Some of our beloved electronic labels have now been going for a quarter of a century. I don’t know about you but that’s making me feel old! Thankfully those labels are still there because they know how to keep things fresh and vital, and that can certainly be said of Kompakt. The Cologne label have showcased their output via a ‘Total’ compilation every summer, and even that series is now starting to come of age. One of its stand-out cuts is the collaboration between label head Michael Mayer and Tobias Thomas – ‘So Mad’ being a brilliant, Summer of Love throwback that will raise one or two eyebrows! It’s a great complement to the warm-hearted ‘Tame’ from Sonns feat. Beesh and Tom Demac & Real Lies’ ‘White Flowers’, two tracks that tell of the hot summer we’ve been enjoying. Meanwhile Terranova goes really deep on ‘Let It Fail’, Gui Borratto’s ‘Forgive Me’ is a brilliant piece of fuzzy techno, while Marc Romboy nails a more acidic set of cross rhythms to the mast on ‘Galaxy In An Atom’. All these are just a part of the whole on offer – as always, Kompakt offer something for everyone who likes their techno.
Ben Hogwood
5 out of 5
