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2CD
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KOMP 160CD
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$15.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 9/11/2020
Two decades. Twenty years. Twenty compilations. Over 400 tracks. Over two days of total playing time and countless colored dots. If someone would have told Kompakt in 1999, when they put together Total 1 (KOM 010LP/KOMP 003CD, 1999) that this would turn into one of the longest standing compilation series in techno world, they would have laughed out loud. But here they are -- in the year 2020 which will probably go down in history as the most difficult period ever for club culture. But Kompakt won't stop doing what they're doing. Music is our oxygen. We'll dance together soon again. The Total series has always been like Kompakt's yearbook and to say it with the late Frank Sinatra: It was a very good year. The label's family of artists delivered a strong heterogeneous mix of uplifting sounds, from the lush reveries of Robag Wruhme and Soela to the stark primetime bangers of Marc Romboy or Anna & Kittin and everything in between. Notable new entries to our crew are the Londoner Kiwi with his wonderfully careless "Hello Echo" that picks up the camp disco vibes Justus Köhncke made a staple in our repertoire. Amsterdam's David Douglas delivers an appetizer for a full course meal. His quirky pop approach sits comfortably between fellow dutchmen Weval's abstract beats and Agents Of Time's opulent Italo disco. Yotam Avni blends Detroit techno with new age jazz that reminisces the sound of ECM artists like Jan Garbarek or John Surman. The man with the hat, Kölsch also picks up jazzier notes in his very own big room style. Youngblood Jonathan Kaspar appears twice, fortifying his status as one of the hottest beat smiths of our hometown Cologne. Total wouldn't be Total without our permanent staff present in full force. May Total 20 become your trustworthy companion in these uncertain times. As per tradition, Kompakt's founding fathers, Voigt & Voigt, Jürgen Paape, Jörg Burger, Michael Mayer, as well as our Berlin outpost Sascha Funke all deliver exclusive gems that also feature on Total 20.
2CD version features Robag Wruhme, Soela, Michael Mayer, Jürgen Paape, David Douglas, Kiwi, Sascha Funke, Jonathan Kaspar, Voigt & Voigt, Steve Moore, Weval, Jörg Burger, Agents Of Time, Kölsch, Enzo Elia, Aldebaran, Quique, Yotam Avni, Anna & Kittin, Christian Nielsen, Marc Romboy, and Blackrachas.
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2LP
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KOM 420LP
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$27.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 9/11/2020
Double LP version. Two decades. Twenty years. Twenty compilations. Over 400 tracks. Over two days of total playing time and countless colored dots. If someone would have told Kompakt in 1999, when they put together Total 1 (KOM 010LP/KOMP 003CD, 1999) that this would turn into one of the longest standing compilation series in techno world, they would have laughed out loud. But here they are -- in the year 2020 which will probably go down in history as the most difficult period ever for club culture. But Kompakt won't stop doing what they're doing. Music is our oxygen. We'll dance together soon again. The Total series has always been like Kompakt's yearbook and to say it with the late Frank Sinatra: It was a very good year. The label's family of artists delivered a strong heterogeneous mix of uplifting sounds, from the lush reveries of Robag Wruhme and Soela to the stark primetime bangers of Marc Romboy or Anna & Kittin and everything in between. Notable new entries to our crew are the Londoner Kiwi with his wonderfully careless "Hello Echo" that picks up the camp disco vibes Justus Köhncke made a staple in our repertoire. Amsterdam's David Douglas delivers an appetizer for a full course meal. His quirky pop approach sits comfortably between fellow dutchmen Weval's abstract beats and Agents Of Time's opulent Italo disco. Yotam Avni blends Detroit techno with new age jazz that reminisces the sound of ECM artists like Jan Garbarek or John Surman. The man with the hat, Kölsch also picks up jazzier notes in his very own big room style. Youngblood Jonathan Kaspar appears twice, fortifying his status as one of the hottest beat smiths of our hometown Cologne. Total wouldn't be Total without our permanent staff present in full force. May Total 20 become your trustworthy companion in these uncertain times. As per tradition, Kompakt's founding fathers, Voigt & Voigt, Jürgen Paape, Jörg Burger, Michael Mayer, as well as our Berlin outpost Sascha Funke all deliver exclusive gems that also feature on Total 20.
Double-LP version features Jürgen Paape, Jörg Burger, Michael Mayer, David Douglas, Sascha Funke, Voigt & Voigt, and Jonathan Kaspar. Double-LP edition includes vinyl only track by Christian Nielsen; includes download.
