yeah. That’s exactly what this sounds like (see also Bec’s musings on the disco juggernaut here).

I must say this is a welcome return to form for the mighty Kitsuné after the frank disappointments that were Maison’s 4 and 5 (the latter of which you can read up on here. While I don’t think this is going to be new disco’s defining statement (a la Maison 2 with electro), it’s certainly a remarkably consistent and entertaining jaunt through the many varieties of synthed up disco house.

It leads off with ‘Want U’ by the long absent Lo-Fi-Fnk, setting the agenda for the rest of the album with its funky basslines, cheesy synth keyboards and smooth vocals. As I’m typing this the final remains of the afternoon sun are dripping through my window, and this tune seems fucking tailor made for moments like this. The following offerings from La Roux, Pnau, Beni, Streetlife DJs and Hot Chip (via Grosvenor) are mired up to their elbows in disco, while even the typically gritty autoKratz seem to be upping their funk quotient. Of course there’s still some straight up excursions into more familiar electro territory - see Ted & Francis, Digitalism and Heartsrevolution - but even these seem afflicted by the slowing influence of their disco laden housemates. It’s all in the amyl. Maison 6 also has some wonderful down-tempo moments, with rather gorgeous back-to-back tracks by David E Sugar and Appaloosa exploring the heretofore untapped possibilities of the electro-ballad. Which isn’t to say the entire compilation is a laconic free-for-all; Etienne de Crecy, D.I.M. (remixing Fischerspooner) and A-Trak (with the by now ubiquitous ‘Say Whoa’) all turn in more grinding/driving tracks to keep things shifting along nicely, while The Shoes continue to impress, finishing the whole thing up with a punchy, guitar-fuelled number called, surprisingly, Let’s Go. The only real mis-step seems to be the fourth track, ‘Superheroes’ by You Love Her Coz She’s Dead, a weird amalgam of chiptune, electroclash and shouting whose misplaced mania sits amidst the early stages of the album like a pilled-up candy raver at a black tie dinner party. But that’s over quickly enough, and the rest of the compilation makes for an always entertaining tour through the many voices of a resurgent label getting back to the peak of its powers.

Kitsuné Maison 6, Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Embrace New Disco. Eight thumbs up.

Lo-Fi-Fnk - Want U

Beni - My Love Sees You

Kitsuné Maison 6 is out in physical form on October 27 through… Kitsuné. Get onto it. Ye shant be disappointed.

-luke