From 2009 through 2012, the Disco Discharge name was behind some of the most necessary and appealing compilations of 1970s and '80s dance music -- 16 two-disc volumes such as , , and . Absent since the subsequent album reissue series Disco Recharge, the imprint returns with , a five-disc package of '80s tracks billed suggestively as "full-length gay clubbing." The significance of this music in relation to gay culture is further articulated by journalist and author , who in his foreword to the set describes the sights and sounds he soaked up at Heaven and the Bell in London, and at the Tunnel in Cardiff. Likewise presented with a U.K. perspective and cosmopolitan appetite, the selections -- nothing shorter than a five-minute album version, all 12" versions and remixes otherwise -- are heavier on the commercial end and therefore more attractive to listeners who don't consider themselves serious collectors. It's without doubt an excellent building block covering almost the full spectrum of '80s post-disco, from synth pop and freestyle to Hi-NRG and house, created by a motley assortment of progressive underground dwellers, accidental hitmakers, cunning entryists, and even some avaricious opportunists. Furthermore, it complements previous Disco Discharge compilations with only a little overlap -- an aspect that's due in part to half the tracks dating from 1987 to 1989 and nothing predating 1981. The discs are loosely themed and neatly sequenced with numerous connections that can be drawn from one to another. On the diva-centric, mostly Hi-NRG first disc, ' "Jump (For My Love)" somehow sounds fresh as ever when heard between 's "In the Evening" and 's "Love Will Save the Day." Hi-NRG innovator is behind two of the tracks on the second disc, ' bounding "Passion" and 's equally buoyant "Love Reaction," the latter a comic and irresistible lift of 's "Blue Monday." produced the original version of ' "West End Girls," and though there's nothing here by the compilation-shy and , two of the better songs the duo produced for other artists, 's "Don't Drop Bombs" and 's "In Private," appear on the third and fourth discs. The final disc, subtitled "Future Shock from the New Kids on the Block," emphasizes early singles from younger acts like Detroit's ( ' remix of "Big Fun"), Chicago's ("Promised Land"), and London's own ("Theme from S'Express"). It's not at the exclusion of veterans like former Ikette , whose beaming voice powers ' "Burn It Up," or , the "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll" producer behind 's "Break 4 Love," heard here in its explicit "Drop the Panties" version. Other significant tracks here include 's "Memorabilia" (the version with ), 's audacious and world-conquering "Relax" (the New York mix), 's freestyle classic "Fascinated," and the appropriate finale (and the lone track that isn't electronic), "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going," voiced by 's castmate . ~ Andy Kellman