Various Artists - Speicher CD 3

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  • For the third installment of Kompakt's gnarztier Speicher mixes, regular operator Michael Mayer is joined by glitzy Cologne-ite Jorg Burger on the platters that matter. It's impossible to discern who does what on this recording - perhaps Burger is responsible for all the sirens and trance expectancy - but having just seen Mayer with Superpitcher (as Supermayer) live it became clear how readily the Speicher sound lends itself to tag-team style one-upmanship. Brash, punchy, and highly effective on lively dancefloors, Speicher tracks seem almost too filled with character to mix easily with others, like the precocious-but-charming kid with ADD in the schoolyard. Recent releases have tended to blur somewhat with the parent sound - DJ Koze, Superpitcher, and Reinhard Voigt seem to arbitrarily crop up on either imprint - but regardless, they seldom function as mere rhythmic tools - that's what K2 is for. Like Supermayer live, and indeed Mayer's own live sets, ‘Speicher 3’ spits out the big room bangers like morse code. The mixing is seamless, but the onus is not on creating a smooth and unified 'journey', a la Mayer's ‘Immer’ discs; rather, each cut barges into the ring like a heavyweight, trying to land more punches than the previous contender. After the warm-up clip-clop of DJ Koze's 'Na Cha Cha' the agenda is set with Davidovitch's 'Cellophane', a thick slab of revivalist 'ardkore, sirens and happy stabs aplenty, hands already high in the air. Superpitcher's 'Enzian' follows, trading smiley glee for gloom and dread, which is then frustrated by Burger aka Stardiver's high-strung arpeggio-filled 'Another Moment of Silence'. From there things take a more cohesive, although no less bombastic, turn: Tom Pooks' excellent 'Pablo Assan's' works a menacing 'whoomp' into a frenzy, Jurgen Paape's 'Fruity Loops II' recalls vintage Kompakt in its sheer functional simplicity, while Motiivi: Tuntematon's 'I Don't Feel Good' draws inspiration from early Daft Punk, with vocodered heartache weeping over the usual wallop. Axel Bartsch and John Dahlback both offer laser-strafed updates on Reinhard Voigt's cro- magnon thump, who, aside from his collaboration with Mayer on 'Transparenza' is sadly absent. Davidovitch's 'Insider' takes a welcome dip into indulgent minor-keyed reflection over stunningly hollow kick drums; Mathias Aguayo's ‘Broke’ meanwhile lacks the chest-thrusting machismo abundant throughout, his bass-heavy drag best suited to slower tempos and quirkier sets. Motiivi's portentous 'Mankind Failed' brings it all to a close, viper hats and rhythms giving way to a massive, swirling procession of gaseous pads, industrial clamour and trance spaciousness, the tension so thick you could carve it, and then silence. This is a style that Kompakt have pretty much sewn up, with little consolation to home listeners, and where each and every track delivers the big payoff. It's exhausting and exhilarating in equal measure, perhaps closer in spirit to hard-house than minimal, but those who've swooned at Mayer's feet on stage - and I know I have - will find this the perfect memento.
  • Tracklist
      1. DJ Koze – Na Cha Cha 2. Davidovitch – Cellophane 3. Superpitcher – Enzain 4. Stardiver – Another Moment of Silence 5. Tom Pooks – Pablo Assan’s 6. Axel Bartsch – Galaxy 7. Broke – Overthat 8. John Dahlback – Wet Summer 9. Misc – Status Now 10. Motiivi: Tuntematon – I Don’t Feel Good (When You’re Not Around) 11. Davidovich – Insider 12. Jurgen Paape – Fruity Loops #2 13. Mayer/Voigt – Transperanza 14. Axel Bartsch – Deal 15. Motiivi: Tuntematon – Mankind Failed
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