"It’s not about fiscal planning and schedules based around market forces. It’s about discovering something shiny and new out of nowhere and doing our damnedest to make sure the world sits up and listens."

As Oxford’s premier independent record label, Shifty Disco, has a rising/falling relationship as one of England’s most diverse and forward focused outlets for bands who want to have control and action over what they do. To celebrate their fifth anniversary, the label have released a fantastically packaged five CD cross out booklet. On it are 60 dated tracks- one a month since Dustball’s debut single 'Senor Nachos', released back in January 1998.

So then…where to begin? What to pick? Well, as expected, the collection is a wide ranging, eclectic mish mash of songs varying from truly obscure bedroom electronica come hardcore (DJ Remould’s fucked up spat on sample of The Undertone’s 'Teenage Kicks'), to the craziest barking banshee vocal delivery of Beaker and the Patrick Fitzgerald meets circus sideshow malarkey of Joey Herzfeld. And the in between…well, that’s plenty of Oxford emo-indie boy rock courtesy of The Samurai Seven, The Four Storeys, and the aforementioned Dustball- treasured heroes in their hometown. Of course, there are some duds, but there is also some really great material- the tenderfooted wanderings of 'EEEBLEEE', the cowboy anthem rock and roll of Six Ray Sun.

My favourite? The Corsettes 'Sexy and Blue', an utterly bizarre package holiday theme tune flamenco attack, with drippingly sarcastic and hilariously funny vocals. The content of this collection is inconsistent- but that, by all means, is no bad thing. It just goes to show that the powers that be behind Shifty Disco, are more open minded and un-elitist than they may be given credit for. Shifty Disco: Pioneers of independent music making. I raise a glass to you.

The Tracklisting IN FULL**

VOLUME 1 - 1997
Jan. DUSTBALL - Senor Nachos
Feb. THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH - Building
Mar. NØUGHT - Cough Cap Kitty Cat
Apr. IMPOSSIBLE MUSIC FORCE - Blah Na Na
May. DJ REMOULD - Teenage Kicks
Jun. MARK GARDENER - Magdalen Sky
Jul. BEAKER - Backgarden
Aug. SPUNKLE - Lubetune
Sep. CODY - Simple
Oct. THE FULL MONTY - Welcome
Nov. THE BIGGER THE GOD - If Everyone I Ever Loved Left Me
Dec. ARTHUR TURNER'S LOVECHILD? - Son Of The Human Cannonball

VOLUME 2 - 1998
Jan. HOWLITE - Halo
Feb. CRACKOUT - Chuck
Mar. PAN TONIC - Tonic Planet
Apr. JOEY HERZFELD - Always The Same
May. KILTER - Call The Day
Jun. THE SAMURAI SEVEN - Xeroxy Music
Jul. MULTISCREEN - Radio Kids
Aug. SECT - Break The Law
Sep. CREEPER LAGOON - Dear Deadly
Oct. NORK LAW - Swings And Roundabouts
Nov. OVERGROUND - Drugs
Dec. SPU.N.K.L.E. ALL STARS - Where Will You Be This Xmas?

VOLUME 3 - 1999
Jan. BEULAH - Sunday Under Glass
Feb. THE FOUR STOREYS - Castaway
Mar. SCRIBBLE - God Bless The Kids
Apr. WHISPERING BOB - Don't Bring Me Down
May. FRIGID VINEGAR - Dogmonaut 2000
Jun. DUSTBALL - …Like Monkeys Do
Jul. CALC - Not Involved
Aug. MANATEE - Easy
Sep. MURRY THE HUMP - Thrown Like A Stone
Oct. SPINACH - Tootsie Roll
Nov. PENNYEACH - Gracie b
Dec. PERSIL - Agony Aunt

VOLUME 4 - 2000
Jan. THE PANDA GANG - Flipside
Feb. PLUTO MONKEY - Jetstream
Mar. VIGILANCE BLACK SPECIAL - We'rewolves
Apr. BURT LUMP ORCHESTRA - Feed Me To The Lions
May. FORMULA ONE - Future Has No 23
Jun. JACK DRAG - At The Symphony (I Could Be)
Jul. THE DREZ - You And Your Dog
Aug. BLUE APPLE BOY - Who's That Calling?
Sep. LOKOMOTIV - Next Time 'Round
Oct. ELF POWER - Jane
Nov. BLACK MOSES - Eye On You
Dec. JASON MORPHEW - Badass With A Heart Of Gold

VOLUME 5 - 2001
Jan. MONKEY STEALS THE DRUM - Injured Birds
Feb. MORBIUS - RockandRoll
Mar. FOR STARS - Spectators
Apr. ASTRO B - Yoga Disco
May. SIX RAY SUN - Bad Batz Maru
Jun. THE SOMATICS - Last Days In An Old Town
Jul. EEEBLEEE - Midnight Creatures
Aug. CORSETTES - Sexy And Blue
Sep. 50Hz - Armchair Army
Oct. THEREMIN - In The Barn
Nov. DOMES OF SILENCE - Tarnished Evidence
Dec. SIX INCOMPETENT REFAIL - Blunt (Pointless)