Rave Review: Various Artists - Fluo V - 5 Year Anniversary

Fluo V celebrates the five-year anniversary of Kindergarten Records, showcasing the genre-bending club bangers that have helped position the label at the forefront of New York’s underground dance scene. The tracks might sound primed for the jungle gym, but these high-tech explorations are anything but child’s play.

The compilation draws from a cast of familiar faces, all veterans of the label’s catalog. Right out of the gate, the maestros set the pace: Drummy kicks things off with his signature precision, followed by an absolute gem from Ayesha, before label heads Ma Sha drop us straight into the midst of their amorphous genius.

These tracks sit on the serious side of fun—yet lean fully into playfulness. Club jams are rarely this mischievous. Consider the cartoonish sound effect that gives DESPINA’s “Lips Loose” its namesake, or the bouncy-ball momentum that launches georg-i and Slacker’s “what the body does”—an effect reminiscent of techniques perfected by experimental club auteur Polygonia. Then there’s Sobolik’s “splattertek,” a track where you can practically hear the glow-in-the-dark hits the walls. Stolen Valour tosses a would-be BRAT banger into the mix, peppered with a string of cute non sequiturs—“I’m thinking, yeah,” “picture this,” “the fuck”—while stretched vocals tease from the background.

These tracks pulse with so much life it’s hard not to be infected. The cover art captures the label’s colorful, eclectic aesthetic—like a garden full of exotic flowers, equal parts captivating and dangerous. You can hear that tension clearly lacing Zyiz’s “Dash You,” where sharp keyboard stabs feel like quick flashes of a knife. These tracks are playful, but they’re deadly.

A sinister undercurrent runs through the compilation that makes it perfect for the club. The music flickers like strobe light on the dance floor, revealing devious smiles and mischievous intent between every flash. With this much life in it, here’s hoping Kindergarten Records has at least another five years ahead.

(The Lunatic is an Austin, Texas–based raver spreading the good word through his reviews and blog—and by selling the weirdest fucking electronic vinyl around.)