The Season for Singles

Hard to compile but worth the effort as of late are dinner and cocktail party playlists assembled from 12-inch singles. Long regarded at Cafe Drake as the sole province of DJs or our past clubbing days of 'yore, the latest crop of dance records segues perfectly from that final batch of Negronis to the first course of dinner. Yes the vinyl format favored by the genre can be a pain for those who (unwisely) threw away their turntables, but 75% of it all is available online (hint: Cafe Drake uses www.emusic.com for $10 a month for 40 downloads). Some prime cuts are listed below; you would do wisely to at least give these 2007 surefire crowd pleasers a try.

Moloko - Fun for Me - The latest from a band/producer that has managed to stay current in the everchanging electronica milieu. As the kids would say, sick basslines.

Money Mark - Push the Button - The title of this single and subsequent remixes on the B-side should say it all. Maybe now that we think about it keep this one for after-dinner dancing fueled by espresso.

New Deal - Back to the Middle - As the track's only vocals advise in the first seconds, "if you've got headphones on, crank 'em up". Fire up appetites by cueing this up seconds before guests are escorted to the table.

Justice - Remix of Simian's "We Are Your Friends" - Called by one as the aural equivalent of crack, this song is highly addictive. The current heaviest rotated track here in NYC bars and clubs, it requires playing before after and during dinner . . . every course . . . every bite.