v/a: Kompakt Total 9

Label: Kompakt

One of the many pleasures of the recent Gas compilation is that it’s bringing new fans to Kompakt, the Cologne-based electronic label that has been churning out great music for 15 years now. Every summer the label bestows upon us its glorious Total series, and this year’s two-CD, three-LP set is its best offering in years. Why the improvement? A little more diversity. The ninth installment gives the usual fare of minimal techno and ambient, but repetition never sets in. Take DJ Koze’s brilliant “Zouzou.” It’s electronica all right, but with steel drums, tinkling keys and hypnotic rhythms, it’s like nothing the genre serves up these days. Then there’s Matias Aguayo’s “Minimal,” a misleading title if there ever was one, with its feral beats and pop choruses. Totally fresh and new stuff for Kompakt. Dance, disco, new wave, techno, ambience, it’s all here in one beautiful package, featuring an all-star lineup of Kompakt artists: Supermayer, Thomas Fehlmann, Jörg Burger, Jürgen Paape, Justus Köhncke and much more. (James)