I was once under the impression Kompakt was a dead-in-the-water minimal techno label that just shoveled bland, drippy 4/4 onto the market, years after it's initial glory days were over. Maybe in the mid 00's it had run out of steam a bit, I dunno - I certainly never dreamed i'd be intrigued & eager enough to buy anything brandishing THAT name. How completely fucking wrong I was. Seemingly, German techno (& its many hybrid offshoots) has become revitalized, re-energised & fluidly funky again - these annual double disc journals being the year's contemporary benchmark by which many other acts & labels can only be judged. I can't easily start picking out key moments here but the general vibe is of eclectic crisp 'n' fresh electronica forged from old techno & house templates that takes inspiration from various strands of "non-electronic" music such as Krautrock, soul & rockabilly. You'll get anything from slick emo-house to deep mind-rattling techno and so, so much inbetween. This album works as much as a background mood setter as it could completely slay a party. Much of the cream of today's European dance music is to be lapped up here, get it while it's extra fresh for optimum delight!!
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Sound clips for Total 11 by Various (The Field, Wolfgang Voigt, Gui Boratto, Michael Mayer etc.): on vinyl at Norman Records UK. Triple LP (vinyl), Kompakt, KOMPAKT220, £14.89.
Kompakt's flagship annual release arrives. * Features 95% exclusive new music from the likes of DJ KOZE, SUPERPITCHER, THE FIELD , WOLFGANG VOIGT, JORG BURGER, GUI BORATTO, MATIAS AGUAYO..... * MICHAEL MAYER’s “Picanha Frenesi” is one of his first solo productions in years and proves that he’s still got a whole lot to prove– a true highlight of TOTAL 11. KOMPAKT chef WOLFGANG VOIGT has had a tremendously productive year back in the studio and brings his classic minimal techno forward to 2010 with the inspiring “Robert Schumann / Clara Wieck”. We welcome the astounding 15 year old duo JATOMA from Copenhagen who debut on KOMPAKT with their psychedelic techno haze of glory “Helix”. WALLS have had a spectacular year following their self-titled debut – Sam Willis of the act under his guise ALLEZ ALLEZ re-tools their single “Hang Four” into electro-notched exuberant * Joining TOTAL comes IVAN SMAGGHE and TIM PARIS aka IT’S A FINE LINE with their rockabilly wreck-no swinger “Eins Fine Grind”, THE FIELD elaborates on his passion for Krautrock with “Caroline”. Those PACHANGA BOYS surprised and demolished the last TOTAL and return with a batch of dangerous home-made tequila-techno with “Power”. Kompakt’s maestro JÜRGEN PAAPE ups the notch with “Mensch und Maschine” – his days running the record store come to life using only sounds from the KOMPAKT warehouse! In perfect conclusion, JÖRG BURGER returns after his successful failure “Modernism Begins At Home” with another attempt to qualify for next year’s Eurovision Song Contest with “Sparwasser”. His love and sense for classical song writing, combined with dubious song titles are a rare quality in the world of electronic music. * Brazil’s GUI BORATTO who teams up with drummer IGGOR CAVALERA (ex-SEPULTURA) to come up with “Plié” and re-defines the scope emo-techno once again. MATIAS AGUAYO’s smash hit “Rollerskate” gets reshaped again with his Chilean comrade SANFUENTES. Cologne’s blond ambition ADA teams up with HEIKO VOSS for the soulful “Walk Over” then invites her mates MAYBURG (aka MICHAEL MAYER & JÖRG BURGER) to do a surprisingly smooth and catchy remix of GUSGUS “Hateful”. Back to BURGER where he teams up with SUPERPITCHER and the chupacabra of techno REBOLLEDO to provide a super remedy for the British soul. THE THREE LIONS soothing “You’ll Win Again” will bring everything back home but Football plus features a brass section and MICHAEL MAYER on saxophone!
* TRACKLIST:
- CD1: 1. DJ Koze – Der Wallach 2. Jatoma – Helix 3. Jürgen Paape – Mensch und Maschine 4. Ada & Heiko Voss – Walk Over 5. Matias Aguayo – Rollerskate (Sanfuentes & Thunders Version) 6. Superpitcher – Lapdance 7. Justus Köhncke – I Wouldn´t Wanna Be Like You 8. Mugwump – Losing Game 9. It’s a Fine Line – Eins Fine Grind 10. The Field – Caroline 11. Sog – Silbereisen 12. Sebastien Bouchet – St. Anne 13. Wolfgang Voigt – Robert Schumann / Clara Wieck 14. Jörg Burger – Sparwasser - CD2: 1. Thomas Fehlmann – Wasser im Fluss (Soulphiction Mix) 2. Michael Mayer – Picanha Frenesi 3. Gui Boratto feat. Iggor Cavalera – Plié 4. Robag Wruhme – Rollmoff 5. Jonas Bering – For Yves 6. Walls – Hang Four (Allez-Allez Mix) 7. Popnoname – Hello Gorgeous 8. Maxime Dangles – Dysnoptik 9. Coma – Bruxelles 10. Pachanga Boys – Power 11. GusGus – Hateful (Ada feat. Mayburg Mix) 12. The Three Lions – You´ll Win Again
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