Choosing 22 tracks couldn’t have been easy for Motor City Drum Ensemble. The German impresario is renowned for his deep record box and reverence for dance music’s past, making him the kind of DJ who could comfortably play for days. That said, he’s an inspired choice to join the annals of DJ Kicks, and his offering might just be the standout mix-CD of the year so far.

The sense that we’re in sure hands begins with the opening suite of tracks: Sun Ra’s strangely hypnotic opener easing into the Kiwi soul of Electric Wire Hustle and Rhythm & Sound’s smoky dub. Five minutes in and MCDE already has you right in the groove, immersed in his selections. As the kick of Tony Allen’s Ariya takes us deeper, there’s echoes of Dixon’s much-celebrated Body Language Vol. 4: the rich vocals, the sophisticated mixing, the elusive element you could call ‘soul’.

We journey through the Windy City with the voice of Peven Everett riding luxuriantly over some gentle snares, before the Bad Jazz Troupe segues neatly into house music history with The Juice from Mr Fingers. The record’s raw, elemental sound says it all about Motor City Drum Ensemble as a selector. There might be 20 years between The Juice and Can Your Love Find It’s Way from father-son team Rick and Tevo Howard, but they’re perfect companions. This stretch captures the warmth MCDE channels into his own studio work, with Fred P’s Balearic throwback On This Vibe yet another sublime moment.

From here, it’s a dream run through old and new, with our host out to beguile us. Take the MCDE re-edit of 1972 film score piece Le Cortège Et Course (naturally), which creeps into the heady minimalism of Robert Hood like they were always meant to go together. The bottom-heavy jack of Arthur Russell’s Loose Joints guise propels us on, and the gems just keep on coming.

MCDE pays homage to his heroes with the DJ Kicks exclusive L.O.V.E., a warm embrace of a tune if ever there was one, leading in to a final stretch that’s all slinky and seductive. The record that takes us out is the rousing Sweet Power, Your Embrace from John Mason. It’s a suitably feel-good finish. The DJ Kicks series tends to bring out the best in its selectors, and this one is special. It only takes 22 tracks for Motor City Drum Ensemble to make you a believer.

DJ Kicks: Motor City Drum Ensemble is out now.