"Before we go any further I'd like to show you all a game I made up. This game is called "Sounds Of The Studio" and it can be played with any record, including this one"The above vocal sample is from Hot Chip's contribution to this collection of Digitalism remixes, and serves as a neat summary of the album's ethos. Two things that it would seem to be highlighting are the playful nature of the remixing ("a game"), and the eclectic selection of artists included ("it can be played with any record"). On both scores, it's fairly accurate.The 25 tracks included here are all skilfully mixed so that one merges into the next - sometimes so seamlessly that you don't spot the join. With careful repeated listening you begin to be able to make out the moment on a track when a riff, sample or tempo-change heralds the arrival of the following track - an effect only slightly spoiled, for me, by my iPod's intrusive habit of making a deliberate split second pause to mark the actual point of changeover.Some tracks, indeed, feel like they have mainly been included to serve as handy transitions from the ones either side of them - Zongamin's ‘Tunnel Music', Zombie Nation's ‘Filter Jerks', I Scream Ice Cream's ‘Closing Time Closing In', for example - rather than on their own merits. Others are more obviously standalone, and work in their own right (contributions from The Kills, Hercules and Love Affair, B-52s, The Presets and more).Stylistically, whilst the whole album is very obviously rooted in dance, there is still nonetheless quite a large amount of variation. So you get: disco-revival from Mawkish, Hercules and Love Affair and The Jonzun Crew; Ibiza-style house vocals on Proxy's ‘Dance In The Dark'; a touch of funk (Zongamin, Who Made Who); echoes of Daft Punk on the heavily vocodered vocal from Hey Today!; and a couple of nods to ‘80s chart electro courtesy of the Human League contribution and Calvin Harris' sampling of Visage's ‘Fade to Grey' - all this thrown into the mix along with the main glitchy dance beats. As is customary, there are a few dance-drug references thrown in, mainly the "Peace, Love, Ecstacy, Unity, Respect" chant on Muscles' ‘Sweaty (Shazam Remix)' and Who Made Who's reference to the "Friendly folks" who "have floated their joy pills to Happyville".The best things here include the quirky camp fun of The Jonzun Crew ("He's bad, he's number one / He's a space cowboy with a laser gun!"); The Midnight Juggernauts' animated if slightly over-long ‘Ending Of An Era'; The Presets - all hipster oh-so-bored vocals and frankly filthy lyrical innuendo; and the ace Hey Today! track: one of the most successful mixes with a genuine sense of coherence and exhilaration. Hot Chip manage to sound both sultry/sexy and slightly disturbing; but best of all is In Flagrenti's ‘Business Acumen'. Highly rhythmic, with cowbells and real (as opposed to machine) drums, this percussive album highlight is as contagious as it is enjoyable.Less enjoyable (for me) were Calvin Harris's soulless ‘Get Some Colour On'; critical-darlings (why?) Late Of The Pier - overuse of a supremely irritating and OTT riff marred this track for me; and the desperately eager to please-sounding B-52s.

In all though, Digitalism's "studio games" have definitely proved well executed and worth "playing". They're also well worth a listen and, for the more daring amongst you, a bit of a dance. 71%Links Kitsuné Music [official site] [myspace] Digitalism [myspace]