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12"
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KOM EX115EP
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After 2019's lauded three-track EP Topinambur (KOM 409EP) Kompakt announce Robag Wruhme's return to Speicher. On the A-side, Robag delivers a deep hypnotic chugger that goes by the simple but ultimately affirmative name "Yes". In all its simplicity, it's one of those tracks that gently tosses you down the famous rabbit hole. The flip side "Calma Calma" is pure summer festival bliss, resurrecting the spine-tingling a cappella from C'Hantal's proto techno classic "The Realm" for the 2020's. Both tracks are 100% Robag... highly emotive, über sexy, and yet somehow hazardous.
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2LP
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KOM 419LP
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Double LP version. It's taken Yotam Avni a little while to get to his debut album; almost a decade, really, since his debut 12", That's What The World Needs (2012), on California's Seasons Limited imprint. During that time, the Tel-Aviv based producer has refined his productions, tightening the groove and paring everything back to bare essentials; the power in an Avni cut is its combination of piston-pulse propulsion and a deep, but gently applied, musicality. Avni's been on Kompakt's radar for a while, first appearing on the label last year, with his Speicher contribution (KOM EX109EP). The connection immediately made sense -- dance music that managed to feel both lush and streamlined across the same great gasp of late-night energy. But with Yotam Avni Was Here, he's taken a huge leap. After a brief intro, Avni sets his stall with "Beyond The Dance", which features slow-moving vocal melisma over sculptural, melting tonalities, a tintinnabulating, harpsichord-like two-note phrase pacing out the track. Then "It Was What It Was" comes into view, its strip-light textures suddenly placed into sharp relief by a muted trumpet figure that hangs in the air, melancholy and pensive. Avni's inspirations for Was Here are from the histories of both techno and jazz. "I wanted to try something more around Detroit Techno meets ECM," he reflects. "Carl Craig's Just Another Day EP (2004) and Kenny Larkin's Keys, Strings, Tambourines (2008) came out during my high school years and had huge impact on me." Avni continues, "I always wanted to go back to those hi-tek soul roots on a full album," he continues, and he explores that terrain with the sky-strafing brass on "Free Darius Now", Morse-code keys on "Vortex," and glitchy, microhouse tickles of "Know Hope" all contributing to an oblique narrative that seems to arc across Was Here -- one fleshed out by guest musicians, who include dOP and Georg Levin on vocals, and trumpets by Greg Paulus (Beirut, No Regular Play). The cover art makes the jazz connection explicit, riffing on the text-based, minimal design of The Modern Jazz Quartet's 1955 album for Prestige, Concorde. The way Avni has gathered around him both inspiring musicians and intriguing reference points makes you think of his broader career as well. The openness of his productions, which seem to be all about the multiple, the possibilities of cross-pollination, of fusing this with that, of adding and subtracting, all under the pulsating thumbprint of techno.
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CD
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KOMP 157CD
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It's taken Yotam Avni a little while to get to his debut album; almost a decade, really, since his debut 12", That's What The World Needs (2012), on California's Seasons Limited imprint. During that time, the Tel-Aviv based producer has refined his productions, tightening the groove and paring everything back to bare essentials; the power in an Avni cut is its combination of piston-pulse propulsion and a deep, but gently applied, musicality. Avni's been on Kompakt's radar for a while, first appearing on the label last year, with his Speicher contribution (KOM EX109EP). The connection immediately made sense -- dance music that managed to feel both lush and streamlined across the same great gasp of late-night energy. But with Yotam Avni Was Here, he's taken a huge leap. After a brief intro, Avni sets his stall with "Beyond The Dance", which features slow-moving vocal melisma over sculptural, melting tonalities, a tintinnabulating, harpsichord-like two-note phrase pacing out the track. Then "It Was What It Was" comes into view, its strip-light textures suddenly placed into sharp relief by a muted trumpet figure that hangs in the air, melancholy and pensive. Avni's inspirations for Was Here are from the histories of both techno and jazz. "I wanted to try something more around Detroit Techno meets ECM," he reflects. "Carl Craig's Just Another Day EP (2004) and Kenny Larkin's Keys, Strings, Tambourines (2008) came out during my high school years and had huge impact on me." Avni continues, "I always wanted to go back to those hi-tek soul roots on a full album," he continues, and he explores that terrain with the sky-strafing brass on "Free Darius Now", Morse-code keys on "Vortex," and glitchy, microhouse tickles of "Know Hope" all contributing to an oblique narrative that seems to arc across Was Here -- one fleshed out by guest musicians, who include dOP and Georg Levin on vocals, and trumpets by Greg Paulus (Beirut, No Regular Play). The cover art makes the jazz connection explicit, riffing on the text-based, minimal design of The Modern Jazz Quartet's 1955 album for Prestige, Concorde. The way Avni has gathered around him both inspiring musicians and intriguing reference points makes you think of his broader career as well. The openness of his productions, which seem to be all about the multiple, the possibilities of cross-pollination, of fusing this with that, of adding and subtracting, all under the pulsating thumbprint of techno.
