Coolmixes

Asking a DJ to produce a mix record isn't the most revolutionary idea in the world, but the DJ Kicks series offers a slightly different spin. Contributing artists are tasked with delving into the deep recesses of their collections and challenging listeners with unexpected combinations. Past entries have landed somewhere on a continuum from "interesting and insightful" to "excruciating, hipper-than-thou obscurity." Hot Chip's entry in the series manages to stay on the good side of that scale. Of course, Hot Chip are barely DJs at all, as records like 2006's The Warning veer wildly between indie rock and tweaked pop-dance hybrids. That freewheeling instinct serves them well here, creating stylistic whiplash and rattling the listener with a fun, herky-jerky flow. The first 25 minutes or so are especially good, with a quick snip of Positive K's "I Got a Man" up against the fat bass sound of Gramme's "Like You," eventually peaking with "Bizarre Love Triangle." You'll want to Google some of the music in this batch, especially Soundhack and the standout track "B1." Later, the record loses its nerve and devolves into more or less a straight dance record, with only occasional sparks like Wookie's "Far East." But they finish strong, following up Audion’s "Just F***ing" with Joe Jackson and Ray Charles. While it's not perfect, this DJ Kicks manages an unforced cool and a healthy unpredictability that stops just short of random, making Hot Chip seem both hip and unpretentious. --Matthew Cooke

9.98