Kompakt Extra Germany Vinilo y CD

Review: Patrice Baumel returns to Kompakt's Speicher series with 'Speicher 133' and it's every bit as captivating as you'd hope. 'Luce' delivers a sleek, minimal groove infused with Chiara Gamo's ethereal vocals, building tension and warmth with just a few masterful elements. 'The Cave' continues the journey, drawing us into a mystical world of echoing droplets and haunting whispers, evoking the sensation of wandering through a stalactite-filled cavern. Baumel once again proves his ability to create pure magic with minimal means.

Review: Kompakt's legendary Speicher series is up to its 130th installment here and none other than electroclash forefather and International DJ Gigolo label head DJ Hell features, firstly with his cut 'Anything Anytime' remixed by Voigt & Voigt. It's a mid-tempo electronic sound with dwarves of fizzing synth and filtered robot vocals that bring a melancholic note to the wavy beats. Then Hell himself steps up with his own flipside remix. He brings plenty of raw strobe-lit energy and snappy drum funk to Wassermann's 'WIR'.

Review: Ida Engberg's contribution to this release marks a striking departure from the Swedish techno DJ and record producer's usual sound, an unexpected, lush journey through the world of 2 step genre that's definitely not typically seen in her catalogue. The track is at once sensual and booming, designed for the late-morning hours when the dancefloor shifts from peak-time frenzy to more reflective, intimate moments. It pulses with a calm intensity, creating a smooth yet exhilarating rhythm that invites the listener into an immersive experience. On the flip side, 'Pink Monkeys' is a true sonic adventure, blending elements of EBM and sawtooth trance to produce a thrilling, psychedelic atmosphere. The track is a festival-ready anthem, charged with energy and unrestrained sound, allowing Ida to stretch her creative muscles even further. Meanwhile, Marco Resmann delivers two tracks that showcase his deep-rooted versatility. 'RIMA feat. Laatz' is a high-octane techno rollercoasterimenacing, frenetic, and impossible to ignore. Its relentless drive and chaotic energy keep the listener on their toes, offering a new, radical take on techno. Then, 'Dimensions' shifts into a more intricate, electro-driven vibe. Its low-slung groove is filled with subtle details, creating a balanced equilibrium that simultaneously engages both the mind and the body. Resmann's approach is detailed and meticulous, ensuring each sound has a purpose and brings the track to life. Together, these four tracks exemplify a mastery of genre-blending, pushing boundaries while still maintaining an infectious, danceable core that connects with listeners on a deep, visceral level.

Review: The 110th release from Kompakt Extra comes from Extrawelt, a long-serving electronic band from Hamburg that has previously impressed via albums and singles on Traum Schallplatten, Border Community, Darkroom Dubs and Cocoon Recordings. They naturally hit the ground running with "Pink Panzer", a bustling affair that mixes live drum breakbeats and tough machine percussion with moody, booming bass, creepy strings and evocative, ever-building tech-house electronics. Flipside "Argonaut" is an altogether sleazier and heavier affair full of thrusting, non-stop distorted bass, redlined post-electro drums and all manner of mind-mangling electronic effects. It's effectively the Yang to the A-side's Ying and, like its' predecessor, very good indeed.

Review: Ok, so the Speicher 95 series from Cologne's mythical Kompakt label is always capable of pleasing all sorts of DJs, from the shady outsider freaks to the progressive show-off, but having Laurent Garnier on top of that feels like striking gold. The legendary French producer and DJ doesn't exactly release a lot of music these days, so a new two-tracker by the man feels like something truly special to adorn our charts with. On the A-side, "1-4 Doctor C'est Chouette" is an explorative house voyage with plenty of life and organic energy behind its deep web of bass tones and spaced-out melodies; the flip, "From The Crypt To The Astrofloor", is another story altogether - Garnier enters a new realm of cerebral fantasy here, a world that sits more in line with films like Akira or Blade Runner rather than a basement dance floor. Magic.

Review: Grown-up techno label Kompkat has always served up its most dancefloor ready sounds as part of the Speicher series and it is now up to an impressive 129 installments. This one kicks off with Hunter/Game & U S H N U's collaboration 'Reload' which is an electric cut with bright synth lines shimmering about the mix next to thunderous claps and dark future vocals. On the flip, Bawrut cuts loose with rave stabs over dense percussive grooves with vocal snatches adding to the unsettling and boisterous mood of 'Clapa', which does indeed also have plenty of claps.

Review: Fresh experimental dance cuttage from Jonathan Kaspar for Kompakt, clearly at the label's absolute vanguard for what constitutes boundary-pushing in 2023. A resident at the Gewolbe club in Cologne, Kaspar has surely flexed enough muscles to have worked out what makes the less easy-to-please dance-goer tick - and we think he's cracked it on 'Speicher 127', two tracks indulging weirdo drum-flams and crazy-emotive filter-sweeps respectively. Recalling the work of Barnt, but with perhaps an even more patient approach, the likes of 'Topper' and 'FEZ' are not to be trifled with.

Review: Kompakt Extra presents "Speicher 50" from Oxia and Intus. With "Not Sure" Olivier 'Oxia' Raymond delivers the pivotal 50th hymn. A Speicher Jubilee. On the flip an old friend from Bavaria serenades the 50 Jubilee, under a very fitting project name Intus. There is kicking vodka-techno beats, ingeniously out of tune, and a howling guitar lurching us into the seventh sky of spiritual bliss. Nice.

Review: Goodness gracious, it's finally time to go off the deep end. Jurgen Paape is back in the ring with "Speicher 47", on Kompackt Extra Germany. Envision a truck loaded with nuclear waste bouncing down the techno highway, All blockades and roadkill that bar it's way are ravaged through without mercy. Veiled in a voluptuous camo net of harmonious grandeur, it flows with a similar straightforwardness as it's predecessor. But this companion differs, preferring to dwell in the nether regions of the obscurity of clarity that comes in the wee hour, when a dancefloor makes all too much sense. Techno!

Review: Although Robag Wruhme has appeared on the main Kompakt label a number of times over the last decade, this two-track 12" is actually his first appearance on the club-focused Kompakt Extra offshoot. As you'd expect from a producer with such a great track record, A-side "Yes" is superb. Built around swinging, off-kilter tech-house beats, hazy aural textures and a driving bassline, the track builds in waves thanks to Wruhme's canny use of moody pads, sustained - and undeniably creepy - chords and a wiggly acid line that intensifies as the track progresses. Over on the flip, "Calma Calma" is an altogether deeper and quietly sunny affair, with Wruhme wrapping female spoken word vocals, stirring orchestration and glassy-eyed melodies around another crunchy tech-house groove.

Review: Over a career stretching back almost two decades, Robag Wruhme has proved to be one of minimal house and techno's most unique producers, with a trademark sound that's become a byword for mind-altering, late-night quality. Fans of the Wruhme sound will love his latest outing on Kompakt extra. Our pick of the pair is driving A-side 'No', where mystical sounds, exotic percussion and sustained chords rise above a thrusting bassline and a rock-solid drum machine rhythm. By his standards it's quite "big", though that's not a criticism - 'No' genuinely sounds like a proper peak-time banger. B-side 'Frontex Freppant' is more in-keeping with his hazy, hypnotic sound of old, with stabbing electronics, looped aural textures and wonky electronics clustered around another tough, weighty techno groove.