Kompakt (

Labelcode Labelcode also known as Label Code is a unique 4-digit or 5-digit music label identification code that is assigned by (GVL), Germany. Since 2017, Labelcode is no longer mandatory. Labelcode is still used in some occasions, for example, CD publi ...

: LC 12012) is a

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

-based

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...

independent record label and vinyl/CD distributor, owned by

Wolfgang Voigt Wolfgang Voigt (born 1961) is an electronic music DJ and producer from Cologne, Germany, known for his output under various aliases, such as Gas. He signed on numerous record labels, including Warp, Harvest, Raster-Noton, Force Inc, Astral In ...

, Michael Mayer and Jürgen Paape. They specialize in

microhouse Microhouse, buftech or sometimes just minimal, is a subgenre of house music strongly influenced by minimalism and 1990s techno. History Microhouse has its roots in the minimal techno, bitpop (both developed in the early 1990s), and house (dev ...

and

minimal techno Minimal techno is a subgenre of techno music. It is characterized by a stripped-down aesthetic that exploits the use of repetition and understated development. Minimal techno is thought to have been originally developed in the early 1990s by Detro ...

, and are known for their ''Total'' compilation series which reached its seventeenth installment in

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History

Kompakt originated from a techno record store that was opened in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

(under the name "Delirium") by Wolfgang Voigt, Reinhard Voigt, Jörg Burger and Jürgen Paape, who were soon joined by Michael Mayer. Kompakt itself was formally founded in 1998, combining several existing labels, the record store and distributor and also event organizing activities. According to '' Grooves'' magazine, "Kompakt's chief aesthetic objective has always been the perfect marriage of ambient texture and linear 4x4 structure—blending deep, granular sound design with the 4-bar rhythmic intensity and patterning that makes house and techno so club-effective". Kompakt has been noted for releases enriching abstract techno tracks with pop elements such as vocals - Mayer has stated that "We grew up with pop music and really like traces of pop in techno music. This is probably Kompakt's biggest strength-- that we can detect these pop traces and give them a home". British music critic Simon Reynolds has characterized Kompakt as the "label that's contributed more than any other to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

's dominance of electronic dance music this decade he 2000s. Notable producers of the label include

Superpitcher Aksel Schaufler better known by his stage name Superpitcher, is a German producer affiliated with Cologne's Kompakt music label. Background Superpitcher made his first appearance on Kompakt's ''Total 2'' compilation album in 2000 with the song ...

, Michael Mayer, Justus Köhncke,

Rex The Dog Jake Williams (born 1974) is a British electronic music producer and remixer, who currently records as Rex the Dog. Rex the Dog currently releases on Kompakt Records. As Rex the Dog, Williams is a proponent of DIY electronics and performs live ...

and

Gui Boratto Guilherme Boratto (born 1974 in São Paulo) is a Brazilian electronic music producer. In the 1990s, he was a member of Sect. His debut solo album '' Chromophobia'' was awarded the title of Mixmag Album of the Month. Regarding why he chose the na ...

. In recent years, Kompakt has been better known for bringing a

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

sound into minimal techno.

Techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

and electronic artists, such as

The Orb The Orb are an English electronic music group founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty. Known for their psychedelic sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. Their influential 19 ...

, Thomas Fehlmann, The Field,

Jonas Bering Jonas Bering (born 9 November 1975) is a French electronic music songwriter, from Lille, France. Jonas Bering emerged from the techno scene of Cologne, Germany, through his works released on the German label Kompakt, run by Wolfgang Voigt, Mic ...

, Aril Brikha,

Kenneth James Gibson Kenneth James Gibson is a musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter and a founding member of Bell Gardens, Furry Things, Eight Frozen Modules, and endics.shuffle. Career Kenneth James Gibson was born in Canada, grew up in El ...

, and others have released material on Kompakt. Kompakt also runs an

online music store A digital music store is a business that sells digital audio files of music recordings over the Internet. Customers gain ownership of a license to use the files, in contrast to a music streaming service, where they listen to recordings without ...

with a weekly newsletter, providing a large amount of techno and other electronic forms and through mailorder. The label used to run its own digital download store at kompakt-mp3.net, which according to Mayer was " ne of the firsttechno mp3 shops online", but it was not financially successful and was shut down after three years in late 2008. The company had 16 employees in 2009. The Kompakt offices and record store appear in Amy Grill's 2009 documentary ''

Speaking In Code ''Speaking in Code'' is a character-based documentary directed by Amy Grill about people's obsessions with the techno electronic music lifestyle and the effects on their lives. It follows Modeselektor, the Wighnomy Brothers, Philip Sherburne, M ...

'', which features interviews with founder Wolfgang Voigt and co-owner Michael Mayer.

Profan

Profan was founded in 1993 by Wolfgang Voigt and was later added as a sublabel to Kompakt. The label primarily featured material by Wolfgang Voigt and his brother Reinhard Voigt. Many critics considered Profan at the cutting edge of '90s electronica. Profan stopped releasing any new material in 2000, but resumed in August 2008 when Wolfgang Voigt's "Freiland Klaviermusik" single was released under the Profan name.

Selected releases

''Total'' series

Total 1 '' Kompakt: Total 1'' or ''Total 1'' was released on 30 July 1999. The album is the first installment of the influential Cologne-based microhouse label's annual compilation of vinyl releases and exclusives from its biggest artists and most promis ...

