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viewing 1 To 17 of 17 items
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2LP
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KOM 499LP
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Double LP version. Michael Mayer albums don't come round too often, which is one of many reasons why his fourth collection, The Floor Is Lava, is a genuine event. Mayer's name on a record sleeve is a sign of quality, of music that's both looking to the future and calling back to the past, that balances the imperatives of the dancefloor and the loungeroom, that's as exploratory as it is functional. On The Floor Is Lava, Mayer seems to be taking the temperature of both the music that surrounds him (past and present), and the ideas of the industry he works within. There's that iconic album title, for a start. For Mayer, it's partly a critique of the way the industry boxes in both producer and listener, focuses them on genre, on market, on the next new thing. With The Floor Is Lava, the result is an album that's varied, quixotic, idiosyncratic, charming, and deeply, addictively listenable. Throughout, Mayer finds thrills in exploration and juxtaposition, allowing unexpected things to blossom and giving them their life, their platform, throwing the listener exciting curveballs. Either easily bored, or endlessly curious, The Floor Is Lava is rich with ideas. Mayer mentions Pal Joey, and the scene around Rockers Hi-Fi and their Different Drummer imprint, as reference points, and you can hear that freewheeling spirit throughout. There's psychedelic techno on "Feuerstuhl", more minimal techno with "Ardor," slippery, Shepard-tone breakbeat through "Sycophant", a lovely, lush vocal turn on the poppy "The Solution." The album closes with the melancholy "Süßer Schlaf", where Mayer sets a poem by Goethe to one of his most haunted, moving pieces of music yet, in an abstract tribute to a lost friend. It's one of the most affecting moments on The Floor Is Lava. There's also an update on 2020's wild Brainwave Technology EP, with the surrealist glitter-stomp of "Brainwave 2.0," where Mayer's thinking about the socio-political precipice of the now. An album for the easily bored and the endlessly curious. Mayer has the last word, telling us all you need to know about the album's spirit: "Burning for the cause, being zealous, being addicted to the heat of the night, the exuberant powers of music."
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CD
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KOMP 184CD
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Michael Mayer albums don't come round too often, which is one of many reasons why his fourth collection, The Floor Is Lava, is a genuine event. Mayer's name on a record sleeve is a sign of quality, of music that's both looking to the future and calling back to the past, that balances the imperatives of the dancefloor and the loungeroom, that's as exploratory as it is functional. On The Floor Is Lava, Mayer seems to be taking the temperature of both the music that surrounds him (past and present), and the ideas of the industry he works within. There's that iconic album title, for a start. For Mayer, it's partly a critique of the way the industry boxes in both producer and listener, focuses them on genre, on market, on the next new thing. With The Floor Is Lava, the result is an album that's varied, quixotic, idiosyncratic, charming, and deeply, addictively listenable. Throughout, Mayer finds thrills in exploration and juxtaposition, allowing unexpected things to blossom and giving them their life, their platform, throwing the listener exciting curveballs. Either easily bored, or endlessly curious, The Floor Is Lava is rich with ideas. Mayer mentions Pal Joey, and the scene around Rockers Hi-Fi and their Different Drummer imprint, as reference points, and you can hear that freewheeling spirit throughout. There's psychedelic techno on "Feuerstuhl", more minimal techno with "Ardor," slippery, Shepard-tone breakbeat through "Sycophant", a lovely, lush vocal turn on the poppy "The Solution." The album closes with the melancholy "Süßer Schlaf", where Mayer sets a poem by Goethe to one of his most haunted, moving pieces of music yet, in an abstract tribute to a lost friend. It's one of the most affecting moments on The Floor Is Lava. There's also an update on 2020's wild Brainwave Technology EP, with the surrealist glitter-stomp of "Brainwave 2.0," where Mayer's thinking about the socio-political precipice of the now. An album for the easily bored and the endlessly curious. Mayer has the last word, telling us all you need to know about the album's spirit: "Burning for the cause, being zealous, being addicted to the heat of the night, the exuberant powers of music."
