Yousef - Come Home (Original Mix)

As an artist with already a lot of very successful material to his name, Rodriguez Jr.’s debut album Bittersweet is a highly anticipated release. There are in fact many reasons why people should hold their breath for it - an impressive 11 track body of work that features some of the well renowned and loved Rodriguez Jr. sonic traits, as well as a lot of new and previously unchartered musical ground. It simultaneously presents techno, atmospheric dub, hypnotic, melancholy and hands down hedonistic music, and with a focus on exploring textures and moods, there is something here for everyone to get lost in.

Rodriguez Jr., aka Oliver Mateu, was originally introduced to music through radio in the south of France, where he closely followed a selection of 80s bands, as well as forming a strong love for synthesizers. It wasn’t long before he was inspired to start his own group with partner Giles Escoffier ‘The Youngsters’, which quickly signed to Laurent Garnier’s F-Communications, taking them to some of the biggest clubs and festivals around the world. After great success, the project was put on hold and over the last five years Mateu has been given the space to focus more on his solo work and finally the opportunity to create an album.

In spite of his French origins, both Olivier Mateu's artist name and productions lean more towards his father's Spanish roots, with a Mediterranean warmth and party atmosphere often coming to the fore. Bittersweet, however, embodies influences from all over the world. Inspired during recent trips to Japan, Canada and Europe, the voyaging Rodriguez Jr. accompanied by his laptop lay down ideas in hotel rooms after playing in clubs and absorbed the different environments around him into his work. With each country creating a new experience, his touring has played a big part in the variety of tracks that are presented here.

Whilst the spice of Bittersweet was captivated in far away places, the main body of the production of the album was carried out in Mateu’s hidden away studio in Belgium, filled with many loved pieces of analogue gear and synthesizers. Ranging from the Roland TR909, for a classic house drum feel, to the Korg MS10 for dirtier sounds, and a selection of Roland keyboards to choose from, “I am definitely a synth fetishist! Ahaha!” (Rodriguez Jr.). Each has contributed in Rodriguez Jr.’s quest to create an artistic project of the highest quality and creativity that he is capable of, with outstanding results. He has also drawn on the creative input of two musicians who are featured in two of the tracks – And.Id playing his trumpet and Cari Golden’s vocals.

A masterpiece that truly reflects the Rodriguez Jr. of today, it also offers us enough variety and surprise to keep us inspired by this ever-evolving artist. Reflecting on the tracks Bittersweet refers to the contradictory forces at play within the music – it may be beautiful and it may be sweet – but be careful of the party animal it can unleash both in the creator and within all of you present on the dancefloor!

Rodriguez Jr. - Bagpipe Women

You remember that kung fu kid movie, where he had to wash the motorcycles for years and then…whatever, constant dripping wears away the stone. Dublin-Manchester-NYC’S finest Krystal Klear (Cold Tonic, All City, Tooth Pick) has been honing his skills as a dress man for years and also made a name for himself as an expert in all things (electronic) boogie. „The Division“ is his dapper debut EP for Running Back. Custom-made club studies shifting between sound factories, hot haciendas, heavenly lagoons and chrome-plated dance floors: fast, slow, hard and soft.
A love letter to dance music written with pink ink. Oh, and there is „Neutron Dance“ on it as well…yes, the euphoric fun one. once again: dance!"

RB072  B1. Krystal Klear -Shockzoid

Living Lips (Buccolina's Dub) - Francis Harris & Kate Simko (PREVIEW)

Performance Review - Imagine by John Lennon

Grab your copy: https://KompaktRecords.lnk.to/Total19SD

You may ask: "In the day and age of streaming playlists and the omnipresence of freely available mixes, what's the use of a label compilation?" The answer is simple: labels still serve as a dearly needed filter mechanism in this tsunami of music we're facing every day. Labels strive to establish trust between artists and listeners. They're like your favorite restaurant around the corner. On the spur of the moment, you might find more excitement in that hip place that just opened somewhere else. But when the novelty fades, you'll always return to your sanctuary. The safe place where they know your name and the last drink is on the house. KOMPAKT has become such a place for generations of fans and artists alike. And the TOTAL compilation series serves as its menu: always changing but instantly recognizable.

As per usual TOTAL is a collection of the past years biggest tunes, the creme de la creme of KOMPAKT's steady output of 12"s topped off with eight exclusive unreleased tracks that are also available on the 2LP vinyl edition of TOTAL 19.

With JÜRGEN PAAPE, the notorious VOIGT brothers, THOMAS/MAYER and JÖRG BURGER - all founding fathers are on board. Legacy artists SASCHA FUNKE and JUSTUS KÖHNCKE make their long-awaited comebacks, the latter with a kinky Patrick Cowley homage called "Mindless Sex Track". Cologne young blood JULIAN STETTER nails the starry-eyed, romantic KOMPAKT signature sound with his remix for an up and coming local pop outfit called ALBERT LUXUS. Fellow Colonian JONATHAN KASPAR makes his label debut with his slinky track "Renard". DJ BALDUIN definitely is one to watch in 2020. His massive "E.W.B.A." transcends the friendly populism of an ancient Love Parade anthem while capturing the sincere spirit of today's electro revival. REX THE DOG's "Vortex" and TOM DEMAC's "Serenade" perfectly showcase why KOMPAKT is still one of the most played and charted labels in electronic music today. In a scene that is more fragmented than ever these two producers delivered true consensus hits that are cherished on all sizes and shapes of floors beyond genre boundaries.

The second half completely belongs to a whole new breed from our beloved SPEICHER series such as ANNA, YOTAM AVNI, EXTRAWELT, RAXON, BLACKRACHAS, JOHN MONKMAN and LA FLEUR alongside our full time members PATRICE BÄUMEL, KÖLSCH and GUI BORATTO. The energy levels are way up and the mission reads clearly: We'll never stop dancing this way.

- MICHAEL MAYER (Kompakt co-owner, curator of the TOTAL series)

Performance Review - Imagine by John Lennon

Michael