Now, I do not mean to be cruel, but Pete Tong has been around for ages and what he does not know about the dance music or clubland scenes, to be quite honest, is scarcely worth knowing. This Kent man, the ‘godfather of dance and techno’, is a guaranteed draw. Former resident DJ at Pacha’s, Ibiza, and, for the past 18 years, the presenter of Pete Tong’s Essential Selection on BBC Radio One (although the ES element has now been dropped), when he releases a new album, it just has to form part of any dance fan’s CD or download library.

‘Wonderland 2009’ is that latest double-CD featuring a host of engaging new tracks, such as ‘Paris Burning’, with Ladyhawke, or the Eric Prydz remix of ‘The People’ by Sebastien Leger. While I am not about to suggest that everything he touches turns into gold, there are very few tracks on this album that are not a master class in mixing or a perfect demonstration of his keen ear for the right new sounds. In fact, it is abundantly clear that all the top artistes line up, waiting to touch the hem of his housecoat, anything with the Pete Tong soubriquet attached to it is like a licence to print money.

Yet, as I suggested, it is not all brilliant and there are a few of the tracks that, had I been in the production suite, I might have left off. So, why does he do it? It is to prove that he is not entirely perfect? Is it to prove that he can still deliver? To be honest, I do not know. Our all too brief meeting recently in the departure lounge at Ibiza Airport highlighted that he is a gentleman of uncommonly good taste, with musical influences that come from far and wide and even he admits that there are some new sounds that he would like to hear but seldom obtains the chance.

Still, the good far outweighs the not so good and in two CDs, carrying fourteen tracks of expertly blended soundtracks and remixes, Pete proves that he is still at the top of the heap. Wonderland is more of an event than an album and it has returned to Ibiza’s Eden for a second year.