Electro-House

With roots in the electroclash movement that flourished in the early days and nights of the 21st century, electro-house has flowered to become the resplendent, dominant sound of the dance floor. Irresistibly big and beat-y, the perfect electro-house track winks at you like a wanton '80s tramp, then completes the seduction in glittering modern hyper-sound. Limber up with the layered synths on the D. Ramirez remix of "Yeah Yeah" by Bodyrox.

Rewire your house with supercharged electro in Next Steps.

A first-rate electro-house remix can take its excellent source material into the realms of the spectacular: Tronik Youth's blistering treatment of the Gossip's "Standing in the Way of Control" deserves special attention, and we especially like the finesse of Denmark's Anders Trentemøller on "Want 2/Need 2" by Sharon Phillips and "We Share Our Mothers' Health" by fellow Scando knob-twiddlers the Knife.

Dance on towards the electro squelch-beep wonderland of our Deep Cuts.

Although he goes by a fistful of monikers — from Jacques Lu Cont to the Thin White Duke — Stuart Price possesses a genius for the electro-house remix that cannot be disguised. Madonna and Coldplay have sought out his services, but here we spotlight his work with Philadelphia vocalist Juliet (on "Avalon") and with New York's Fischerspooner (on "Just Let Go").

Electro-house filters a history of dancefloor synth tricks dating back to the glimmer days of the '80s through the circuits of a 21st-century pimped-up laptop to produce the world's most vital and electrifying club sounds . . . many of which we've laser-lasso'd into this comprehensive set of Essentials. Star names (Robbie Williams, Mika) pick up additional cosmic glow when made over the electro-house way; the Euro-community of outstanding DJs (from Etienne de Crécy in Paris to Mylo on the Isle of Skye) hangs tougher and tighter; and the wit of LCD Soundsystem ("North American Scum") and Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip ("Thou Shalt Always Kill") is sharpened.