In a world plagued by the uncertainties of global warming, war, and recession, it’s reassuring to know that some things always remain the same, such as your mum’s cooking, the unconditional love of your pet dog, and Ministry of Sound’s commercial ideology. It’s easy to be cynical about these kinds of releases, especially when they are so obviously geared to vacuuming up as much cash as possible, but when this cynicism is couched in an aloof detachment from the popular part of dance music, dismissing such compilations comes across as arrogant and judgemental. So, if you’re willing to accept this for what it is (the pop-side of dance music), then follow me.

Don’t be put off by the ridiculous cover. There are two discs here that actually contain some quality material, although you do have to make your way through the bleeps, farts and squelches that seem to characterise quite a few of the tracks on recent Ministry releases. The first disc comes mixed courtesy of Denzal Park, and contains some fine main room house. The Swedish House Mafia – Axwell, Ingrosso and Angello – team up with diva Deborah Cox on Leave The World Behind, and Hook N Sling get stuck into Calvin Harris’ I’m Not Alone, which makes for a storming introductory sequence. Later on in the mix, some familiar faces pop up, with tracks from Bob Sinclar, Fedde Le Grand, and Robbie Rivera. As with most mainstream compilations these days, there is a sprinkling of re-worked old classics, some coming off better than others. I’m not entirely convinced of the merits of turning Crystal Waters’ Gypsy Woman into a pounding house monster, and the world certainly doesn’t need another version of CeCe Peniston’s Finally. Having said that, the update of Olive’s You’re Not Alone closes the disc in fine style, surging along on a wave of shimmering synths and epic washes.

The second disc is delivered by Raye Antonelli, and it melds bits of electro, indie, pop and rock into one crazy, warped mix. The Dizzee Rascal and Armand Van Helden collaboration, Bonkers, kicks things off, and if you can make it through that concoction, then chances are you’ll make it to the end of the disc. There seems to be something of an identity crisis going on in this mix, and on several occasions, just as it seems to kick into gear, it all comes crashing to a halt with some questionable track selections. The pairing of Yuksek’s Tonight and Autokratz’s Stay The Same is blinding, but then Tiga drops by with Shoes and totally ruins the party. The mix hits the ground running with a trio of tracks from Lost Valentinos, Jackson Jackson, and Ladyhawke, but then the thing starts to fall apart. The cheap remake of Placebo’s Every You Every Me is just wrong, and even TV Rock can’t save Evermore’s Hey Boys and Girls (and why did they even bother trying?).

This release will certainly float your dance music boat if you like your tunes commercial and instantly recognisable, but with a market saturated with other similar compilations, and with the Annual, Clubbers Guide, and Sessions releases all well-established, it’s difficult to see where this fits in. Still, if you want some upfront party tunes to keep your friends entertained, you could do worse.