Review: Having reached its seventeenth volume, the Total series is making its transition from adolescence into adulthood, but it has lost none of its youthful charms. Like previous editions, it features highlights from the German label's recent releases - including anthems from Laurent Garnier and The Orb - alongside some new gems. The latter category sees Thomas/Mayer deliver the tripped out, acid playfulness of "25", while Kompakt regular Superpitcher chimes in with the angelic vocals and skipping groove of "In My Head". Speaking of otherworldly moments, Jurgen Paape's "Always Disko" is a spaced out disco track from another dimension. Trends and fads come and go, but Kompakt will forever remain a constant, defined by its Total series.
Review: Parisian producer Demian is back with more EBM noir business which follows up great releases recently on Correspondant. Clouded Vision and Blindetonation. For Kompakt this time, his profile has certainly gained traction and his sound is keeping up. Starting of with the slow burning arpeggiated sleaze of "Declica" before the title track chugs along in tunnelling and hypnotic fashion: with yet more spangling vintage synth sequences awash in atmospheric pads. Finally "No Hype For The Fish" is all about those shimmering and wonky synth stabs that dance around the audio spectrum supported by gutsy and rusty drum machines.?
Review: Clouded Vision boss Matt Walsh's first mix CD, The Clouded Vision Experiment, gained plenty of praise on its 2012 release. Three years on, he's finally got round to putting together a follow-up. As with its predecessor, The Clouded Vision Experiment Level 2 aims to join the dots between bouncy, electro-influenced techno, warehouse-friendly tech-house, glistening nu-disco (see the Eskimo Twins' "Elegy") and hard-to-define, dancefloor-friendly electronica (Richard Norris's "Dim The Lights" being a great example). The unmixed portion of the collection is full of gems, including tracks and remixes from The Hacker, Pulp Disco & The Outcasts (whose P-funk goes-acid banger "3.142" stands out) and the brilliantly named Forty Fingers Dynamo.
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