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12"
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KOM 418EP
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Home is where the heart is, and in this case that saying rings true. Though Michael Mayer puts his love, sweat, and tears into running Kompakt between producing music and DJing, he has managed to evade releasing anything solo on the mothership for the past eight years. There's been no shortage of musical output in that time -- be it his DJ Kicks, the ambitious collaborative full length &, and remixes for Metronomy, Weval, Arthur Baker, and Jagwar Ma, to name a few. This new decade promises a world of change, and fortunately for Michael (and all of us), his begins with the release of Higher. Italo disco and early '90s US deep house (think Nu Groove, Strictly Rhythm, Nervous) are some of the foundation blocks of what motivated Michael to become a DJ and create music. He finds inspiration with the sample heavy tracks from that era -- particularly the ones that used the human voice as an instrument to generate freshness, soul, and warmth. To those that have seen Michael Mayer DJ will immediately recall the spirit of his sets when first hearing the title track "Higher". A house number that is playfully serenaded by lyric-less throwback vocals. "Doot Doot" is a deeper acid tinged affair that is carried by wordless vocal melody that recalls a classic Susanne Vega song from an era gone by. Michael has never been shy of playing a little proto-trance now and then -- "Take A Stand For Love" adheres to the harmonic practice of the genre but changes things up thanks to a growling, gorgeous bass rhythm. Peak time pleasurable. "Belle De Lune" is how Michael is known best and an apt finale that is introspective but very much dancefloor driven. The track evokes an insatiable steaminess thanks to melodic bass rhythms and haunting synths. Epically lush.
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12"
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KOM 273EP
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One highly-praised full-length later, Michael Mayer's release schedule is still crammed with premium content. His sophomore album Mantasy (KOMP 100CD/KOM 250LP) already saw two successful remix EPs, sporting some of Michael's favorite artists -- a series that now finds a fitting last chapter with Mantasy Remixe 3. Four exciting reworks take you up close and personal with top players from Kompakt's inner circle, including Jürgen Paape, Jörg Burger (aka The Modernist), Matias Aguayo, and Terranova.
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12"
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KOM 272EP
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After releasing his highly-praised sophomore full-length Mantasy (KOMP 100CD/KOM 250LP) last year, Kompakt honcho Michael Mayer signed on some of his favorite artists to rework the album material to their liking. The second entry in a series of three, Mantasy Remixe 2 features grandiose remixes from accomplished producers Agoria, Robag Wruhme, and Will Saul & October markedly picking up on the originals' thirst for adventure.
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12"
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KOM 271EP
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2012 was a terrific year for Kompakt boss Michael Mayer, who released his sophomore album Mantasy (KOMP 100CD/KOM 250LP). Here is the first EP of Mantasy remixes in a series of three. Philipp Gorbachev delivers a slashing rework of adrenaline-fueled synth-fest "Voigt Kampff Test." Barnt also tackles the track, dialing things back a bit, but only to reinforce the air of sheer magnitude that oozes from every single note. The Mole's beat-driven remix of "Baumhaus" takes the original to new heights of grooviness.
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2LP+CD
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KOM 250LP
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Double LP version on 180 gram vinyl, comes with a CD of the album. Kompakt is pleased to announce the sophomore album Mantasy, a long-awaited, indispensable update of Michael Mayer's production sound and an essential release for the label in 2012. One tends to think that it's relatively easy: you make some sounds, you launch a label, you release some records. Ultimately, electronic music is known for its short chain of command. Accordingly, Touch (KOMP 036CD/KOM 107LP) was created in just a few weeks. Indeed, the masterful sequencing and high production value bear witness to an artist in full control of his medium. You may think of the release as a "DJ album," not so much describing an album for DJs, but rather one from a DJ. The album's title refers to the escapist momentum of a cinematic journey into the unknown, a tribute to history's great explorers, and also an intimate trip to the core of the Kompakt sound itself, whose main ambassador has always been Michael Mayer. Fittingly, the voyage starts with the panoramic "Sully," a flawless ambient study that opens the gateway to the world of Mantasy, which -- hardly definable, but always palpable -- relates to a romantic spirit of adventure, curiosity and nostalgia, yet far less concerned with the past than with the future. A case in point is "Lamusetwa," a track where memories and dreams collide in a most satisfying manner. The minimal funk of "Wrong Lap" and the Italo disco reminiscences of title-track "Mantasy" follow suit: the dance machine is fired up, the sky rips open, epic synthesizers roam the landscape driven by precision beats and hypodermic bass lines lure the inner cinema back onto the floor. Then "Roses" finds its broken glamour in the dusk of the club, sporting a gloomy beauty only reinforced by the well-lit detour into "Baumhaus." "Rudi Was a Punk" tightens things up and rides the airwaves with a lead foot, followed by "Voigt Kampff Test," a science fiction thriller disguised as a dance track, and then an adrenalin-fuelled "Neue Furche" (trans. "New Groove") transfers both the name and the sound of Nu Groove, one of Michael Mayer's all-time favorite labels, into a new idiom. Eventually, Mantasy's last track "Good Times" waltzes in, sung by Whomadewho's man of a thousand voices, Jeppe Kjellberg. It's an ode to nightlife utopia, to hands thrown in the air and the feeling of belonging, when you know that this is the place, the sound, the crowd you want to be with.
