Total 10

Another year, another collection of recent and exclusive goodies from Germany’s ever-impressive and innovative Kompakt label.
 
DJ Koze kicks things off in typically oddball format, layering the sounds from a round of tennis over a lazy, hazy electro groove on 40 Love, followed by the intricate percussion and soothing tones of Thomas & Mayer’s Total 9. Dirk Leyer’s mix of Justin Köhncke’s It’s Gonna Be (Alright) is a wonderfully soothing, deep piece of melodic electronica, with a touch of classic prog ambience about it, followed by Shumi’s delightful, gently euphoric The Wind & The Sea. A particular highlight is Gui Boratto’s spine-tingling re-rub of Sam Taylor-Wood & Pet Shop Boys’ I’m In Love With A German Film Star, the sultry vocal breathing new sexiness into Gui’s already very sensual sound.
 
Ada’s Lovestoned verges on vocal trance, albeit very classy vocal trance, with Coma’s Sum sounding like the essence of trance boiled down to a gentle summer. Nicolas Stefan’s Closer is another classy, restrained blinder, with sumptuous melody and ethereal riffs cutting through the epic atmospherics – emotional and powerful without the need for anything overblown. Mayburg feat Ada’s Each And Every Day won’t find any favour with chinstroking purists thanks to its lush girly vocals, but it works well for us. Supermayer’s mix of Goyte’s Heart’s A Mess is a truly stunning reworking, booming bass and stomping beats giving a bit of bite to the Trentemøller-esque textures, glorious strings and vocals that lie atop. It comes across a bit like The Police meeting Massive Attack.
 
It’s not all pretty fluff though – Jonas Bering’s Who Is Who adds some grit into the mix with its grimy bassline and harrowing sounds, and Jürgen Paape’s Ofterschwang is a welcome respite, injecting some much-need Bavarian oompah sillyness into these electronic depths. You won’t find a funnier track this year. There’s sparkly nu disco from Mugwump on Ignored Folklore, and bizarre Hispanic folk flavours on Pachanga Boys’ Fiesta Forever, all in all making this a very high quality and suitably diverse package with lots to keep you coming back for more. Its high points are utter delights.

Tracklisting:

CD1:

01 DJ Koze: "40 Love"
02 Thomas/Mayer: "Total 9"
03 Justus Köhncke: "(It's Gonna Be) Alright (Dirk Leyers Mix)"
04 Shumi: "The Wind and the Sea"
05 Sam Taylor-Wood: "I'm in Love With a German Film Star (Gui Boratto Mix)"
06 Ada: "Lovestoned"
07 Coma: "Sum"
08 Gui Boratto: "No Turning Back (Wighnomy's Likkalize Love Rekksmi)"
09 Nicolas Stefan: "Closer"
10 Jonas Bering: "Who Is Who"

CD2:

01 Justus Köhncke: "Give It to Me Easy"
02 Matias Aguayo: "Walter Neff"
03 Mayburg: "Each and Every Day [ft. Ada]"
04 Gotye: "Heart's a Mess (Supermayer Mix)"
05 The Field: "The More I Do (Thomas Fehlmann Mix)"
06 Burger/Voigt: "Wand Aus Klang (It's a Fine Line Mix)"
07 Wassermann: Berg Und Tal (Instrumental)"
08 Juergen Paape: "Ofterschwang"
09 Reinhard Voigt: "Am Limit"
10 Mugwump: "Ignored Folklore"
11 Pachanga Boys: "Fiesta Forever"