Kompakt: Total 3
Various Artists
Like its predecessors, the third annual compilation in Kompakt’s Total series showcases the Cologne label’s distinctive minimal techno. Ambient pop plays a smaller role than on some Total installments, save for Superpitcher’s guitar-kissed “Tomorrow” and Jürgen Paape’s dreamy “So weit wie noch nie”, an all-time classic. Instead, the emphasis is on dusky synths that swirl moodily atop pumping machine grooves, each track a master class in texture and timbre. Closer Musik’s elegiac “Departures” caps it off with some of the most wistful melodies in the imprint’s catalogue.