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CD
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KOMP 100CD
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Kompakt is pleased to announce the sophomore album Mantasy, a long-awaited, indispensable update of Michael Mayer's production sound and an essential release for the label in 2012. One tends to think that it's relatively easy: you make some sounds, you launch a label, you release some records. Ultimately, electronic music is known for its short chain of command. Accordingly, Touch (KOMP 036CD/KOM 107LP) was created in just a few weeks. Indeed, the masterful sequencing and high production value bear witness to an artist in full control of his medium. You may think of the release as a "DJ album," not so much describing an album for DJs, but rather one from a DJ. The album's title refers to the escapist momentum of a cinematic journey into the unknown, a tribute to history's great explorers, and also an intimate trip to the core of the Kompakt sound itself, whose main ambassador has always been Michael Mayer. Fittingly, the voyage starts with the panoramic "Sully," a flawless ambient study that opens the gateway to the world of Mantasy, which -- hardly definable, but always palpable -- relates to a romantic spirit of adventure, curiosity and nostalgia, yet far less concerned with the past than with the future. A case in point is "Lamusetwa," a track where memories and dreams collide in a most satisfying manner. The minimal funk of "Wrong Lap" and the Italo disco reminiscences of title-track "Mantasy" follow suit: the dance machine is fired up, the sky rips open, epic synthesizers roam the landscape driven by precision beats and hypodermic bass lines lure the inner cinema back onto the floor. Then "Roses" finds its broken glamour in the dusk of the club, sporting a gloomy beauty only reinforced by the well-lit detour into "Baumhaus." "Rudi Was a Punk" tightens things up and rides the airwaves with a lead foot, followed by "Voigt Kampff Test," a science fiction thriller disguised as a dance track, and then an adrenalin-fuelled "Neue Furche" (trans. "New Groove") transfers both the name and the sound of Nu Groove, one of Michael Mayer's all-time favorite labels, into a new idiom. Eventually, Mantasy's last track "Good Times" waltzes in, sung by Whomadewho's man of a thousand voices, Jeppe Kjellberg. It's an ode to nightlife utopia, to hands thrown in the air and the feeling of belonging, when you know that this is the place, the sound, the crowd you want to be with.
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CD
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KOMP 083CD
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Kompakt presents the third volume in Michael Mayer's highly-respected Immer (trans. "Always") mix compilation series -- a mix CD that bridges a timeless period of emerging music from producers known and new in exemplary style and fusion. The Immer series has made countless best of decade charts normally reserved for studio albums (including Pitchfork and FACT Magazine) plus earning a #1 position of "Best Mix CD Of The 00s" in leading dance music authority Resident Advisor. Immer 3 is a tremendously personal and reflective mix. Opting not for the most current and hip genres or tracks of the moment, Meyer carefully chose timeless musical moments from his record crate that almost hints as a call to obliterate the current state of overhyped minimal bongo house, formulaic techno and dub step that rules the clubs today, as was similarly the case back with the first Immer release. The results reflect the smooth flow and selection that Michael brings to his fans in clubs week after week. Immer 3 opens with the haunting croon of Cortney Tidwell aided by the lush bed of Ewan Pearson's ambient fluidity. Matias Aguayo & Dirk Leyer's now-legendary alias as Closer Musik and their track "Departures" is awoken from its 2002 slumber in timeless form, giving sway to the mesmerizing trippiness of DJ Koze's remix of Ben Watt. Tim Paris and the fundamental classic Smith N Hack track "Falling Stars" sets the pace with a solidified summer house tune to lead in to Raudive's sinister stormer "Slave." Gui Boratto presents his remix for Massive Attack which takes vocalist Hope Sandoval to insatiable levels of sonic bliss and thus makes for a pivotal part of the mix. Popnoname makes his Kompakt Pop debut with the Terranova remix of his hit "Hello Gorgeous." Finally, after 3 years of waiting, the sleeping beauty that is Superpitcher's lost Charlotte Gainsbourg remix makes its official debut appearance. The classic flair of Superpitcher's sexy techno sway conjoins with Madame Gainsbourg in a duet like no other. It's possibly one of the most bizarre DJ transitions in music ever, but amazingly, South Africa's Culoe De Song's emotionally-overwhelming anthem "The Bright Forest" makes total sense when linked with Justus Köhnke aka Kinky Justice's cover of the Round Two house classic "New Day." So there you have it, Immer 3: elegant, personal, enriching and as always, seductive.
