Kompakt’s Pop Ambient series is a regular fixture in the calendar, a reliable source of electronically sourced relaxation tracks since it started all the way back in 2001. As with previous incarnations the approach is one finding total bliss but not without a bit of exploration and experimentation on the way. The warm wash of sound that is Stephan Mathieu’s ‘April im Oktober’ drifts overhead beautifully, as does Anton Kubikov’s ‘April’, with a very lazy riff that can be picked out from the floated textures elsewhere. Highlights include Dave DK’s ‘Veira’, remixed by Leandro Fresco as an incredibly spacious piece of music, while Fresco contributes his own ‘Configuracion de Ataque’, the sonic equivalent of a blast of cold wind. Meanwhile Jens-Uwe Beyer’s ‘Bremen’ has impressive depth, its shadowy sounds moving round the stereo picture.
Reviewd by Ben Hogwood