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12"
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KOM 417EP
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$15.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 5/22/2020
Italy's Agents Of Time have long been on the Kompakt radar. It started thanks to their exemplary releases on Correspondant and other labels such as Stem, Ellum plus 2019's collaboration with Mathew Jonson (from whom their name is inspired by). Michael Mayer had chance to play with them last summer at one of their Obscura parties and their friendship was cemented. Which leads now to their four track Kompakt debut, entitled Music Made Paradise. From Kompakt's early days of releasing landmark tracks from Justus Köhncke, the label has never been shy of exploring the enigmatic fringes of disco in their own way. Agents Of Time follow these footsteps but head into galactic territory with Music Made Paradise. They continue their knack for bridging synth-wave with modern bass rhythms in a means which are purely designed for today's dancefloors. This label debut is an incredible selection of music from this talented trio. French touch meets Italo chic on "Drive Me Crazy". At first, "My Heart Is A Microchip" comes across as a segue track, but opens into cascading synths and a predatory breakbeat to lead its own charge. "Under Control" is classy Moroder disco brought to the modern age. Aptly titled "Interstate 10" is an EP highlight -- the percussion lead is infectious and ready for prime-time exploration.
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12"
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KOM 418EP
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Home is where the heart is, and in this case that saying rings true. Though Michael Mayer puts his love, sweat, and tears into running Kompakt between producing music and DJing, he has managed to evade releasing anything solo on the mothership for the past eight years. There's been no shortage of musical output in that time -- be it his DJ Kicks, the ambitious collaborative full length &, and remixes for Metronomy, Weval, Arthur Baker, and Jagwar Ma, to name a few. This new decade promises a world of change, and fortunately for Michael (and all of us), his begins with the release of Higher. Italo disco and early '90s US deep house (think Nu Groove, Strictly Rhythm, Nervous) are some of the foundation blocks of what motivated Michael to become a DJ and create music. He finds inspiration with the sample heavy tracks from that era -- particularly the ones that used the human voice as an instrument to generate freshness, soul, and warmth. To those that have seen Michael Mayer DJ will immediately recall the spirit of his sets when first hearing the title track "Higher". A house number that is playfully serenaded by lyric-less throwback vocals. "Doot Doot" is a deeper acid tinged affair that is carried by wordless vocal melody that recalls a classic Susanne Vega song from an era gone by. Michael has never been shy of playing a little proto-trance now and then -- "Take A Stand For Love" adheres to the harmonic practice of the genre but changes things up thanks to a growling, gorgeous bass rhythm. Peak time pleasurable. "Belle De Lune" is how Michael is known best and an apt finale that is introspective but very much dancefloor driven. The track evokes an insatiable steaminess thanks to melodic bass rhythms and haunting synths. Epically lush.
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LP
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KOM 370-4LP
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Oktember is the second EP release under Wolfgang Voigt's mythical GAS project (it follows Modern on Profan, 1995). The two compositions were originally released in 1999 on Mille Plateaux, and then reissued partially in 2016 on GAS BOX. Oktember is finally released on Voigt's own label Kompakt, pressed on 180 gram vinyl in its original artwork. This reissue features "Tal 90" (instead of the original A side) -- a predecessor to the GAS project originally recorded in 1990 under the alias TAL, it was released as a part of the Pop Ambient 2002 collection (KOM 050LP/KOMP 014CD). With its sampled strings, horns and guitars, "Tal 90" soundtracks a more uplifting side to what is typically accustomed to being the sound of GAS. The title track "Oktember" is a dense, hypnotic affair that conjures a unique vision of dub techno that few have been able to replicate. A monumental soundtrack to uncertain times.
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12"
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KOM 414EP
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Kompakt welcome a local Cologne hero, Jonathan Kaspar. He's released on Crosstown Rebels, Pets Recordings, Ouie, and of course our own KX imprint. His single "Renard" was a highlight of Kompakt's recently released Total 19 collection (KOM 400LP/KOMP 154CD), so it was time to make the relationship official with a four-track EP. Opener "Kern" leads with layers of melodic synths power charged around a playful house rhythm. "Zentrum" is for that peak-time pace... elevating melodies caress a swelling mid-tempo beat. Not to mention one of the biggest breakdown's on Kompakt in some time. "Licht" literally sounds like it soars, then back to earth comes "Kante" -- the most techno inspired track of the EP -- an oscillating synth rips through solid low-end bass frequencies -- with Jonathan Kaspar skillfully demonstrating prime time, peak and valley production. Kante EP brings out his emotive, high energy style of writing and producing in a means that could be pointed to as his best work to date.
