Strictly Mod (Various Artists)

Essential MOD movers and shakers from the original club scene- This is the sound of the Mod generation.The MOD scene evolved on the cusp of the sixties as Britain was emerging from the postwar blues. Likeminded teenagers shrugged off the economic depression and carved a place for themselves that was filled with good-times, danceable rhythms, sharp suits and an air of elitism. And those rhythms - immortalised here - were a heady, dazzling, mix of American R&B, jump blues, jazzy lounge vibes and the feel-good, floor-shaking, sound of ska!Mod has moved on since it's early days, but the fact it has survived at all suggests that at it's heart was something special, something akin to a philosophy that could and would last throughout decades and into the future. It has endured and thrived with it's cool, self-regard, unscathed and these choice cuts - sounding every bit as urgent today - are testament to it's longevity.