Regular readers will be well aware of my love of the Kompakt label and it’s pretty rare that I don’t absolutely love everything that gets released on rhe Berlin imprint. Here we have number 14 in the popular compilation series Total.

There’s 25 tunes here over two CDs ( also available on a double 12” album) and they range from the somewhat banging to the more atmospheric tunes which has been a staple of the series. There’s a good selection of tunes from the last couple of years on Kompakt as well as a good selection of tunes exclusive to this compilation.

Of course this is techno (in its broadest terms) but it’s an instantly accessible record with some poppier moments.

The opening track Dauwd’s Lydia sets the scene with a diving drum track and dreamy, ethereal synth lines over the top that take you higher and higher as the tune progresses. Coma’s Atlantis hints at 80s synth pop whilst Gui Boratto featuring Coma and Hell’s Take Control is everything I expected from Goldfrapp but never really got. And then there’s Thomas Fehlmann’s tune Eye that has a tribal feel to it which whilst been a little more leftfield than the previously mentioned tunes doesn’t fail to please. Sebastien Bouchet’s Broken Heart is a stomper of a tune made to loose it in the early hours of a dark club and then Partial Arts Taifa has echoes of early bleeps and bass tunes..or even Hardfloor.

However, there’s a lot more to this album than the individual tunes and artists that make it up. There’s a variety of different styles on Total 14, but they work together to bring a cohesiveness that just sounds great.

A record full of tunes equally at home on the dancefloor of one of Berlin’s impossible to get in to uber-clubs as it is turned up loud and listened to at home. There’s a chilled vibe to most of the tunes that ooze quality and as such this record is highly recommended! All thriller and then some floorfillers! Out now.