Various – Big Beat Elite Repeat

Personally I think this is not as good as the first, mostly because a bunch of the tracks lack the sample happy silliness of the first compilation. Just like before, it's a nice mix of anthems, deep cuts and "Damn, I forgot about that one!" but most of the tracks feel more aggressive and noisy, instead of groovy.

Still, I recommend this compilation to everybody who loved the classic late 90s Big Beat sound!

All three "Big Beat Elite" comps are really cool, although I have a slight preference for this particular one. The balance between the urban, darker side and the more danceable, sunny, jazzy sound is more even than the "Complete" and standard versions, where the warmer side is more widespread.
The artwork is quite original too. For some reason, the drawings remind me of Blake and Mortimer or Michel Vaillant, which date from the golden era of Belgian and French comics (1950s to the 1980s).

The second CD of "Big Beat Elite Repeat", especially, has a bunch of rare urban sounding tunes that I'm never tired of. I'm referring here to Superglue's "P.U.F." (which might me more known thanks to the Robot Coupe dub version), the merciless "Crossfader Dominator", the Chemical Brothers remix of "Burning Wheel", "NY Shakedown" and, my favorite, "The Street Belong To The Dealers". You won't find a lot of them in other physical releases.

It doesn't mean that the first CD has to be left behind, though. Fatboy's remix of "E.V.A." has to be my favorite Norman Cook choon along with "Right Here, Right Now" and "The Sound of Milwaukee". Furthermore, it features more classic names of this style such as Lo Fidelity Allstars, Midfield General, Wide Receiver, Frog Junkies and Girl Eats Boy, who are featured on quite a few compilations and mixes.

Like I said in a previous comment, I reckon this series is particularly great for someone who just came across this type of music, and desires to expand his jumping rate per minute, whether its with the retro funk and the 303s of "Blimey", the electronic rock influence of "Air Guitar", the funny vibes of "Give Me My Auger Back" or the hip-hop influence of "Breaker Beats".