Various - Total 8

"Total 8" might end up becoming some sort of weird landmark for Kompakt. Certainly in 2007, Kompakt reminded the world why they came to such prominence in the first place, putting out three frequent album-of-the-year visitors (The Field's "From Here We Go Sublime", Gui Boratto's "Chromophobia", Thomas Fehlmann's "Honigpumpe") as well as the usual host of somewhat interesting singles. However, it was clear that the sound had dramatically shifted since their initial rise to prominence, now bearing more resemblance to the digital disco sound Force Tracks began peddling around five years earlier. So is it a case of trendsetters following other trendsetters? Not exactly. Kompakt's take on the sound is far edgier than anything Force Tracks could ever come up with, still managing to bear many of the hallmarks of the sound they themselves have developed in the past. However, "Total 8" suffers due to Kompakt's insistence to put out a two disc compilation featuring more or less everything, rather than hone in on the best tracks like they did in the past. On "Total 6" it worked brilliantly, given there was two years of material to reflect upon, but on "Total 8", the rampant filler keeps it from being a real classic.