Kompakt. Pros and Cons

The phenomenon of this small but very fashionable label began when Wolfgang Voigt (Mike Ink.) spread the word about the "Cologne sound", about the emergence of a new sonic signature that embodied all the very best directions in techno music, about a new rhythm that came to be called schaffel. It was a great marketing move, but beyond the PR tricks there were genuinely talented musicians behind it all. Today that sound has become a legend, a brand, a trademark and simply a techno label in the person of Kompakt. Among other things, they own a large record shop and act as independent distributors for many little-known small labels. Our DJs on the influence of German techno culture:

Kompakt is one big friendly family, and I really enjoy socialising with these people, meeting them and, all the more, performing. Their music is very varied - Superpitcher is one thing, Reinhard Voigt is something completely different. But Kompakt has its own face; like any normal musicians, they write new music and gradually transform. They have quite a lot of artists, but as a musician I think Superpitcher is very strong. In general everything with them is very well tuned, very professional, you could even say ideal; personally I like it all, including the way they have set up their business and the running of the record shop and so on. One of Mike Ink.'s first projects - "Studio One" - I consider a classic of minimalism outright; Mayer's records, Superpitcher's... they are all very different, and to put something in first place means offending someone, and I don't want to offend anyone. Why am I with Kompakt - our vibrations simply matched, our views on music are alike; honestly, I didn't get them right away, but that is how it worked out - all my recent successful works come out on Kompakt, and they come out not just like that but because they truly coincide in their musical vision. I have already played with them at the Love Parade and in Poland, at a Kompakt night, and now for the third time we will play together - I'm looking forward to real pleasure from the coming show! Right now it is hard to talk about Kompakt's future; young artists and young distribution are breathing down their neck. Here whoever is nimbler wins, and they could become sluggish and miss their chance

For me Kompakt is one of the most important labels in my life. Because both now and at the start of my career my music was built precisely on Kompakt's distribution, on the label itself and on the labels that came out of it. At the moment our tastes coincide, and about 80 percent of what I play is Kompakt distribution. And that is why they are so important to me. They have their own particular sound, which is called Cologne minimalism. I think they are building an empire; they have a fairly tough policy. By now Kompakt is already considered a mainstream label in Germany, that is, it is practically commercial music; they are already conquering England and other European countries. I don't know how it is in America, but in England many people play their music, and that is surprising, because not so long ago they knew nothing besides their English trance. At Gaudi I will be playing with them. I hope everything goes well; the only thing is that the sound has been a bit off this month. I'll be interested to hear ORB and Superpitcher, though I have heard him more than once already. I'll be opening the Kompakt night. I am also separately bringing Reinhard Voigt to Moscow, to the club Gorod. That will be on 9 December.

I think Kompakt's main achievement is that out of music which was considered non-commercial here, they made a very good, high-quality and at the same time commercial product. It was thanks to Kompakt that the term Cologne sound appeared, after which other labels started releasing this music. I like Kompakt less now, but nevertheless their music is very beautiful and good. I have their records, and usually when I play, the first part of the set consists precisely of Kompakt tracks. Another distinctive thing about Kompakt is that their music can be listened to both at home and at parties, that is, it does not wear you out and at the same time it pulls people onto the dancefloor. It is great that they are coming to Moscow; I remember there was a party at KaZantip this summer, and the euro-dancefloor where they played was going wild

The first thing I would like to say about Kompakt is a big thank you to them! Because I remember there was a time, a big pit, a stagnation, when people forgot about techno, forgot that sound and mostly listened to commercial styles like progressive house.... At that time the people from Kompakt gathered the ideas of minimal and techno, put it all together, made it accessible to many and started releasing records that "blew people up", regardless of their musical tastes. Kompakt revived techno, dragged it out of the utter - excuse the expression - arse. Besides, the Kompakt label has a very large distribution, and through it they lifted up many labels that became an extension of Kompakt. I think these people combined business and art ideally. I know that many DJs are now slagging Kompakt off, saying it is pop, but that is a normal reaction, because Kompakt took off and became popular. Mayer, Superpitcher - these are people who conquered the progressive scene, because the top progressive DJs, who were outside the techno sound, ended up getting drawn into it, and everything got mixed together. These people are really carrying out a historic mission in music. I don't play Kompakt now, but I always listen to and keep track of the odd rare release. If you judge strictly, from the point of view of art, from the point of view of new ideas, then there was nothing new in the very development of Kompakt; they used old ideas, dressed them up skilfully and presented them. And their main downside is that they stick too strictly to their concept; maybe that is profitable from a business point of view, but time goes on, everything changes, and they too ought to change. And right now I see a lot of new names, new music and new trends, and they go alongside Kompakt. But Kompakt strictly sticks to its policy and does not deviate from it, becoming ever more commercialised. I think they are simply capturing a bigger audience, but that is not a downside, because they earned their fame, earned their thousands of people on the dancefloors. And I am glad to watch this, and I am sincerely with them. I hope they will adapt to new conditions, they will change, and search for something new.

Kompakt is a fashionable, popular and well-known label, known in Europe and here. Musically it is just not my music, that is all. They have Kompakt Distribution, which includes quite a large number of labels, and there are indeed some interesting labels and musicians there, but of course not all of them. After the year 2000 Kompakt really did release interesting music for 2-3 years, and then they turned into a hyped-up brand, when not all the musical output was good, not all of it interesting. Assembly-line production of music began, and it stopped being the way it used to be. Of the Kompakt collective itself, I am most interested in Reinhard Voigt; he is close to me musically. Speaking of Superpitcher, I imagine what he plays in DJ sets, but it is that kind of electronic house, even with vocals. I prefer techno music; house is not for me. Commercially, Kompakt's policy is very sound and correct, in terms of promoting the label's name and in terms of distribution. From a musical point of view, I don't always agree with their policy. And the fact that they are coming to Gaudi is good, positive. Because interesting musicians will come, and our DJs will perform there. I think a large number of people will gather and it will be great fun.

12 November, Gaudi Arena, Kompakt Night, Live: le petit ORB, Reinhart Voigt, SCSI-9, DJs: Tobias Thomas, Superpitcher, Helga