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CD
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KOMP 156CD
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With Velvet Desert Music Vol. 2, curator Jörg Burger has intensified his vision for this new series of compilations on Kompakt. The music he's collected here has a unique vibration, perhaps an audio equivalent to the legendary "acid Western" films of the 1960s and 1970s, when the wild frontier logic of the western met the consciousness-altering psychedelia of the counterculture. Velvet Desert Music is Burger exploring possibilities: what happens when you extract the essence from genres as diverse as spaghetti Western soundtracks, moody lamp-lit pop, downtempo, krautrock, minimalism, classic '60s psychedelia, and more, and let their scents intermingle, Des Esseintes-style? On Velvet Desert Music Vol. 2, Burger welcomes back old friends -- Fantastic Twins, Sascha Funke, Paulor, Rebolledo, Superpitcher, The Novotones -- and also introduces some exciting new names, such as Golden Bug and The Limiñanas, Mount Obsidian (aka César Urbina/Cubenx), and Lake Turner. Marcus Schmickler's Pluramon project appears, remixed by Burger, and Michael Mayer makes his first appearance with "Not So Far Away". The ultimate strength of Velvet Desert Music Vol. 2, though, is its seamlessness; you're encouraged to press play, sit back, and listen to the album unfurl as a whole. Much like one of Kompakt's other compilation series, the legendary yearly Pop Ambient collections edited by Wolfgang Voigt, Velvet Desert Music builds its own psychological environment to inhabit. And as you dig deeper into Velvet Desert Music Vol. 2, the music takes on synaesthetic turns, the textures all swirl together, igniting the senses. Each of the artists share with Burger himself a production style that echoes the cinèma pour l'oreille (cinema for the ear), with luscious sweeps of tone and melody opening out to reveal new vistas, new terrain for the attentive listener. When listening to Velvet Desert Music, think widescreen, think broad brushstrokes, think boldness but with sensual detail. It's the new frontier music. Also features The Velvet Circle, Charlotte Jestaedt, Daniel Maloso, Gen Pop, and Lake Turner/WEM/Hand.
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2LP
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KOM 416LP
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Double LP version. With Velvet Desert Music Vol. 2, curator Jörg Burger has intensified his vision for this new series of compilations on Kompakt. The music he's collected here has a unique vibration, perhaps an audio equivalent to the legendary "acid Western" films of the 1960s and 1970s, when the wild frontier logic of the western met the consciousness-altering psychedelia of the counterculture. Velvet Desert Music is Burger exploring possibilities: what happens when you extract the essence from genres as diverse as spaghetti Western soundtracks, moody lamp-lit pop, downtempo, krautrock, minimalism, classic '60s psychedelia, and more, and let their scents intermingle, Des Esseintes-style? On Velvet Desert Music Vol. 2, Burger welcomes back old friends -- Fantastic Twins, Sascha Funke, Paulor, Rebolledo, Superpitcher, The Novotones -- and also introduces some exciting new names, such as Golden Bug and The Limiñanas, Mount Obsidian (aka César Urbina/Cubenx), and Lake Turner. Marcus Schmickler's Pluramon project appears, remixed by Burger, and Michael Mayer makes his first appearance with "Not So Far Away". The ultimate strength of Velvet Desert Music Vol. 2, though, is its seamlessness; you're encouraged to press play, sit back, and listen to the album unfurl as a whole. Much like one of Kompakt's other compilation series, the legendary yearly Pop Ambient collections edited by Wolfgang Voigt, Velvet Desert Music builds its own psychological environment to inhabit. And as you dig deeper into Velvet Desert Music Vol. 2, the music takes on synaesthetic turns, the textures all swirl together, igniting the senses. Each of the artists share with Burger himself a production style that echoes the cinèma pour l'oreille (cinema for the ear), with luscious sweeps of tone and melody opening out to reveal new vistas, new terrain for the attentive listener. When listening to Velvet Desert Music, think widescreen, think broad brushstrokes, think boldness but with sensual detail. It's the new frontier music. Also features The Velvet Circle, Charlotte Jestaedt, Daniel Maloso, Gen Pop, and Lake Turner/WEM/Hand.
