Kompakt's collection and reissue of the four classic Gas albums (originally released on Mille Plateaux and now highly sought after collector's items) provides the perfect opportunity for the newcomer to develop an appreciation for the Gas sound. It has been said that the Gas project is Wolfgang Voigt's tribute to the sound of Chain Reaction; if that is the case, the closest act to Gas would be the most dense moments of Fluxion, or Porter Ricks minus all beat but a single pounding bass drum. Gas takes the often wintry, mechanistic sound of these acts and gives it a little more of an autumnal feel with the use of elegant strings, nature sounds, and occasional flashes of real instruments. Although he manages to stick relatively true to the Chain Reaction aesthetic throughout (as the first three discs demonstrate, particularly "Zauberberg"), the most impressive works of the collection are ultimately found on "Pop", where all of elements which are distinctively Gas come to the fore.

Although calling "Nah Und Fern" a hallmark in Kompakt's now ten year discography only serves to further highlight the label's recent slide in quality, it's hard not to do so, especially considering the great impression the four albums made at their original release and their scarcity today.

I find this release pretty contradictive in terms. We are talking minimal techno right, so why does anyone want to put out a 4CD box of it, making it a MASSIVE release (or even EPIC), not minimal. Wouldn't it be better to cut out the best 30 seconds of the batch, which fans of the genre then could loop, enabling them to hear that kick drum bang 24 hours 7 days a week if they so may wish? Top marks for the packaging though, a wonderful cardboard box it is indeed.