Erol Alkan has come out with another “Bugged In”/”Bugged Out” mix set, lending his gift of musical clairvoyance to bring listeners into the sonic future. As before, the two-disc set comes with one side that is club-oriented while the other is aimed at home listening. The compilation opens up with the pulsing bass and twangy guitars of “To Our Disco Friends” by Smith N Hack then goes to “Sensation” by legendary Chicago house DJ Ron Hardy, so that in the end you are taking on a musical journey that spans across three generations.

The set was mixed live in a couple of takes with no computerized beat matching or studio trickery. “For me, that’s what DJing is about, spontaneity, mistakes, records trying to keep up one another,” said Erol. Things got so heavy while recording in his music room at home that the sub bass of Spandex’s “The Bull” shook the speaker right off the mantelpiece and sent it crashing to the floor, leaving a deep dent in the floorboards. “I just thought, it’s going so well I’m going to carry on. I didn’t want to detract form capturing that moment. That’s where – for me – the electricity lies: in the moment, not crafting something that’s perfect on a computer.”

Erol’s pervious release of a Bugged Out compilation defined the then nascent electro house scene, with the “Bugged Out” mix featuring music from the then relatively unknown Justice alongside Steve Bug and Roman Flugal. However, Erol feels that it was the “Bugged In” selection that had made the most impact. “The club mix was fine, it was representative of me evolving at that time, but it was more gentle – and far more musical – mix that seems to have stayed with people over the years.”

Looking at this year’s two CDs as a whole, Erol sees them as a statement of where his head is currently. “It’s an exciting time right now,” he says. “It feels like the year 2000, just before electroclash happened. Not the sound of the music as such, but the way that all these different strands of music are coming together.”

Another Bugged Out Mix/Another Bugged In Selection will be released on September 4 by !K7 records.