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CD
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KOMP 046CD
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2012 repress. Michael Mayer is the archangel of the minimal house scene. Since arriving from Germany's famous Black Forest to the near-utopia of Köln, he has become one of the world's most respected and revered DJs. His climbing, arcing sets have established his Kompakt label and its sleek style as The Sound of modern club music -- his first mix CD for Kompakt, Immer ("Always"; KOMP 015CD) was met with triumphant exuberance ("A luxuriant digital bubble bath of envelopingly rounded beats." 5/5 stars --AllMusic.com) and his contribution to the esteemed Fabric mix CD series was hailed as a benchmark of the series ("Soundtrack of the new European techno." --XLR8R Best Of 100 Issues) and now comes Immer 2. Mr. Mayer took a full year to select and perfect the sequence, which stars 12 of his most essential selections. The result is a journey on the Trans Atlantian Express, a dance floor fully immersed in heavy bliss, a manifesto for the new international deep techno sound. From the static heaven of Philadelphia's Someone Else, we are plunged directly into a new-motorik beat: Ian Simmonds (UK), Brooks and Frank West take us to Crowdpleaser and St. Plomb's revered "18 Years." Justus Köhncke's Boz Scaggs tribute leads towards the sun and Todd Terje's epic take on Lindstrøm's "Another Station." Then K2's The Rice Twins (Stockholm) and Kompakt's own SCSI-9 (Russia) welcomes us back to the Martian disco. Mayer's mixing of Canadian nano-trance hero Jesse Somfay into Norway's DK7 is micororgasmic. But the submarine comes to a long slow stop via the under-appreciated strains of Geiger, assisted via Mayer and his good friend Aksel Schaufler (Superpitcher) as Supermayer. Michael Mayer has been preparing and studying his technique and his selections for months, and he comes through with an intimate yet majestic mix which surpasses genre-definition. Immer 2 is not for those with a history of heart trouble. Immer 2 will not be stale in 5 years. Immer 2 knows not of genre or subgenres. Immer 2 is somehow a new kind of mix. Immer 2 is not for the crowd. Immer 2 is for you.
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12"
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KOM POP006EP
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"'Lovefood' is the mysterious morbid but incredibly wonderful track of the recently released album Touch. Friend and companion Matias Aguayo ( ex Closer Music ) for a remix. The result is a groovemonster, teeming whole South American sex appeal. With lascivious hip action he is wobbling around a fragile, transparent the popsongish original is always noticeable. And how things go in the inebriation of passion, an indispensable completely brings up Mayers' and Aguayos' adoration for the Australian pop goddess. Now it's out."
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CD
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KOMP 036CD
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"Three years ago, Michael said he was working on an LP, but it never arrived. He was unable to fully concentrate; three times he started, and three times he stopped. In the end, he made the entire thing in just three weeks, locked in isolation from the angry summer weather. Its rainfall samples were captured during those nights, as it constantly pounded down on his back yard. His stunning, sensual mix CDs -- Kompakt Koln Prasentiert Michael Mayer, Immer, Speicher CD1 + CD2 and Fabric 13 -- his involvement in the MinTech-Boygroup Forever Sweet (together with Tobias Thomas & Reinhard Voigt) and string of powerful singles for Kompakt that include the Schaffel classic 'Love Is Stronger Than Pride' -- are its foundations. He likens Touch's making to throwing up; at first there is pressure, and then there is relief. It sounds honest, true, whole, and complete. On it, you hear the music of his past, and the spirit of his present. Alan Parsons, The Steve Miller Band, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, acid, New York deep house, movie scores, and thirteen years of techno are there. It's the soundtrack of a Scorpio: sinister, sweet, tender, and sleek. For its title Touch he wanted to reflect his reality, his constant meeting of people, the forging of partnerships, and reliance on contact. He needed something simple, to capture these hazy, crazy DJ days forever. Touch is Michael Mayer's debut album."
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2LP
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KOM 107LP
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12"
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KOM 089EP
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"M.Mayer presents two heartily minimal tracks from his very own repertoire. A shuffle & a disco-tech version."
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12"
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KOM 070EP
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"Two new tracks from Kompakt's very own Michael Mayer that mingle the Cologne Sound with Chicago. Very straight and kicking. "
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12"
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KOM 025EP
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"Who still dares to believe in this guy? 3 tight techtrax for the 00's.'
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12"
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KOM 004EP
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"His solo comeback with Heaven 17, breakbeathouse and pressurefull minimal rave." The member of Forever Sweet and producer of the awesome Cologne mix CD, Kompakt Köln präsentiert on Neuton.
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viewing 1 To 17 of 17 items
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