Even the record companies know it. As the mercury steadily rises, they flood stores with danceable releases in hopes that shoppers will fill their tote bags with upbeat new music to play during the family reunions, pool parties and backyard BBQs that accompany the season.

Labels also hope that by flooding the market consumers aren’t be able to separate the musical wheat from the chaff — and there’s plenty of chaff out there. But not to worry, Q-Notes is here to help you distinguish da bombs from the bombs with this special guide to the best dance music releases of Summer 2005.

	New Order Waiting For The Sirens’ Call (Warner Bros.) If you’re a fan of any of the bands fueling the current dance-rock revival — which includes trendy combos like Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Scissor Sisters, Interpol and The Rapture — check out “Waiting For The Sirens’ Call” to hear how the music is done by one of the founders of the genre. Lead vocalist Bernard Sumner and company sound as vital and relevant over these 11 new tracks as they did during their “Blue Monday” heyday. The only perceptible difference here from the classic New Order sound is a slight deemphasizing of synths in favor of guitar. “Waiting For The Sirens’ Call” is a most welcome return. Key tracks: “Krafty,” “Morning Night And Day,” “Guilt Is A Useless Emotion.” Contains a bonus remix of “Guilt” by Mac Quayle.
	Mark de Clive-Lowe Tide’s Arising (Abb Soul) Half New Zealander half Japanese Mark de Clive-Lowe has spent the last half-dozen years in London DJing, remixing and pretty much forging the future of dance music with brilliant co-conspirators in the scene like Bugz In The Attic and 4Hero. A classically-trained pianist, de Clive-Lowe blends and transcends boundaries on his second full-length release, “Tide’s Arising.” The album explodes with creative ambition as it bounces between Deep House, Broken Beat, Nu Jazz, Hip Hop and Downtempo. It’s the rare talent who can make something this good sound this effortless. Will easily rank among the best electronic music albums of 2005. Key tracks: “Slide,” “State Of The Mental,” “4.Y.V.”
	Jason Walker This Is My Life (JVM) Philly native Jason Walker, 24, is a skinny white guy who belts out dancefloor anthems with the confidence of a seasoned diva. His impressive debut album, “This Is My Life” (out June 14), is stocked with the requisite hyperdramatic lyrics welded to big beats courtesy of producers including Chad Jack and Junior Vasquez, who has the singer signed to his JVM label. Three tracks from “This Is My Life” have been released to date — the first cut, “My Life,” went to number three on the Billboard Club Play chart while the latter pair, “Foolish Mind Games” and “Set It Free,” both hit number one. With this album release Walker becomes a notable addition to the too-short list of male artists who sing dance music. Key tracks: The three singles. Contains a bonus remix of “Foolish” by Vasquez.
	Toni Braxton Un-Break My Heart: The Remix Collection (LaFace) Over the course of her career Toni Braxton has become — like Madonna, Janet and Cher — one of those artists whose remixes can be counted on to blow up the club even when their pop music fortunes are in decline. “Un-Break My Heart” collects 10 remixes of seven of Braxton’s biggest hits. All the essential reworks are included, but the album would be even better if it ditched the second mixes of three songs and offered a trio of lesser known productions in their places. Key tracks: “Un-Break My Heart (Soul Hex Anthem Vocal),” “Spanish Guitar (HQH2 Club Mix),” “You’re Makin’ Me High (David Morales Classic Mix).”
	Ben Watt Buzzin’ Fly Vol. 2 (Astralwerks) You would think that being half of acclaimed pop duo Everything But The Girl and one of the most sought after Deep House DJs in the world would be enough to keep Ben Watt artistically satisfied…but apparently it’s not. So now he’s a label head, too, with the 2003 founding of Buzzin’ Fly, an on-the-rise House imprint that’s distributed by Astralwerks in the U.S. Last year Watt released “Buzzin’ Fly Vol. 1,” a continuous-mix album that collected several of the label’s early releases. Now comes the stunning follow-up — a concept album featuring eight new Buzzin’ tracks plus 7 licensed cuts that explores (albeit as much in mood as overtly) life in post-9/11 New York. Buzzin’ Fly artist Justin Martin, 25, especially stands out with a deep and delicious remix of Watt’s “Lone Cat (Holding On)” and his own Tech House gem “Le Boom.” Key tracks: “Lone Cat,” “Rosa Nova,” “Le Boom.”
	Danny Krivit In The House (Defected) Over the last few years the “In The House” series has yielded a string of classic albums continuously mixed by such club culture luminaries as Joey Negro, Dimitri From Paris, Masters At Work and Miguel Migs. Now veteran DJ Danny Krivit makes it lucky number 13 for the influential Defected label with this two-disc set. The 14-track first disc opens with a groovy reworking of the Brand New Heavies’ mid-’90s R&B hit “Stay This Way” and ends with a trio of driving, jazz-inflected tunes that will have all hands in the air. The peaks on the second disc aren’t as high as those on the first, but it still delivers the goods. Key tracks: “High-tech Jazz,” “Uam Uam,” “It’s Your Life.” A third bonus disc contains four unmixed tracks from the set.
	Joe Gauthreaux Cherry Vol. 2 (Centaur) In this month’s Out magazine New Orleans native Joe Gauthreaux is named “Hottest DJ for 2005.” No surprise there, with his turntable talents, model good looks and new residency at N.Y.’s Roxy nightclub — no one else really stood a chance. And if you were fortunate enough to catch either of his bookings at Velocity — or any of his countless club/circuit party appearances from the last few years — you know what to expect from this 12-track, continuous-mix release. “Cherry,” issued in conjunction with D.C.’s 10th annual Cherry fundraiser, is 72 minutes of bangin’ beats mixed flawlessly. The energy never flags and neither do the beats-per-minute. Key tracks: “Can I Hear The Drum,” “Stand Up,” “Music’s Gotta Jumpin’/Hornetz.”
	Various Artists Atlantiquity (Atlantic/Rhino) Following the lead of legendary jazz imprint Verve, which to date has released three albums of classic label tracks reworked by the world’s top remixers, Atlantic Records opens its own vaults to a dozen mixmasters with superb results. Tracks by Chic, Average White Band, Donny Hathaway, Sister Sledge and eight more old skool icons are updated by the likes of King Britt, Vikter Duplaix, Sa-Ra and Daz-I-Kue. “Atlantiquity” will absolutely kill at the family reunion. Crazy Uncle Larry will Funky Chicken his heart out to these classic tracks while the kids are head-noddin’ to the hot productions. Key tracks: “Tonight,” “Pick Up The Pieces,” “We Are Family.”
	Various Artists Superstars #1 Hits Remixed (Sony BMG) Fans of current popular music and MTV’s playlist should definitely check out “Superstars #1 Hits Remixed” because it’s exactly as billed — a collection of 19 pop and R&B smashes presented in remixed form. To get all these songs to fit on a single disc, the radio edits of the mixes are used. The longest track here is Maroon Five’s “This Love” which clocks in at an economical 4:32; the shortest cut, Fantasia’s “It’s All Good,” runs just 3:16. Additional artists in this star gallery include Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys, Kelis, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Whitney Houston, J.Lo and Christina Aguilera. Key tracks: “So Gone, Pt. 2,” “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay,” “Beautiful.”