It’s January so it must be time for the big new year comedown, courtesy of Kompakt’s long running and well established ‘Pop Ambient’ series – now in its twelfth year. If you’re a regular follower you will know this means next to no bass drums in the mix and widescreen textures with lots of blissful, hazy ambience. This can drift in and out of focus, sometimes with the aid of a well-chosen riff or at other points like a mood sketched out in musical form. Into the riff category falls the guitar of Mikkel Metal’s ‘Patience’, while the mood music – akin to a weather system – comes from Thomas Fehlmann, and Ulf Lohmann, whose ‘Sicht’ and ‘Pcc’ bookend the selection. One of the obvious highlights is The Field’s ‘Cupid’s Head’, remixed by Gas, which provides a wonderfully sonorous track towards the end, while the bright light evoked by Simon Scott’s ‘Für Betty’ is also a highlight. Once again the tracks are seamlessly blended, reflecting the obvious thought Kompakt put in to these compilations. Established fans will know what to do!
