The Detroit techno complement to the dreamy, wide-armed take on tech-house of parent label Traum, Cologne's Trapez has spent the better part of the last decade forging a reputation for woollier, deep-night sounds in a city often associated with fleecy dance creations. Sporting a rotating roster of close compatriots like Alex Under, Nôze and M.I.A., Trapez has always been Riley Reinhold's DJ-treat tagline, allowing him to reserve Traum for more ethereal, homebound tracks. Following Traum's marking its 100th vinyl release last year, Trapez's turn now arrives with Trapez 100, a compilation of exclusives and remixes of some of the label's favorite works.
If we begin in rearview mode though, what would a Trapez celebration be without Triple R's beloved "Fox in the Box"? Christian Martin take on UND's original is chunkier, a bit wider in the arse, providing the cut's bizarre cheeky strut a little more bounce to its step while maintaining its sense of play. Cologne's own Salz infuses Five Green Circle's "Verse 2the Chorus" with blurts of dark color and tone, splattering more than strokes of melody around its simple core rhythms. Elsewhere, Berlin duo Format B leaves the peak alarms and sirens of Florian Meindl's 2008 summer jam "Blast" intact, playing head games with its cloaked, claustrophobic peak atmospheres. Dirt Crew co-owner Break 3000's fizzy, slow-bubblin' take on Oliver Hacke's "Der Vampir Van Dusseldorf" was recreated essentially from ground-up; the new version focuses on little glints of silver light on a blank lampless night, small ringing tones against a cold grind.
But as with Traum 100 last year, there's far more to be gleaned from Trapez 100's exclusives than its fond backward glances. If celebratory label comps are about cake and ice cream, and not staking out possible future vistas, Trapez puts its party hat on right by calling in its biggie vets for sheer night bliss. First and foremost, Traum stalwart and imaginary forest ranger Dominik Eulberg turns up with "Ambivalent." Beginning with perky tribal rhythms resembling so many of Minilogue's bases of the last few years, Eulberg slowly filters in another of his stunning thumb-whorl melodies, while he plays with the track's serpentine rhythm and buzzing bug zapper stings. Gabriel Ananda, meanwhile, wastes no time getting to "Afu 3"'s frantic, hefty pulse. Ananda circles its breakneck pace with a sticky trance-like melody, before allowing the track to dissolve completely, all honey-fingered effects and bell tones that sound as though they're emerging from the bottom of a winter creek bed.
Roland M. Dill's "1st Century Fox" brings the demented funk with a cauterized bassline, stiff electro grind and strobe effects so dank and cool they almost snarl, while Jeff Samuel returns with the spastic eye-twitch workout of "Lip Service," its nerves exposed; an anxious, paranoid drug pursuit. Though it's one of the compilation's most tense excursions, and not particularly representative of its functional aesthetic, "Lip Service" belongs right beside Eulberg's and Ananda's inclusions as cuts that really get Trapez's mood for revelry. Trapez is 100 vinyl releases and almost ten years in now. Frankly, as I said, it's damn fitting that some of their mainstays were up to the feting.
Buy Various Artists - Trapez 100 at
Tracklist: Various Artists - Trapez 100
 01. Five Green Circle - Verse 2the Chorus (Salz Remix)
02. Raw Hedroom - Lauryn's Tokyo Bananas
03. UND - Fox In The Box (Christian Martin Remix)
04. Roland M. Dill - 1st Century Fox
05. Oliver Hacke - Der Vampir Von Düsseldorf (Break 3000 rework)
06. Dominik Eulberg - Ambivalent
07. Gabriel Ananda - Afu 3
08. Florian Meindl - Blast (Format:B Remix)
09. Gow - Wapper Do It
10. Jeff Samuel - Lip Service
11. 3 Channels vs SLG – Wtorek
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