Disco Not Disco 2. File under Yet Another Compilation of 80's synth/dancefloor/ proto-electro gems. While the first edition of the series veered more towards unexpected work from more established artists of the late 70's-early 80's like Yoko One and Ian Drury, Disco Not Disco 2 unearths eleven funky tracks that blur the boundary between electronic experimentation and dancefloor bliss.

The raw spirit and cagey guile of these songs becomes the bedrock for the Reagan-era revival we've become so swamped in of late. Strut pulls from all over the globe and the gamut here, be it the genre-hopping of Can and the Clash into groovier, dancier pastures to transitioning from the sunnier electro of Miami's Connie Case to Arthur Russell's dub-doused 'Let's Go Swimming.'

Disco Not Disco 2, as a whole, is an introduction to the birth of electro-lite: seamless, bouncy studio cuts without any of the futuristic darkness of bands like Malaria!. While the standout tracks, Lex's 'Fourteen Days,' Laidback's 'White Horse,' and Alexander Robotnick's 'Problemes D'amour' would be exquisite at any dance party, be it 1982 or 2002, there's a certain safeness to synths on this comp. It's not a complaint as much as it is a sensibility issue. Truly summery, Disco Not Disco 2 leaves you appreciating the sonic alchemy of the era, while yearning for some heavier, more primal grooves, both of yesterday and today.