If there is one thing Stefan Kozalla (aka DJ Koze) can’t be guilty of, it’s standing still or succumbing to one uniform sound palette. As a member of International Pony, he created several albums worth of fashion-house that made the French stand up and take notice. His releases on Kompakt are as diverse at the selections during his DJ performances (check out his outstanding All People Is My Friends released on Kompakt and 2000s Music Is Okay for further evidence); creating beautiful ambient textures one moment, then punishing, grimy Mike Ink fueled epics the next. So it’s no surprise that his proper debut full-length for Kompakt also defies many of the conventions found on your average Kompakt artist album. Chock-full of sampled voices, string washes and stylistic turns and tosses, Koze keeps things moving steadily. The album’s opener “Estrella” sets the tempo and mood perfectly; the audio cure for a sonic hangover from partying too hard the night before. Koze’s personality shines through in small glimpses like “My Grandmotha” and “Don’t Feed the Cat,” as well as on the previously vinyl only “The Geklöppel Continues,” which introduced the Kompakt masses to Koze. But it’s “Brutalga Square” that steals the show. Originally appearing as the B-side on the Kompakt Extra sub-label, this is a ten-minute exercise in tension and buildup before peaking at a dancefloor friendly frenzy and is considered by many to be his finest moment so far. – Rob Theakston