Kompilation

By comparison with his Detroit techno contemporaries, I've generally found Richie Hawtin maybe to be a little studied, boring even. I can't really fault his music, but nor does it inspire me. That said, I did enjoy his last album  Closer  (which I get the impression many of his fans DON'T seem to like) and I also have a soft spot for the atmospheric  Sheet One .This compilation calls for something of a re-examination of Hawtin's work as Plastikman. For one thing, the sound quality, as with other CDs on his M-nus label, is great. I don't know whether these tracks have been remastered or not, but for me this is as good as the CD format is ever going to sound.Admittedly there are only eight tracks (long ones mind you: 68 minutes run time), but "Kompilation" still manages to incorporate the early releases and takes us right up until 2003 i.e. when the most recent album came out. In doing so, it flows very well - better, maybe, than some of the source LPs.The theme is dark with fairly slow BPM's. "Marbles" and "Plasticine" are in a pretty similar vein to Phuture's "Acid Tracks". "Contain" is from Hawtin's minimalist "Basic Channel" period and the concluding piece, "Ask Yourself" even has a vocal - possibly performed by Donnie Darko's rabbit.Not all of the selections on here are currently otherwise in print (at least not in physical format), so this CD could prove handy for fans as well as newcomers.And if eight tracks aren't enough, I hear that there's a 12 disc limited edition boxset to follow. CloserSheet One

Good, but it could be better.