Review: As sure as night follows day, every year Kompakt releases an installment of the Total series. Now at its sixteenth volume, the compilation still manages to bring together the best bits from the Cologne label's catalogue. From the dreamy textures and spiky off rhythms of Kaytlin Aurelia Smith's take on The Field's "Reflecting Lights" to the woozy vocals and pitter pattering break beats on Weval's "I Donat Need It" to the stripped back but evocative house of Patrice Baumel's take on Blond:ish's "Endless Games" and the throbbing techno reshape of Coma's "Lora", the full range of the Kompakt emotional spectrum is audible here.
Alpine (Prins Thomas Short Yoga Break version) - (4:31) 78 BPM
Review: Given that Prins Thomas' paid tribute to ambient house heroes such as The Orb on his brilliant Principe Del Norte album, it's not that surprising to see him reworking Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlman's recent single, Alpine. We can happily report that he's done a stellar job, with the near 12-minute Diskomiks offering just the right balance between classic Orb (think fluid synth movements, tactile bass and oodles of ambient house atmospherics), and his own loose, percussive, off-kilter Scandolearic disco sound. The full mix is accompanied by an edited, to-the-point version for DJs (amusingly titled 'Simpler Tool For DJ Fools'), and four minutes of beatless, muesli-sporting ambience (the 'Short Yoga Break version'). The latter is, predictably, effortlessly beautiful.
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