Michael Mayer temporarily leaves the comfy confines of his good ship
Kompakt to deliver the 13th release in the
Fabric series. One might consider this the proper follow-up to 2002's
Immer, since the
Speicher mix -- released earlier in the year -- was more of a specialty showcase for the bangin'
techno/shuffle-tech side of
Kompakt's personality. This is of the same high standard as
Immer in every aspect, from selection to sequence to mixing, and its features are dissimilar enough to circumvent mere sequel status. There are glints of the romantic, noir-ish undercurrents that gave
Immer its nocturnal glow, but the sentiment is often playful in comparison and more tailored to a
club audience. That said, one of the mix's most chilling moments might give a few people an
Immer flashback.
Richard Davis'
"Bring Me Closer" is as dramatic and haunting as
Phantom/Ghost's
"Perfect Lovers" -- with its druggy vocals and multiple string elements providing a gloomy balm and a morose tug in tandem -- but the tracks surrounding it are two of the peppiest, most
pop-oriented on the disc.
WestBam's
"Oldschool, Baby," the track that follows it, features its own set of frosty synthetic strings, but it's a piano-led
house tune with
Nena (yes, that
Nena) contributing a sort of resilient battle cry on vocals. Recent
Kompakt releases are heard throughout, including a track where
Superpitcher twists an elegant melody out of what sounds like globules of rain hitting thick leaves; additionally, the dark neo-
trance of
Magnet's
"Abendstern" shunts out of
Villalobos' classic-upon-release
"Easy Lee," and two separate mixes of
Heiko Voss' heart-melting
"I Think About You" bookend the disc. But the most thrilling moment of all might be when the slinky neuromanticism of
Thomas Schaeben & Geiger's
"Really Real" is made to mutate into the grinding brontosaurus shuffle of
Le Dust Sucker's
"Love Me." Referring to this as the best mix in the
Fabric series would be very obvious. But there it is. ~ Andy Kellman
