Ed Banger Records is one of the few labels out there that is almost as big as its artists. It’s a self-proclaimed avant-garde juggernaut thanks mainly to the label spin doctor Busy P who features on this compilation and whose name always seems to end with the phrase “I once managed Daft Punk”. But the experimentation and innovation that had seen the label become the tour de force it is today is long gone and nothing shows it more vividly than this compilation.

They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. If that is the case, then Ed Banger is well versed in self-compliments. Mr Flash’s Over The Top could have been pulled from the catalogue of Daft Punk, while Sebastian’s mix of metal and electro with Dog reeks of what Alter Ego were doing almost five years earlier. I can appreciate that the label has pigeon-holed itself somewhat and needs to live up to certain expectations of the music it produces. However, this album simply lacks any coherency; it’s a collection of singles and most of them come across just as more of the same.

That’s not to say there are not any gems among the stones. Surprisingly, it is hip hop that saves the day with DSL’s Find Me In The World mixes solid French lyricism with a swirling synth base line and a catchy chorus. In short, it has no fluff; it is what it is. Compare this to Murs’ petty and done to death tone on Busy P’s To Protect And Entertain, and we have chalk and cheese.

There is no doubt that Ed Banger does Ed Banger well. Feadz’s Back It Up featuring Spank Rock is a corker of a tune; a real ghetto-tech inspired belter reminiscent of Miss Kitten’s Requiem For A Hit. While Justice never fail to please with the classical music inspired Stress (Autoremix) which is sure to set many a dance floor on fire. However, tracks like Oizo’s Minuteman’s Pulse sound like they have been made by following the directions on the back of the Instant Electro Cake Mix box. DJ Medhi’s contribution, Kash, sounds like the love child of Strings of Life and a Cerrone track from the seventies. Unfortunately this results in a CD that is not easy to listen to straight through; you tend to skip to your few favourite tracks. For a label that is claiming to at the forefront of the dance music scene, it comes off as decidedly stale.

There’s no doubt that many of the tracks on the album will get significant air time, but their lack of subtlety and throw-away nature will see them be discarded quicker than Ed Banger would have thought. If this is avant-garde electro, then electro truly is dead.