Slipstream
Kompakt never ceases to amaze me. DJ Koze, ne Stefan Kozalla, one of the Kompakt stable of artists, is a fine representation of their new version of techno and house music. His work is subtle, sweet, and I have no problem saying, quite genius.
His releases on Kompakt, from his early 12"s, like the storming "The Geklöppel Continues" and "Brutalga Square", to his mix-CD that came out last year, All People Is My Friends (which goes from Langley Schools Music project's version of "The Long And Winding Road" to Mr Oizo, Isolee, and Ricardo Villalobos), are all colored by his taste for melody, buzzing synths, and a quirky sense of fun that a lot of techno music lacks. Besides all these things, his tracks are also made for getting people to sweat it out on the dance-floor.
Besides Kompakt, his work also appears on Areal (remixing the beautiful Ada), as Adolf Noise on the Buback label, and on (one-half of the Parisian-duo-Blackstrobe) Ivan Smagghe's new Fabric mix-CD. Plus, he's part of the rediculous super-group International Pony, who's "Leaving Home" single from a couple year's back is totally indespensible.
Well, on top of all this, Koze is finally releasing his own full-length, Kosi Comes Around, which despite its terrible cover-art, is another piece of the necessary-purchase Kompakt puzzle. The album includes, smartly, both Geklöppel and Brutalga, plus seven other solid tracks. This one is the first off the album, and is a great introduction to his sound for the unfamiliar: slippery beats, squelchy synths and a subtle little melody that sticks in your head. Thats Koze in a nutshell.
The album is out in the beginning of September in Kompakt, thus it will be available to buy direct from the label, from Forced Exposure, Insound, Amazon, etc.
Also, stay on the look-out for Kompakt Total 6 - their annual best-of collection, that this year is all about double-CD-madness.