VA - .Wave, Vol. 2 (2018)

Two years on from the release of Roche Musique's rock solid Wave collection, the French label has finally got round to compiling a follow-up. There's naturally plenty to set the pulse racing throughout the surprisingly eclectic, 16-track selection, which effortlessly flits between boogie-influenced slo-mo synth pop (Dabeull and Jordan Lee, Dune & Twenty9), hip-hop inspired downtempo beats (Crayon and Cartell, Cezaire and Catruchat), drowsy Balearic beats (Plage 84's sublime "Paris 5AM"), melodious nu-disco/deep house fusion (Zimmer), strobe-lit new wave pop (Dabeull), sensual soul jams (Tommy Jacob), sun-kiised horizontal disco (Pyramid) and fluid, piano-driven ambience (FKJ). Happily, the quality of the showcased tracks more than lives up to the daring feel of the label's open-minded approach.