(1999) * Total 2 (2000) * Total 3 (2001) * Total 4 (2002) * Total 5 (2003) * Total 6 (2005) * Total 7 (2006) * Total 8 (2007) *

Total 9 ''Kompakt: Total 9'' or ''Total 9'' was released on 18 August 2008. The album is the ninth installment of the Cologne-based microhouse label's annual compilation album, compilation of vinyl releases and exclusives from its biggest artists and mos ...

(2008) * Total 10 (2009) * Total 11 (2010) * Total 12 (2011) * Total 14 (2014) * Total 15 (2015) * Total 16 (2016) * Total 17 (2017) * Total 18 (2018) * Total 19 (2019) * Total 20 (2020) * Total 21 (2021) * Total 22 (2022)

''Pop Ambient''

* Pop Ambient 2001 (2001) * Pop Ambient 2002 (2001) * Pop Ambient 2003 (2002) * Pop Ambient 2004 (2003) * Pop Ambient 2005 (2004) * Pop Ambient 2006 (2005) * Pop Ambient 2007 (2006) * Pop Ambient 2008 (2007) * Pop Ambient 2009 (2009) * Pop Ambient 2010 (2010) * Pop Ambient 2011 (2011) * Pop Ambient 2012 (2012) * Pop Ambient 2013 (2013) * Pop Ambient 2014 (2014) * Pop Ambient 2015 (2014) * Pop Ambient 2016 (2015) * Pop Ambient 2017 (2016) * Pop Ambient 2018 (2017) * Pop Ambient 2019 (2018) * Pop Ambient 2020 (2019) * Pop Ambient 2021 (2020) * Pop Ambient 2022 (2021)

Other releases

Gas Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma). A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...

- Zauberberg - (1997) *

- Königsforst - (1998) *

Oktember ''Oktember'' is the second EP by German musician Wolfgang Voigt's Gas project. It was released in February 1999 on the Mille Plateaux ''A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia'' (french: link=no, Mille plateaux) is a 1980 book b ...

- (1999) * Dettinger - Intershop (1999) *

- Pop - (2000) * Michael Mayer –

Immer ''Immer'' (German for ''Always'') is a mix album by German electronic music artist Michael Mayer. It was released on 26 February 2002 on the Kompakt record label based in Cologne. Reception Online music magazine ''Pitchfork'' placed ''Immer'' ...

(2002) *

–

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...

(2005) *

– Okie Dokie It's The Orb on Kompakt (2005) * Klimek – Music To Fall Asleep (2006) *

–

Chromophobia Chromophobia (also known as chromatophobia or chrematophobia) is a persistent, irrational fear of, or aversion to, colors and is usually a conditioned response. While actual clinical phobias to color are rare, colors can elicit hormonal respon ...

(2007) * The Field – From Here We Go Sublime (2007) *

–

Take My Breath Away "Take My Breath Away" is a song written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock for the 1986 film ''Top Gun'', performed by American new wave band Berlin. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best ...

(2009) * The Field – Yesterday and Today (2009) *

Panda Bear The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes ...

– Surfer's Hymn Single (2011) *

WhoMadeWho WhoMadeWho is a Copenhagen-based experimental pop trio, who formed in 2003. The band consists of jazz guitarist Jeppe Kjellberg, drummer Tomas Barfod and singer/bassist Tomas Høffding. Career The band released several 12-inches on German di ...

– Knee Deep (2011) *

– III (2011) *

WALLS Walls may refer to: *The plural of wall, a structure *Walls (surname), a list of notable people with the surname Places * Walls, Louisiana, United States * Walls, Mississippi, United States * Walls, Ontario, neighborhood in Perry, Ontario, C ...

–

Coracle A coracle is a small, rounded, lightweight boat of the sort traditionally used in Wales, and also in parts of the West Country and in Ireland, particularly the River Boyne, and in Scotland, particularly the River Spey. The word is also used of ...

(2011) * Taragana Pyjarama – Tipped Bowls (2012) * Justus Köhncke - Justus Köhncke & The Wonderful Frequency Band (2013) * Voigt & Voight - Die Zauberhafte Welt Der Anderen (2013) *

John Tejada John Tejada (born 21 April 1974) is an Austrian-born American electronic music producer and composer. Tejada's output of music began in 1994, including four albums for Kompakt, plus releases on Pokerflat, Cocoon, Plug Research, Seventh City, Playho ...

- The Predicting Machine (2013) * Vermont – Vermont (2014) *

– The Evening Falls (2016) *

- Narkopop - (2017) * Vermont – II (2017) *

–

Pentagram A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha, pentangle, or star pentagon) is a regular five-pointed star polygon, formed from the diagonal line segments of a convex (or simple, or non-self-intersecting) regular pentagon. Drawing a circle arou ...

(2018) *

- Rausch - (2018) *

- Dead Start Program (2018) *

- Der Lange Marsch - (2021)

References

External links

Official site

Pitchfork Media review of Total 6 compilation
(2005, includes a look back at the label's success in the U.S. from 2001 to 2005)
Dummymag.com interview with Michael Mayer, February 2010
* {{Authority control Record labels established in 1998 German independent record labels Electronic music record labels Techno record labels