Total 6

They Say...

Review by Andy Kellman, All Music Guide

Kompakt's emulation and incorporation of pop has come a long way since late 1998. Even if you've been keeping up on the label since Total 1, you probably couldn't have seen the extent of the development -- or, as some likely call it, the depth of the tragedy -- coming. Not long ago, anyone familiar with Superpitcher would've expected the producer to sample Nico or Marlene Dietrich before Aaliyah; as late as 2004, the average Kompakt head would've likely chuckled at the thought of a Michael Mayer remix of Baxendale, thinking it as impractical and unlikely as a 1991 Mike Ink remix of the Field Mice (ditto, albeit to a much lesser extent, a Mayer/Matias Aguayo cover of Kylie); and no one could've predicted that the latter half of a suite-like track would base itself around the misty opening melody from something like the Four Tops' "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" (the Field's "Thought vs. Action," halved here). All of these things have actually happened -- lest you forget past surprises like Mayer's Sade interpretation, Superpitcher's bungling of "Fever," and Justus Köhncke? -- and they're all documented on Total 6, which is stretched out to two discs in order to make up for Kompakt 100's usurping of the series' annual continuity in 2004. The formatting remains the same: a mixture of previously released 12" highlights, exclusives, and teasers. As always, there are minor issues that the stalkers can gripe about -- such as the favoring of a new Thomas Fehlmann track over anything from his "Little Big Horn" 12", or the fact that the wrong side was chosen from Mikkel Metal's "Dorant" (patently correct!) -- but no solid argument could be made against Total 6 as a significant part of the series, albeit sitting behind 2, 3, and 4. While most of the contributors have familiar names, few use old ideas. Dirk Leyers' exquisitely layered "Wellen" is as affecting as the more melodic tracks he made with Aguayo in Closer Musik. Jürgen Paape reappears after an extended absence with a track that's practically goth compared to "So Weit Wie Noch Nie" or "Mit Dir," drifting and lurching over a bassline nearly identical to the Jacksons' "Can You Feel It." Köhncke's "Krieg" is the greatest delight, building in momentum and adding new colors with each passing minute. The abrasive textures that show up halfway through the track are still in service of the groove, symbolizing how the abstract qualities of the label are now rarely ever separated from the dancefloor.