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Sonar Kollectiv is a Berlin-based imprint that stretches every boundary it comes into contact with, whether it be musical, artistic, or business. It’s a somewhat loose amalgamation of djs, engineers, and producers who create dance music with elements of jazz and funk; or maybe it’s the other way around. Be that as it may, in a genre which produces an extremely disposable product --- I’m not being critical here, as those who work in the genre consider that element of their music a mark of honor --- Sonar Kollectiv has been at it for ten years, and has huge, even bold plans for 2008 and beyond.

10 Years, Who Cares is a “best of” compilation of sorts, a two disc set providing more than two hours of music. The first disc is a true greatest hits compilation, while the second is an extended mix of yet another fourteen tracks put together by Sonar Kollectiv producer Jazzanova. One of the aspects of the dance genre that is simultaneously exhilarating and frustrating is the volume of material produced and the speed at which it appears and vanishes --- generally within a matter of weeks, in most cases --- so that it is almost impossible for even the most dedicated aficionado to keep up with things. A collection such as 10 Years, Who Cares thus reveals some heretofore hidden treasures while also making available some classics that appeared and vanished too quickly to be acquired the first time around.

The track that I got stuck on from Disc One is Flashback (Jazzanova’s Mixed Bag) by Fat Freddie’s Drop, a disjointed slice of intergalactic soul that could serve as a soundtrack joint for a Quentin Tarantino movie. It reminds me of the best work of Was (Not Was), full of smoky horns, fat bass, and a sincere but troubled vocal. If you walked into a place in a strange city and heard this, you wouldn’t leave, at least right away, but the spacey strangeness of it might have you paying attention to the location of the exit doors. Quiet Boy, by Micatone, sounds like a heretofore unknown Billie Holliday song channeled back from an intergalactic journey. Cosmic notes, here.

The casual fan of American dance music may be puzzled by many of the inclusions on Disc One of 10 Years, Who Cares. Disc Two is closer to what one might expect of a dance compilation, wherein Jazzanova mixes fourteen additional Sonar Kollectiv sides together for one long and large party. Jazzanova keeps things rolling smoothly while finding tenuous but real connections between tracks such as Detroit by Moonstar and Arken’s trance hit Arken 10.

Sonar Kollectiv simultaneously defines and defies the borders of what dance music is and should be, a trait that has enabled it to not only survive but also to lead during the past decade. Fans of the genre --- and just about everyone who follows popular music --- can look forward to a follow-up collection in ten years. Recommended.