The Notorious B.I.G.: "Life After Death" (Arista) Dial-a-track code: 1641

The title is prophetic, since Biggie Smalls was shot dead two weeks before the release of this album, caught up in the long-running feud between US East and West Coast hip-hop crews: he had a starring role in the conspiracy theories surrounding the murder of fellow rapper, Tupac Shakur, last year. The album is loaded with premonitions and a preoccupation with death hut, as with his debut album, Ready To Die, this was Biggie's territory. Tracks such as Hypnotise ooze class and high quality production values as the large posse of producers create a steady groove for Biggie's unique growl, his rap phenomena. The standout track. You're Nobody (Till Someone Kills You), is menacing yet conveys a warning about the need for ghetto honour and pride.

Various Artists: "Viva Hacienda" (Deconstruction) Dial-a-track code: 1751

Some clubs are more than just places to dance. American ventures such as the Paradise Garage and the Sound Factory have become part of club culture's legacy. The Hacienda is one of the very few European locations to deservedly clamour for such accolades. Built by dreamers in an unattractive area of Manchester in 1982, it has survived 15 years of dance music's flighty fads and fashions.

Viva Hacienda celebrates those years with aplomb, tracking the music from Man Parrish's electro collision in the early 1980s, through early house manoeuvres with Rhythm Is Rhythm and L'il Louis, up to such 1997 masters at work as Basement Jazz and DJ Sneak. Mixed by Hacienda stalwarts from the various periods, it's a fascinating document of dance music's progression.

Lee Perry: "Arkology" (Island) Dial-a-track code: not available

Last year, the Beastie Boys' excellent Grand Royal magazine devoted almost an entire issue to Lee "Scratch" Perry, the legendary dub pioneer, and his glorious sound. Arkology, a perfectly pitched double-CD collection, is where to go for a taste of that bombastic style. The basis for much of modern dance music's interesting twists and turns, dub possesses a spirit which vitalises and lifts other sounds and genres. Acts such as Massive Attack and styles like drum `n' bass owe their very existence to what Perry and the likes of Augustus Pablo and Prince Far-I created in their studio shacks. Arkology is awash with some of dub's most far-reaching cuts, tracks which rebound with sophistication and vigour.