Album Review: Pete Tong, The Heritage Orchestra & Jules Buckley - Ibiza Classics

Vanguard of the British dance scene for the best part of three decades, DJ Pete Tong's decks have had the power to anoint the greatness potential classics deserve to the masses. 

So, following his first ecstatically received classical-splashed live celebration of club favourites last year, here Tong heads to the studio for more.

Craftily choosing tracks already standing tall on orchestral foundations, some (like Rob Dougan's Clubbed To Death) need little tweaking but set the classy tone high. Massive Attack's Unfinished Sympathy gets a broodingly masculine twist courtesy of new voice Samm Henshaw while the acid bubbling underneath the surface of Mory Kante's Yeke Yeke feels claustrophobic compared the faux-live crackle of Seal's very welcome husky peel returning to Killer. Eyes may roll for a billionth bloody version of You Got The Love, but the coup of getting original vocalist Candi Staton back to reprise with strings is sheer, tear-inducing joy.

The only real foul steps are The Chemical Brothers' Galvanize, on which the Heritage Orchestra struggles to keep pace with bored-shitless guest rapper Rejjie Snow, and The Prodigy's Out Of Space, which is just plain fucking awful.

Live, this collection would have matched its predecessor for excitement, but the extra labour has taken away a little more than it's added.