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12"
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KOM 415EP
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Kompakt announce the return of New York's synth wizard Steve Moore to the label -- pretty much exactly ten years after his much lauded first appearance Bayern Kurve on the Speicher series. Steve Moore is widely recognized as one half of Italo disco-tinged horror-prog project Zombi, his numerous thriller movie soundtrack works (The Guest, VFW, Mayhem, Bliss, The Mind's Eye) as well has his clubbier output on Ron Morelli's L.I.E.S. imprint. The title track of this four-track EP, Frame Dragging sees Moore in full spine-tingling mode. In case you've ever stepped into a hot bath on a cold day (in case you haven't you should try it) you should be well familiar with the phenomenon of being incredibly cold and hot at once. That's exactly what "Frame Digging" does to the dancefloor. Goosebump massacre. "Gamma Quadrant" combines emotive Balearic elements with a rolling minimal house track that's reminiscent of early Playhouse glory. Or is it early Kompakt? "Gravity Well" and "Protostar" are both taking a more chilled out route. They perfectly bookend both sides of the record and showcase Moore's stunning ability of creating suspenseful, spaced-out beauty.
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12"
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KOM EX114EP
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Marc Romboy returns to the Kompakt Extra series with Stalker/Beyond. Since last seen in 2018 on Speicher 103, Marc has kept plenty busy with a release on Bedrock, a collaboration with Stephan Bodzin, plus a series of releases with Petar Dundov on his own Systematic Recordings. Beyond Marc's rigorous DJ touring schedule, he performed live in a planetarium and ended the year with a highlight, performing live at Philharmonie Cologne together with violinist Miki Kekenj and the Takeover! Ensemble. Marc appears to be looking back to the deep, twisted forms of techno that shaped his early years with this double header. "Stalker" clearly delivers a typical Detroit-ish '90s grittiness and drive which resounded on the dancefloors of the German rave scene of that era. "Beyond" is a deeper cut for those late-night dreamers who are into the sound of Carpenter. A growling synth and laser light synth mingle relentlessly until a delicate piano quickly produces the realization that it's the place.
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3LP
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KOM 370-3LP
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Pop -- the album that has become widely recognized as the defining moment in which Wolfgang Voigt brought his listeners into a clearing of his deep, psychedelic forest. A landmark release in the GAS odyssey that drew international attention, Pop was originally released in 2000 on the iconic Frankfurt imprint, Mille Plateux. Pop was heralded by Pitchfork at the time of release as being "an exercise in sonic texture... pure sonic velvet, the layered drone radiating a palpable warmth." Pop was reissued by Kompakt in 2016 as a part of GAS Box (now out of print) and by itself here. First time on 180 gram, triple-LP vinyl; includes original artwork.
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2LP
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KOM 193LP
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2019 repress. Double vinyl version of the highly-anticipated second full-length release by Axel Willner aka The Field for the Kompakt label. A digital trip through ambient, dance and drone, it's been gently pulsating and washing over you. The Field is Axel Willner, and his release Here We Go Sublime (KOMP 057CD/KOM 413LP) was one of the most acclaimed releases of 2007, receiving a 9.0 on Pitchfork and universal praise. The BBC called it "one of those rare albums that makes you wonder how you ever got by without it." The album is the soundtrack to the spit-shined airport of your dreams -- faceless, futuristic, and fuzzy. You could dance to it, sleep to it, or daydream to it: just a versatile little album. Willner's label, Kompakt, moved on from this successful released with his sophomore full-length, Yesterday And Today. Willner expands his palette, continuing the oblique sampling strategy of From Here We Go Sublime while building up the rhythmic architecture; the album features a group of different musicians and on the title track, Willner collaborates for the first time with Battles drummer John Stanier. Since startling the world with his debut, Willner has been highly in demand as a remixer, with tracks from Thom Yorke to Battles to Maps raising his profile, so that now legions are gathered, in that spit-shined terminal, waiting for their blissed-out departure.
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KOMP 155CD
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Wolfgang Voigt on the release (September 2019): "20 years of Pop Ambient. Already? One didn't notice. It's an anniversary which comes quietly. An anniversary with quiet tones. In the spirit of the special restraint of pop-elegance, it has no reason to drawn attention to itself with a big 'Tam-Tam'. Or better: 'Bum-Bum'. The bass drum stays outside. Nevertheless, in fast-paced, overstimulated times of moving forward, it's a joyful occasion to look back. What strikes most by putting or listening to 20 years of Pop Ambient in a row is the central theme that holds together the dense aesthetic concept like the pearls of a necklace. Floral beauty for digital naturalists. Music like flowers, that don't wilt. Timeless. Ageless. But with all of the conceptual unity and resolution, Pop Ambient would not be Kompakt without the break, the friction, the expansion of musical boundaries in between tradition and innovation, in between conspiracy and the openness of the discourse. Aestheticism, escapism, acting in the spirit of 'nevertheless'. Swans drifting by, clouds pass over, everything is floating and: 'Boredom is a stylistic device' (Andy Warhol). Pop Ambient music is medicine against illnesses, that you don't even suffer from. It's giving everything, demanding nothing. Musical lotus leafs, off which the virtual wastewater of our time is rolling like the reality is dripping off the matrix. In this sense, we're happy about the pop-ambient anniversary greetings from new and old companions like Thore Pfeiffer, Max Würden, Yui Onodera, Jörg Burger, Thomas Fehlmann, Morgen Wurde, Leandro Fresco, as well as contributions from T.Raumschmiere, Andrew Thomas, and, after a long break, from friends from early days like Joachim Spieth, Markus Guentner, and Klimek... Breath in. Breath out. Thank you." Also features Maria Estrella, Gen Pop, and Pepo Galan.
