The world’s favourite social soundtrack returns with a slick collection of ice-cool dance tracks.

Now that the frenzy surrounding festive celebration has seeped away into distant memory, there’s a danger that your energy levels might suffer the same kind of quick remission. Those who have recovered sufficiently from their recent excesses to ponder such things might see nothing but a bleak landscape of failed resolutions and cold winter night stretched endlessly out before them. Happily, Bargrooves has provided exactly the kind of effortlessly cool soundtrack capable of forgetting your woes and easing you smoothly into the new decade.

Over Ice II continues in the same vein as its predecessor – which was the best-selling digital Bargrooves compilation to date – by focussing very much on the cooler end of the house music spectrum, epitomised by the first tracks on the each of its two discs. CD1 sees the heavily luaded Reboot’s ‘Enjoy Music’ setting the tone, while CD2 boasts Dennis Ferrer’s ‘Hey Hey’ – arguably the biggest house track on the scene at the moment after an unprecedented six weeks occupying the Beatport No.1 spot.

Other tracks of note include Paul & Fritz Kalkbrenner’s massive ‘Sky & Sand’ – which has clocked up over four million views on YouTube – Ewan Pearson’s remix of pioneering electronic act Junior Boys’ ‘Hazel’ and the new Jesse Rose mix of Hardrive’s seminal ‘Deep Inside’.

As strong as the tracklist is, the music is not the only story with this release. The artwork concept for the series as a whole has had a major overhaul, and Over Ice boasts the devastatingly cool artwork of Dragon 76.

Born in Shiga, Japan, Dragon76 is an illustrator and painter whose works are deeply inspired by indigenous cultures and a music. He regularly travels around the world painting live at events, music gigs, gallery openings and was once invited by Peace Boat (NGO) to do live painting for a period of 3 weeks onto walls of refugee camps in Aqabe, Jordan. The artwork for Over Ice is the first of a series of illustrations he has completed for the Bargrooves series and sits perfectly with the musical direction of the label.

With a new look and a familiar yet progressive sound, 2010 may just be the year Bargrooves hits the big time.

Bargrooves Over Ice II is out 9th February. Click to listen & pre-order.