'Bugged-In' Alkan Finds Vapour Trail

I was in New Zealand and bought a disc I'd never heard of by a guy I'd never heard of. I do that sometimes. It was Erol Alkan, an English DJ who had put together a double-disc "Bugged Out" selection. His explanation: he mixed one disc to be a lose-your-mind dance-floor session, the other full of eclectic favorites to listen to after you get home. Turned out the lose-your-mind disc was mind numbing re-hash of every ecstasy mix cliche you can imagine. Cheeky samples and overdubbed buzzes that sound like annoyed bees. I threw the disc away after one listen.So imagine my surprise at the second disc, where Alkan hits his stride picking weird, cool music marked by soul, imagination and reverb - occasionally diluted with elements of disco or flower power. He uncovers two tasteful, affecting covers, both sung by women: the Stones's 'Miss You'; and Ride's 'Vapour Trail', a still-burning ember from the heart of the shoegazer movement. Trespassers William strip it down to a strung-out voice and a melancholy guitar line and it's perfect. Listen to it and then go back and listen to the original. It makes it better. He closes the disc with ten minutes of Spacemen 3: Let the good times roll, indeed.