Various Artists - The Fire This Time

Dance culture, so rarely political, here provides the often brutal ambience for a shattering protest record. Grant Wakefield's narration of the Gulf War's deep background and consequences collages colonial history, news bulletins and UN data, and is perfectly served by the sounds he's assembled: the slow build to the thunderous "Black Dog" mix of Aphex Twin's "Come To Daddy" as the War's turkey shoot rages, and the long, quiet coda of electronic and Arab textures played under evidence of the silent slaughter of Iraqis by sanctions since is shocking and shaming.

Rating: 4 / 10