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LP
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KOM 411LP
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While during the 1990s -- higher, faster, further! -- the straight bass drum has been shot around the globe, there arose a number of variations of more or less contemplative slow and sacred music from all kinds of corners at the same time. In a sense, it's the other side of the medal: chillout, lounge, easy listening, trance, muzak, and elevator music, electronic music and intelligent techno... and of course and in particular: ambient. In classical and new variations. Beside the constant pushing forward of the so called "Sound Of Cologne" -- minimal techno in the home of Kompakt, there was also a strong faible for ambient sounds. Not only because of the labels origin and its operator's preference for the pop music of the '70s and '80s, there was evolving a variety of ambient music, that added the aspect of pop to the confusing diversity of genres during that time. Not pop in the sense of actual classic pop music: pop in the sense of subculture, of pop art and, first and foremost, in the sense of pop as an attitude. This was how Pop Ambient was launched and the way it established its own authentic music with a high recognition value. Pop Ambient is indulging the beauty and the timelessness. Pop Ambient is a sonic cosmos of attitude for itself and has no fears of contact with adjoining genres nor with kitsch, art or carnival. It's ambient if you do it nevertheless. Features Joachim Spieth, Ulf Lohmann, All, Dettinger, Geometric Farms, Mint, Markus Guentner, Reinhard Voigt, and Gustavo Lamas.
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2LP
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KOM 410LP
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Double-LP version includes 44-page art book with the whole distinctive cover-series; includes additional track by Thore Pfeiffer; includes download.Wolfgang Voigt on the release (September 2019): "20 years of Pop Ambient. Already? One didn't notice. It's an anniversary which comes quietly. An anniversary with quiet tones. In the spirit of the special restraint of pop-elegance, it has no reason to drawn attention to itself with a big 'Tam-Tam'. Or better: 'Bum-Bum'. The bass drum stays outside. Nevertheless, in fast-paced, overstimulated times of moving forward, it's a joyful occasion to look back. What strikes most by putting or listening to 20 years of Pop Ambient in a row is the central theme that holds together the dense aesthetic concept like the pearls of a necklace. Floral beauty for digital naturalists. Music like flowers, that don't wilt. Timeless. Ageless. But with all of the conceptual unity and resolution, Pop Ambient would not be Kompakt without the break, the friction, the expansion of musical boundaries in between tradition and innovation, in between conspiracy and the openness of the discourse. Aestheticism, escapism, acting in the spirit of 'nevertheless'. Swans drifting by, clouds pass over, everything is floating and: 'Boredom is a stylistic device' (Andy Warhol). Pop Ambient music is medicine against illnesses, that you don't even suffer from. It's giving everything, demanding nothing. Musical lotus leafs, off which the virtual wastewater of our time is rolling like the reality is dripping off the matrix. In this sense, we're happy about the pop-ambient anniversary greetings from new and old companions like Thore Pfeiffer, Max Würden, Yui Onodera, Jörg Burger, Thomas Fehlmann, Morgen Wurde, Leandro Fresco, as well as contributions from T.Raumschmiere, Andrew Thomas, and, after a long break, from friends from early days like Joachim Spieth, Markus Guentner, and Klimek... Breath in. Breath out. Thank you." Also features Maria Estrella, Gen Pop, and Pepo Galan.
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2LP
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KOM 413LP
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If Kompakt had to name one thing fans have been consistently asking for, it's a vinyl version of The Field's legendary first album From Here We Go Sublime: originally rolled out in 2007, this much-acclaimed full-length debut of what was to become one of the most celebrated projects in the label's fold saw a regular CD edition and an accompanying 12" sampler -- but never a full vinyl release. Following Kompakt's long sold out 2014 limited edition reissue for Record Store Day, the label welcome From Here We Go Sublime back as a double-LP in gatefold vinyl.
