Once, it was enough to have nailed one sound – To be the ‘Prince of Prog’, the ‘Head Honcho of House’ or the ‘Techno Tycoon’. Now, every DJ/producer worth their salt is having a bit each way: churning out MOS-friendly anthems on the one hand, while satisfying their darker leanings with the other. No doubt Eric Prydz is largely to blame, winning a legion of fans worldwide with Call On Me and other Top 40 hits, while solidifying his place in discerning music fans’ collections under his Pryda releases.

It should, then, come as no surprise that Fedde Le Grand’s first compilation for Toolroom Knights exhibits none of the cheese-drenched simplicity characteristic of his monster hits Put Your Hands up for Detroit, Let Me Think About It or The Creeps. And yet, it is a surprise. Disc One begins with funked out, super-cool grooves courtesy of Solumon, iO and Joey Negro, perfect for beginning-of-the-night cocktails and revealing a slightly more sophisticated vibe than Le Grand’s junior clubber fans may be used to.

From here, he edges deep into tech-house territory, leading the charge with the excellent An Old Technique, by F-Man and F.L.G, which has more than a little of Lee Burridge about it. In yet another surprising turn of events, halfway through the disc Le Grand slips into a decidedly African vibe, with the likes of Bolingo Gringo from Andreas Henneberg and Simon2 and Uganda Express from Arado and Den Ishu, before signalling his intentions of what’s to come with Saeed Younan’s driving, techy Yeah Ha.

Disc Two is indeed predominately more minimalist and glitchy, and obviously intended for a post-midnight consumption. Man of the moment Joris Voorn’s remix of Swallowed Too Much Bass is an early standout, with its quirky, deconstructed sparseness. Unfortunately, from here Le Grand enters into some very samey, wallowing minimalist territory, which left me fairly cold.

Rescuing listeners from the quagmire is the hollow but engaging peak-time drive of the DJ Madskillz remix of Workshop by ICS. More big room moments follow, including Toolroom Knight founder Mark Knight’s Put Your Hands Up, as well as the unnecessary and grating Fedde Le Grand electro remix of Fatboy Slim’s Praise You.

Le Grand rounds out the compilation well; concluding with the warm, squelchy fun of Domonik De Leon’s Do Bing remix as well as one of the few genuinely emotional tracks, M-Tek vs Tim Priestley’s piano-tech fusion Stalker.

In all, Le Grand’s efforts are surprisingly diverse and thoughtful and should appeal to a wide array of listeners, if aiming just above the heads of his vocal-addicted MOS fan-base.

Toolroom Knights, mixed by Fedde le Grand is out now on One Love through Sony Music.