DJ Yellow/Various

Alain Ho, the man behind the moniker DJ Yellow has been a household name for the last 20 years in the Parisian scene for his signature sets consisting largely of bossa nova, jazzed-up beats and deep house sounds. Not content with bringing a Brazil-inspired sound to the dance floor, Ho also set up Yellow Productions with fellow DJ Bob Sinclair. The product of that label creation led to the release of Africanism in 2001, a heady blend of hard-hitting beats and enough French panache to get bodies sweating and swinging. Signing on the likes of Dimitri from Paris, or working with Joe Claussell, Julius Papp and MAW, Yellow Productions has carved out a distinct space for itself in the ever-expanding genre of sexy French disco sounds and Latin rhythms. Bossa Tres Jazz II follows up from a similar effort in 1999 and is typical of the label's love for sexy vocals, accordion sweeps, pummelling bass and a fine, Latino rhythm section. The 11-track mix - though not continuous - is perfect from start to finish. Kicking off with Francois K's "Awakening," featuring the gorgeous vocals of Barbara Mendes, the mix offers equal doses of beautiful, vocal-fronted tracks such as "Bohemian-Bah Samba" and "Deepest Seas" as well as moodier instrumentals. There are wonderful surprises like the sophisticated, cool "Triptico-Acoustic mix" by Gotan Project, with its melodic acoustic guitar and Stephane Grappelli-like violin sweeps and the distinctly Africanism inspired "Ritual." Clocking in at 79 minutes, this is a pristine effort from the man behind Yellow Productions.