Audiomatique Vol 2.0

One of Steve Bug’s handful of labels, Audiomatique is best known for having brought us the revolutionary sounds of Trentemøller. They’ve got a very impressive roster of other artists though – and this second label compilation mixed by NYC’s Adultnapper flits between the sublime and less captivating that the imprint flits between.
 
The first half of the CD is more of a minimal affair for the most part. Pole takes apart Trentemøller’s Miss You, turning it into an ambient, spooky affair, before Gui Boratto & Martin Eyerer inject some deep melody into their haunting The Beach. Mikael Jonasson gets the groove going on his bouncy, metallic Twenty-Se7en­ – tech house with a druggier feel to it – with Adultnapper himself carrying on the baton with the stripped down throb ‘n’ bounce of Oedipa E, covered in shards of echoing synth decays, and what can only be described as the sound of a metal pipe being hit with a tea spoon.
 
Gaiser teaches us how to groove in the Minus minimal style on his remix of ‘napper’s Juror No. 9, boiling it down to hollow, bouncing clicks, subtle whoomps of sub bass and a rhythm that ticks like a metronome on pills, before Trentemøller grounds us with the unhurried, atmospheric chug of Prana. We then hit a rather uninspired section of tripped-out, mongy tracks that lack both dancefloor energy and ample home listening quality – before reaching an inspired final quartet.
 
The Viewers’ Blank Images is a melodic slice of minimal electronic music, with an infectious, cute synth melody dancing about in a sprightly fashion, before the quivering, sustained chords and warm, deep-penetrating bass of Gui Boratto & Martin Eyerer’s The Island raises the intensity further. The melodic elements become more prevalent still, with the frequently incredible Robert Babicz creating a melancholic, gorgeous moment in Dark Flower; soft, techy stabs providing rhythmic backbone under the trance-esque, elastic bass lead line and Dr. Who like space pads providing a counter melody. Sublime, euphoric, gorgeous summer music.
 
The Viewers round things off with the beautifully mournful Streethorn – sorrowful, wavering strings providing a powerful melody over the throbbing techy beat, and a broken, off-kilter, emotive flute motif complimenting this other live element perfectly.
 
The mix is perfectly structured, and to be honest the bits that didn’t grab me only made me appreciate the rousing ending even more. Give it a whirl - it's out at the end of May but in the meantime you can check out some of the individual tracks. There's two samplers out in the next few weeks too.

Tracklisting

01. Trentemøller: Miss You (Pole Remix)
02. Gui Boratto & Martin Eyerer: The Beach
03. Mikael Jonasson: Twenty-Se7en
04. Martinez: Kansas City Shuf?e *
05. Adultnapper: Oedipa E *
06. Robert Babicz: Spiral Boogie
07. Adultnapper: Juror No. 9 (Gaiser's Found Guilty Remix)
08. Trentemøller: Prana
09. Adultnapper: Madeleine  
10. Martinez: Wooden Box
11. Martin Eyerer & Stephan Hinz: Shanghai Style *
12. Alexi Delano: What Is Control (Adultnapper's What's The Point Remix) *
13. The Viewers: Blank Images
14. Gui Boratto & Martin Eyerer: The Island
15. Robert Babicz: Dark Flower (Joris Voorn Magnolia mix)
16. The Viewers: Streethorn *
* = exclusively produced for the album