Woof. Kompakt is celebrating its 500th catalog number with a whopping 50 tracks, all of which have been cut to a listenable and, above all, groove-compatible length – Kompakt 500 is being released as a 5-LP box set. We will refrain from lavish praise with empty phrases like influential, formative or ground-breaking, because a) they are not enough and b) there is no room for them.
So 50 tracks, some better aged than others, but still valuable contemporary documents and the deepest expression of each artist’s personality. For example, Robag Wruhme’s “Calma Calma” from 2021, whose incredible pathos leaves you speechless. Or T.Raumschmiere’s “Augen Zu” from 2018, which would remind you of the noughties with its pleasant electroclash flavor. Then there are real rave bombs on the compilation, such as Laurent Garnier’s “From The Crypt To The Astrofloor” or “Forever Ravers” by Anna & Kittin, which coexist with Kompakt’s pop soulfulness – “Paris Is For Lovers” by Terranova or Jürgen Paape’s evergreen “So Weit Wie Noch Nie”. Introspection is also possible with the guitar ambient of Blank Gloss, Wolfgang Voigt’s alias GAS or the icy dub techno prisms of The Field. And the slightly over-the-top amour fou has always played a leading role on Kompakt: “Everybody’s Kissing Everybody” could be the motto of this monster compilation, which brilliantly fans out the registers of Germany’s most emotionally versatile label.
Kompakt 500
