Bleep

The eighteenth incarnation of Kompakt’s ‘TOTAL’ series arrives amidst a flurry of activity as the label celebrates their twenty fifth birthday. An expansive insight into the current direction and mood of the Cologne based imprint, ‘TOTAL 18’ contains work by producers with both new and old allegiances to the label. Co-founder, Jürgen Paape, impresses label listeners with an uncustomary appearance, offering the modestly titled ‘Well, It’s Paape’ as the compilation’s opening. ‘Well, It’s Paape’ begins as an early 2000s R&B hook, quickly and ingeniously manipulated to resemble the kind of dance track synonymous with Kompakt’s output. Michael Mayer’s selection includes ‘White Flowers’, a curious tech-house number that captures audiences with the spoken word delivery of its vocals, hailing from Tom Demac & Real Lies. Voigt & Voigt bring a techno work to the table on ‘Durch & Durch’, which pumps forward with more fury than the rest of the compilation. Also features stellar work by label kingpins Gui Boratto, Anna and Rex and the Dog.