Axel Willner, aka The Field, joined the Kompakt family in 2005, bringing forward a new fusion of ambient and techno that fed on his adoration for Wolfgang Voigt's classic '90s projects Gas and M:I:5 as well as the shoegazer rock of Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine. Called a "techno pop landmark" by Pitchfork, From Here We Go Sublime almost immediately became a cult favorite, starting a trend that continues to this day -- as can be seen with The Field's 2013 full-length offering, Cupid's Head, that has been lauded by critics and crowds alike. The most striking feat of From Here We Go Sublime must be its sonic cohesiveness, debuting a fully-formed artistic vision that -- seven years and three albums later -- hasn't lost any of its luster. As a fixture in The Field's discography, it remains as important as ever, with Axel Willner installing a blueprint that inspired many but sounds like no one else... except himself. Giving you a feeling of warmth and familiarity on first listen that you can't quite grasp, it's like this sound has always existed, when in fact it was the unique creation from one highly gifted producer. And it all starts here.
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12"
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KOM EX113EP
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After Anna & Kittin's monstrous "Forever Ravers" (KOM EX112EP) which is already deemed as one of 2019's biggest tracks, Speicher is back with three-tracker brimming with raw energy from three hotly tipped up-and-comers. Blackrachas commands the A-side with his immersive late-night tune "Giorno Di Pioggia". It's pure trance (not trance) of a darker kind with ecstatic melodic outbursts that'll tingle all the right places. Stockholm's Christian Nielsen is making his welcome return and he's out to kill. Imagine a chimera made of brute early '90s Belgian proto-techno and uplifting hard house beats that recalls Jason Nevins at his prime. Last but not least, Odd Oswald & Stephan Barnem deliver a smart industrial banger complete with unexpected twists and turns that'll certainly do the right kind of damage on any trusted main floor.
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12"
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KOM 409EP
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In future times, culture historians will refer to Gabor Schablitzki, aka Robag Wruhme, as a creator of a singular techno sound, a rock in the murky sea of arbitrary musical dullness that befell mankind in the early 21st century. Furthermore, a lesser known quality of Schablitzki will be praised and explored: he was a relentless wordsmith, a deeply passionate inventor of elegant idioms that enriched German language. Take "Freggelswuff" or "Wemmel" as shining examples. It's within this context that a certain cultural artefact released on a Cologne-based record label called Kompakt (which towards the end of the 21st century made a hardly publicized turn to manufacturing CO2-neutral wall plug systems) that went by the sonorous title Topinambur has to be mentioned. Legend has it that Schablitzki claimed to have created the word "Topinambur", unknowingly that local farmers have been marketing a root tuber under the same name since it got imported from America in 1610AD. The following tenacious copyright lawsuit between Schablitzki and a large agricultural consortium lasted for many years. It isn't considered as a highpoint in Schablitzki's turbulent life but it still serves a staircase wit that is passed on from generation to generation amongst Black Forest moonshiners.
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12"
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KOM EX112EP
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Anna returns for her third round on Speicher. Kittin (formerly known as Miss Kittin) needs no introduction -- she is nothing short of a trailblazer in dance music history by contributing countless times through her voice, music, and DJing. Together they are Forever Ravers, dispatching a message of everlasting unity for the dancefloor community. Anna brings her most voracious production skills to date interwound with Kittin sounding at her best in an explosive consequence that we can only describe as being a must-hear techno hymn. Anna takes the original past the stratosphere with her "Raving In Space Mix".
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LP
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KOM 407LP
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Kompakt welcomes veteran contemporary experimental producer Marcus Schmickler with the release of his spectacular noise/techno fused medallion entitled Particle/Matter-Wave/Energy. Marcus Schmickler's fifty plus release discography is one of the most fascinating in his field. From his studies under Cologne-based Stockhausen collaborator Johannes Fritsch to his releases through legendary imprints a-Musik, Editions Mego, and Mille Plateaux, over the years Schmickler has been behind innumerable collaborations and sonic explorations. Be it through his ground-breaking indie/electronic band Pluramon or through his releases that have included collaborations with musicians such as John Tilbury, Thomas Lehn, Julee Cruise, or MIMEO, he has even had his works being performed by ensemble recherche, musikFabrik, or Paragon Ensemble. Beyond continuing to perform on the world stages, he authors theater and film and currently teaches at Institut für Musik und Medien in Dusseldorf. Particle/Matter-Wave/Energy, a 37-minute long piece (split into two parts on the LP version), explores the borders of a scientific universality of sonification towards something that becomes a singular experience -- sound. The pieces' foundational aim was to create an acoustic rendering of what it sounds like when two galaxies collide by gravitational forces. To avoid this one sheet getting lost in theory, the audible result of Particle/Matter-Wave/Energy is an incredibly, immersive work that is required listening from start to end. Contemporary experimental music and modern techno collide as waves of synths caress the listener through intense waves of frequency variables. The orchestral enormity of the piece is both discomforting yet embracing as the listener feels engulfed with its robotic caress.
