Kompakt Records Tour to hit Mezzanine

Cologne-based Kompakt Records revitalized techno only a few years ago at a point when things were looking dire. Their records are recognizable without being predictable: schaffel beats, rolling basslines, and blessed-out synths riding high in the mix. Continuing to experiment and move forward, they’ve consistently released several of the year’s very best records. The company was officially founded in 1998 by Wolfgang Voigt, Jurgen Paape, and Michael Mayer, and the later is currently en route to San Francisco’s own Mezzanine with Gui Boratto.

While Mayer is essentially frontman for the label, Gui Boratto is an equally powerful force. He began as an architect, eventually got into advertising, and finally got around to making what may be the best techno record of the year, Chromophobia. Minimal techno has begun to give way to the lush sounds coming from artists like Boratto and Kompakt’s other current big-hitter The Field. A meticulous emphasis on melody over pure movement has propelled them ahead of their stripped-down counterparts. In fact, they’re making some of the best music since, well, last time Kompakt pulled everyone out of a rut.

Catch the two of them at Mezzanine on May 24.

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