VARIOUS - Total 8

VARIOUS - Total 8 (Kompakt Germany) Comentários: Another instalment in Kompakt's ever-popular Total series, and once again the label trawls its past year's worth of releases for all the prime cuts, and throws in a whopping 12 new tracks for good measure. There are one or two big name collaborations to look out for this time around, not least the Supermayer project, which (as you'd imagine from the name) sees Michael Mayer hooking up with Superpitcher for some explosive, slow-building melodic techno, all given a remix touch-up from Geiger. Another notable meeting of minds is the union of Jorg Burger and Wolfgang Voigt, who get the compilation underway with their 'Man Lebt Nur Zweimal', a decidedly un-minimal midtempo track that's as much about tuneful instrumental arrangements (check the 'Wicked Game'-style guitar that hops in from out of nowhere) as it is stabbing rhythms. Superpitcher makes a solo appearance on 'Rainy Nights In Georgia', a spiky, noir-ish outing with a heavy nod to Kraftwerk synths. Other first disc highlights come from Rex The Dog, whose contribution is the supremely hooky electropopper 'Every Day' and Steadycam, whose 'In The Moog For Love' bloops along dutifully thanks to some nicely executed modulating arpeggios. The second disc is a far more streamlined listen, with the selections sequenced for a more consistently club-friendly appeal. Herve Ak's 'The Closer' sounds positively Sahko-like next to some of the maxed-out mixes on the previous CD, and on the two ensuing tracks (DJ Koze's 'Mariposa' and Reinhard Voigt's 'Follow The DJ') you'll find little in the way of baggage, but what is there is indicative of some seriously tight production work. Further down the line you'll encounter comparably fine compositions from Robert Babicz (remixing Gui Boratto), Justus Kohncke Jurgen Paape, Aril Brikkha and Oxia, to name but a few. in boomkat [Para Ouvir]