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2CD
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KOMP 154CD
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You may ask: "In the day and age of streaming playlists and the omnipresence of freely available mixes, what's the use of a label compilation?" The answer is simple: labels still serve as a dearly needed filter mechanism in this tsunami of music we're facing every day. Labels strive to establish trust between artists and listeners. They're like your favorite restaurant around the corner. On the spur of the moment, you might find more excitement in that hip place that just opened somewhere else. But when the novelty fades, you'll always return to your sanctuary. The safe place where they know your name and the last drink is on the house. Kompakt has become such a place for generations of fans and artists alike. And the Total compilation series serves as its menu: always changing but instantly recognizable. As per usual, Total is a collection of the past year's biggest tunes, the creme de la creme of Kompakt's steady output of 12-inches. With Jürgen Paape, the notorious Voigt brothers, Thomas/Mayer, and Jörg Burger -- all founding fathers are on board. Legacy artists Sascha Funke and Justus Köhncke make their long-awaited comebacks, the latter with a kinky Patrick Cowley homage called "Mindless Sex Track". Cologne young blood Julian Stetter nails the starry-eyed, romantic Kompakt signature sound with his remix for an up-and-coming local pop outfit called Albert Luxus. Fellow Colonian Jonathan Kaspar makes his label debut with his slinky track "Renard". DJ Balduin definitely is one to watch in 2020. His massive "E.W.B.A." transcends the friendly populism of an ancient Love Parade anthem while capturing the sincere spirit of today's electro revival. Rex The Dog's "Vortex" and Tom Demac's "Serenade" perfectly showcase why Kompakt is still one of the most played and charted labels in electronic music today. In a scene that is more fragmented than ever these two producers delivered true consensus hits that are cherished on all sizes and shapes of floors beyond genre boundaries. The second half completely belongs to a whole new breed from the label's beloved Speicher series such as ANNA, Yotam Avni, Extrawelt, Raxon, Blackrachas, John Monkman, and La Fleur alongside the label's full-time members Patrice Bäumel, Kölsch, and Gui Boratto. Double-CD version also includes Weval, Julian Stetter, Reinhard Voigt, Anii, Clarian, Fahrland, James Monro, and an unreleased Jörg Burger.
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2LP
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KOM 400LP
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Double LP version. Includes only exclusive tracks, featuring: Jürgen Paape, Jonathan Kaspar, Thomas/Mayer, Albert Luxus, Julian Stetter, Sascha Funke, Voigt & Voigt, The Modernist, and Justus Köhncke; includes download. You may ask: "In the day and age of streaming playlists and the omnipresence of freely available mixes, what's the use of a label compilation?" The answer is simple: labels still serve as a dearly needed filter mechanism in this tsunami of music we're facing every day. Labels strive to establish trust between artists and listeners. They're like your favorite restaurant around the corner. On the spur of the moment, you might find more excitement in that hip place that just opened somewhere else. But when the novelty fades, you'll always return to your sanctuary. The safe place where they know your name and the last drink is on the house. Kompakt has become such a place for generations of fans and artists alike. And the Total compilation series serves as its menu: always changing but instantly recognizable. As per usual, Total is a collection of the past year's biggest tunes, the creme de la creme of Kompakt's steady output of 12-inches. With Jürgen Paape, the notorious Voigt brothers, Thomas/Mayer, and Jörg Burger -- all founding fathers are on board. Legacy artists Sascha Funke and Justus Köhncke make their long-awaited comebacks, the latter with a kinky Patrick Cowley homage called "Mindless Sex Track". Cologne young blood Julian Stetter nails the starry-eyed, romantic Kompakt signature sound with his remix for an up-and-coming local pop outfit called Albert Luxus. Fellow Colonian Jonathan Kaspar makes his label debut with his slinky track "Renard". DJ Balduin definitely is one to watch in 2020. His massive "E.W.B.A." transcends the friendly populism of an ancient Love Parade anthem while capturing the sincere spirit of today's electro revival. Rex The Dog's "Vortex" and Tom Demac's "Serenade" perfectly showcase why Kompakt is still one of the most played and charted labels in electronic music today. In a scene that is more fragmented than ever these two producers delivered true consensus hits that are cherished on all sizes and shapes of floors beyond genre boundaries. The second half completely belongs to a whole new breed from the label's beloved Speicher series such as ANNA, Yotam Avni, Extrawelt, Raxon, Blackrachas, John Monkman, and La Fleur alongside the label's full-time members Patrice Bäumel, Kölsch, and Gui Boratto.
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