Four years ago, Armand Van Helden released a CD compilation that weaved its way through much more than what was hot in the clubs; it was a mix that showcased Armand’s musical influences and payed homage to an important era in music. With a heavy focus on the new-wave rock and electro sounds from the late 70s and early 80s, New York: A Mix Odyssey was a cheeky, fun affair (and it also contained the hits My, My, My and Say My Name). This time around, Armand again turns the spotlight back a few decades to lay out another source of his musical inspirations but this time, the results are quite different.

This release serves in many ways as a musical education. New York: A Mix Odyssey 2 is all about ‘hip house’; the kind of black music that emerged from cities like New York and Chicago in the mid to late 80s. Fusing the emerging house sound of the time with the established lyricism of hip hop, hip house laid the groundwork for much dance music that was to follow. Many genres of contemporary dance music can trace their roots back to this period, and indeed have sampled tracks from this era almost to death. Whether it’s the tech-trance of Sander Van Doorn, the funky breaks of Plump DJs or the oodles of house producers who have dug through the crates for inspiration, chances are you have heard snippets of this music before.

But while Armand’s original offering was varied and immensely listenable, hip jouse has on the whole not aged that well. The sounds from this era are quite dated and generally the music is not particularly sophisticated. The template for this style of music is rather basic – basic drum loop, cut up samples and some MCing. That’s not to stay that this is not a bit of fun, but the variety and longevity is absent.

There are some seminal tracks in this release. From the get go we know where things are heading with the seminal The Power from Chill Rob G (the better known version was releases by Snap! a few years later, who sampled this tune without permission). Armand progresses through a host of classics like I’ll House You from the Jungle brothers, Turn Up the Bass from Tyree and even dips into some early acid sounds from artists like Maurice and Fast Eddie. While he’s not necessarily known for a particularly ‘technical’ approach to DJing, Armand manages to cram in a remarkable 29 tracks and does so quite seamlessly. Towards the end of the mix we get to hear some of his own cuts: a couple of tunes from last year’s Ghettoblaster release make the grade (like the rather cheeky tune Touch Your Toes) and we also get three “exclusive” tracks, all of which wear their influences proudly on their sleeve.

For those keen to have a better understanding of the origins of dance music, a couple of sessions with this little compilation is an illuminating experience; it also offers a pretty quirky party soundtrack. Never one to stick to a genre, Armand admirably demonstrates why is one of the most interesting characters in dance music. However, there’s something lacking here that means this Odyssey is less of a journey than the last excursion we took with Armand Van Helden.