Whether you buy Spin about as often as you pick up Hummel Figurine Digest, or whether you've got all of your back issues shelved chronologically and indexed in a computer database, you need to buy this month's issue for Adrienne Day's kick-ass piece on Kompakt, which is pretty much the definitive story of the label in 2005.
That is, of course, unless you don't care for Kompakt — in which case, may I suggest you go here. (Just kidding.)
*The above photograph bears no relation, implicit or ex-, to Spin magazine, its advertisers, or shareholders, nor to Kompakt, Adrienne, nor anything else, really (although I did meet Sia Michel at the party where this photograph was taken, for whatever that's worth). Sometimes ravers and their plush toys just deserve to be seen in all their gurning glory by sober folks sitting at their desks on a Friday morning.
Posted by philip at May 12, 2005 10:21 PMPhilip thats hilarious
Posted by: Tamara at May 13, 2005 09:35 AMkompakt? in spin? that just totally shattered my paradigm.
Posted by: micah at May 13, 2005 10:26 AMThat was a really great piece, standing out that much more next to the "cover story", the irrelevant and mostly uninteresting collection of rock lists.
Posted by: Andy at May 14, 2005 12:17 AMmicah took the words right outta my email....
Posted by: robert at May 16, 2005 03:45 PMkompakt kompakt blah blah kompakt
we get the fucking point already. you like kompakt. please buy some different records if you are going to pretend to be a record critic.
Posted by: at May 16, 2005 07:37 PMdo you read my writing, dipshit? i talk about other material all the time. (and as far as i can tell, i actually write about kompakt fairly seldom.) and here i don't talk about kompakt at all - i just direct people to adrienne's article. get some other ammunition if you're going to pretend to be a critic's critic.
Posted by: philip at May 16, 2005 07:39 PMoh, and the anonymous jab? classy.
Posted by: philip at May 16, 2005 07:42 PMHere's the average dork who pretends he can slash a critic without knowing shit about how things work. he might have the full Kompakt collection, too. Yawn.
Posted by: javier at May 16, 2005 10:44 PMis that pawn shop in miami, circa march 2005? i was there that night too. rumor has it p. diddy stopped by and did something or other. not that that really deserves to make headlines anymore. anyway, drop a line when you're back in town, we never quite made it to lunch. b von luxxury.
Posted by: b von luxxury at May 17, 2005 02:52 AMkompakt? can't you dare with something fresher?? it was news some years ago, but now they are even in spin... maybe they don't need more extra advertising, and maybe you need another trip to europe.
Posted by: you're so 99 at May 18, 2005 11:35 PMbecause as we all know, freshness is everything.
I guess this is what happens when you get known by people who read pitchfork! So, what are we being attemptedly told? Kompakt was unheard of in 99, but now people are familiar with it, it is no longer good??? Nice theory. Shame I don't know anywhere in the UK stocking spin - it sounds an interesting article.
Posted by: horizontal at May 19, 2005 06:04 AMthe thing is: kompakt was dull in 99 -come on, that wasn't the best year for minimal techno-, but as it was it's early beginnings it was fresh. but in the last two years has been when kompakt has achieved the richness, variety and the lush palette of sounds that is so influential right now. So 99? Excuse me, but 1999 was a great year for 2step. 2004 and 2005 belong to minimal.
Posted by: javier at May 22, 2005 04:08 AMIt occurs to me that the stuffed primate in the photo above looks like he's probably related to San Francisco musician The Ape Which Hath No Name of Captured! By Robots.
Posted by: Grant at May 23, 2005 09:34 AMif that's supposed to be some jab at Hummel Figurine Digest subscribers like myself... why, i oughtta!
Posted by: ken t at May 24, 2005 10:25 AMwow, you got some rabid commentators.
SPEX is a much better music magazine.
Posted by: Debbie at May 25, 2005 03:54 AMthis kind of thing makes me a little queazy in the stomach department. Kompakt is wonderfull, yeah we all know that know especially since they have made it their initiative to inform the world and get rich.
the source of my bitterness, is that I have been an artist who's work has been in the hands of kompakt distribution since I began producing. It has been years and years of contemplation and philosophy of how to make my inspirations commercially viable and something that kompakt can stand behind.
I've tried everything. The records are eclaimed by critics the world over, and still I'm only selling 700 copies.
I would like to see kompakt start to release their greedy iron-grasp on the media, quit thinking only of their own labels artists, and make some attempt to aid their 30-odd sublabels like they make them believe that they do.
They have press agents working all over the world, but ask one of these agents to assist a kompakt sub-label or artist, and you'll get blank confused stares at best.
Kompakt has hundreds, likely thousands of accounts buying from their label, and their sub-labels. THey send out newsletters to all of these accounts to make suggestions of promissing purchases, but what's on these newsletters? wadayaexpect? releases off the big-brother label, as well as the artists that have made sales in the 5000+ copies range with competing distributors. (I'm sure they'd hate to proove me right by giving mat jonsons the same sweet nothing that they give everyone else)
nuf said
where and whether to start w/some of the comments on this thread,especially the last?
yeah it was the kreisel 7" series in '99 that was Kompakt's big mainstream breakthrough.
SPEX is better than SPIN is a fact that presupposes reading this entry. the point is that not only are fans outside of europe lucky to have a rare article on the publicityless kompakt crew, it's an excellent article at that.
advice to 'purpusely anonymous': don't waste more time sending promos to kompakt, learn how a few individuals who love techno (not $) built their own platform from scratch and who have always been self supportive- profan = profan, and also
appreciate the distribution aspect of this enterprise in light of EFA's dissolution last fall.
say more.
Posted by: SLAYER at May 31, 2005 06:23 PMthe "you're so 99" tag is a ref to pantytec's (ahem, 1999) track of same name, no? remember minimal music with charged titles? can you get any fresher? just who are these kompakt people anyway? i jest. "purposely anon," this bud's for you...
Posted by: dave aju at July 6, 2005 01:08 AMdude, knowing track titles is so rockist. i'm lookin' at you, "dave aju," if that is your real name, which i doubt it is. what kind of name is "aju," anyway? can't we all just live and let live? or at least live and die wrecked?
Posted by: philip at July 6, 2005 01:12 AMhaha! (in my best Comic Book Guy voice): i believe the "rockist" tendency was previously exhibited by the reference to bud-weiser, furthermore the name aju is fiendish, and i assure you citizens on the isle of fiend would find great offense in your ignorance, thank you...
Posted by: dave aju at July 6, 2005 02:00 AM