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Buyer Rating: 100.0% positive (55 ratings)

Flying Lotus - L.A. EP 1 X 3 - 29-Jul-08 07:23 PM
I don't know how anyone could give this less than a four. "Paper Crane Gang" is one of the tightest beats around. I haven't been much into hip hop as of late after I got big time into electronic music, but Flying Lotus really makes a solid case for feeling the nostalgia of my earlier days of underground beats. The track "Rickshaw" also drops a totally fresh, hard-hitting sound like the aforementioned sequence. And the sleeve is gorgeous too. Another fantastic release.

Ann Aimee - 23-Jul-08 07:41 PM
I just discovered this label tonight and I am already writing a review. That's not only a first but also says a lot about the quality here. My immediate reaction was this is another Styrax Leaves [a label to definitely check out if you aren't familiar with it and are liking Ann Aimee], which is no easy feat to accomplish in and of itself.

I stumbled across the Redshape mix of Ripperton's "The Last Hour", but apparently that is just the tip of the iceberg. From sexy graphics and limited, coloured vinyls to amazing music, this label has everything. And we all know vinyl lovers get excited for the glimpses of colour [or lack thereof in the clear releases]. Too much black does get monotonous.

I have now picked up the last three releases. James Kumo and Delta Funktionen were both unknowns to me but their beats are anything but ordinary. I am sure that this label will be one of the top to watch out for in the near-distant future. Would highly recommend to all lovers of electronica.

Various - Speicher CD 2 - 30-Jun-08 11:46 AM
I just have to add to this review as this is one of my favourite mixes of all time. Quite frankly, if I had to pick my number one favourite mixed CD ever it would probably be this--Speicher 2.

Starts off so chill with Wurz + Blosse, which is already an incredible song, but really just the beginning of Kompakt's archives and selection which they have to choose from. The little change up at the end is just the perfect positioning for the following song to come in, which is an interesting aural profusion that starts to prepare you for what's in store. Hold the beat and drop in X, another funky tune, compliments of the mix-master. The high notes float in this track mirroring Voigt's last track. With the next track we go back a bit, but what a beautiful track, the first 12" I bought from Kompakt. Kisskisskiss is still one of my favourite singles, so its only fitting that I found it on this mix.

With Brutalga Square the mix goes to minimal territory, signalling the first transition phase of the mix. It gets a bit dirtier as the song carries on, with electronic growls offset with a timpani-like kick, until it starts to really lose itself, but still not letting the secret out of where the mix will go next. Fade out, drop in Are You Read To Rock, and well it's pretty self-explanatory here. The mix is cueing up the carnage to come.

Use Case starts to mix in, and then its quickly 100% fade in and boom. Drop the banging techno beat. What a storming track. The two Voigt selections after provide some much needed reflection while opting for a loopy percussive sound, but when Protekt gears up for Vision 04 you know the ride is off again. Another great track and definitely a good pick to play out full, and then its back into the elektronisch. And oh, does it ever drop with Koze. The earlier growls were nothing compared to this 100% electro-in-the-mud song. Fuchsbau breaths some air into the compressed nature of the Koze track, loosening up the mix in time to drop Ari, a nice, light track with which to end.

Ultimately the mix runs on a back-and-forth nature from track to track selections nested within a larger, slowly increasing sound. You'll have a bit crazier song, then it calms down some while contrasting the previous sound. Kind of like the nature of the individual tracks themselves. Definitely a huge narrative, and while the mixing isn't minutes long per transition it really highlights the fantastic early tracks of Kompakt along with Michael Mayer's deft turntablism and selection. For me, it's really the best out there.

Audiojack - Enter The Drum / Panic Attack - 29-May-08 05:40 AM
Definitely the track here is Panic Attack. Heard Ivan Smagghe drop it on a mix and I was instantly hooked, though it took a bit of work to find. Don't care so much for Enter the Drum, but Panic Attack is a proper genre-bending assemblage of beats, sitting on the edge of electro but thoroughly a minimal-tech blend. Another great release from Audiojack who if you don't know released the hit Robot on Leftroom to start out, also worth checking.

Marc Ashken - Two Left Feet EP - 29-Jan-08 08:28 AM
This record is nothing short of amazing! After being turned on to Leftroom with Ito & Star's Sudoko Kid EP it's not really a wonder, yet I hadn't heard of Marc Ahsken so I was pleasantly surprised to discover his unique sound.

I'm not even sure how to describe it, but you HAVE to listen to Roots Dyed Dark. This has got to be one of the biggest tracks I have ever heard, which still manages to bring it down to a single note. Such a combination of rhythms I have quite possibly never heard. Build ups and drops galore, with minimal-tech-electro-dub-synth-clash all in one, somehow. I don't know how he even began to compose this, though a mastery of killing the beat and bringing it back under a new guise is certainly a deep foundation.

Houle's remix of Nimrod is also notable, not to mention Nimrod itself, which is pretty funky. The remix sounds like a perfect fusion between the M-nus minimal camp-particularly Houle's synthy bleeps-and the Ashken sound which I am just beginning to discover. Really takes a nice turn about 2/3 of the way through with some mellow riffs riding out that minimal beat.

A plus plus plus! There are only a few records I would rave about this much. Leftroom is definitely one to watch out for.

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