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...according to our Clinton on Fri 28 Jan, 2011.
If you start measuring your life out by these Pop Ambient comps, the years start to roll on by even faster than they normally do which is very fast indeed. I stopped listening to the excellent 2009 compilation only recently and it seems like only yesterday I had a flick through the 2010 effort. Now it's a case of "how is one supposed to keep up?" Well what we have here is one of the few compilation records that you really need as it usually showcases the best in your dub/techno/electronica/ambient type thing. The general consensus in the office is that these compilations have been getting darker and the opening track featuring Blixa Bargeld is tortured and strained in the way only Europeans can be. You'd never get an Englishman so openly upset. Anyway the second track by Marsten Jules is utterly captivating and although time is against me in trying to listen through the rest of the collection, I can tell you that it features Triola, Thomas Fehlman, Bvdub and the incredibly named Bhutan Tiger Rescue amongst others. These comps usually do steer away from the bigger household names but always contain gems you would not have otherwise stumbled across.
POP AMBIENT remains KOMPAKT’s beloved annual institution for unreleased and praised new selections from the world of beatless electronic music
As every year the compilation highlights outstanding ambient productions featuring renowned artists such as ANBB (Alva Noto & Blixa Bargeld), Thomas Fehlmann, Wolfgang Voigt, Jürgen Paape or Marsen Jules and newcomers such as Crato and Barnt of Magazine fame or Bhutan Tiger rescue, a collaboration of October and Ewan Pearson. Essential soundscape music. Curated and carefully compiled by label co-owner Wolfgang Voigt (aka GAS),. sombre times call for more introspective sound scapes – “Pop Ambient 2011” continues it’s mission to slopersuade it’s signature sound introduced over a decade ago.This year we see the series leaning towards a slightly darker complexion than it predecessors. We launch with a selection from one of Voigt’s favourite albums of 2010 – the impeccable “Bernsteinzimmer” from Carsten Nicolai/Alva Noto from Raster Noton and the legendary Blixa Bargeld of Einstürzende Neubauten. Marsen Jules aka Krill .Minima bringsclassical composition to soothing synthetic reality with “Once In A Moment”. Triola is the ambient voice of legendary Cologne producer JöBurger aka The Modernist. If compared to the melancholic but soothing and light Triola-signatue-sound, “Dunkelraum” (“Darkroom”) is dark and epic.
Wolfgang Voigt chooses to remain unveiled this year as he presents an exclusive track on “Pop Ambient 2011 “Rückverzauberung 1” his new concept. Emotive, GAS-eous harmony that glows and leaves you wanting more. Bhutan Tiger Rescue is the surprising duo of October and Ewan Pearson. They debut with a sleigh bell melodic drone tune that ominously breaks down in a sea of noise. Kompakt co-founder Jürgen Paape recalls the vintage beauty of “Ambient 4” Eno together compelling vocals and horns to sooth the way. Bvdub is on today’s most revered musicians and we’re pleased to welcome him back with his seemingly endless layers of depth.
Kompakt’s own John Harteaka Crato could be Pop Ambient’s answer to black metal – a most unholy matrimony but exceptionally executed! Fel Cologne conspirator Daniel Ansorge aka Barnt made waves in 2010 with his debut on the Magazine imprint alongside Crato and takes the sound of the chime to astounding levels. Mikkel Metal of Copenhagen returns after a very successful run of releases on Echocord contributing a masterful synth-pop excursion. Jens-Uwe Beyer may be known to many as Popnoname and has remained a highlight of past editions of Pop Ambient. This year he thrills us with a guitar treatment with “Volax” – sincerely Beyer’s, he evokes a talent not unlike Tim Hecker. Finally, we leave you this year with a production of epic proportions. In October, 2010 The Orb’s own Thomas Fehlmann performed together with select members of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano. We present an exclusive, alternative Fehlmann “solo” take of “Symphony No. 1” aka “Titan” by Gustav MahlThe “Pop Ambient 2011” version is an exclusive solo version of this classical recording. The live recordings from this one-off collaboration shall be released on 12” limited edition, hand numbered vinyl as “Titan One” (KOM 224) on January 31, 2011.
01./A1 ANBB / Alva Noto & Blixa Bargeld – Bernsteinzimmer
02./A2 Marsen Jules – Once In A Moment
03./A3 Triola – Dunkelraum
04./A4 Wolfgang Voigt – Rückverzauberung 1
05./A5 Bhutan Tiger Rescue – Beginner’s Waltz
06./B1 Jürgen Paape – Ein Schöner Land
07./B2 bvdub – Make The Pain Go Away
08./B3 Crato – 30.6.1881
09./B4 Barnt – Libretto
10./B5 Mikkel Metal – The Other Side Of You
11./B6 Jens-Uwe Beyer – Volax
12. Thomas Fehlmann – Titan (cd only - the track will be released on vinyl as limited edition on KOM 224!)
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