Shaw Thing

If you think you've heard it all before, chances are you have. Some of the most exciting music today is being created by sound-sampling omnivores whose songs draw from bygone musical eras — take DJ Shadow, Amon Tobin or Mr Scruff. Enter Retrochine. More than a collection of kitsch remixes, this second release by Schtung Music duo Morton Wilson and producer Ian Widgery follows on from their hugely successful 1930s Shanghai Lounge Divas album, but this time ventures into 1950s and 1960s Hong Kong through the classic musical films of the Shaw Brothers.

The 15 tracks, or sound collages, on Retrochine blend movie music with lashings of trip-hop, electronica and funk. Some use movie samples as their starting point: "Riding at the Speed of Sound" jazzes up the pathos-imbued vocals of 1960s starlet Carrie Ku Mei with rock riffs and a break-beat exuberance worthy of Basement Jaxx. Others are simply inspired by the movies, like the cheeky "(21st Century) Char Siu Bao," which features present-day siren Gloria Tang singing in Mandarin to the tune of "Mambo Italiano."

The album is sold in a highly desirable hardcover edition, with postcards of the original movie posters and an inlaid film strip. But that's really just a bonus. Fun, edgy and eclectic, Retrochine isn't old Chinese pop with a contemporary twist; it's music for the 21st century.