The releases of Special Life and the following
Special Love were separated by a mere four months. Since Kompakt's marketing and dispersal of information are usually limited to "Here are our new titles," with track listings frequently nonexistent, the probability of some confusion or puzzlement occurring is almost always high -- as is the case here.
Special Love is a different kind of a remix album, one that merely strips the beats from the original versions and presents them in a new context. However, nothing on the packaging informs you of it, and the track titles are unchanged on the back of the sleeve. Some help: This disc has seven tracks and depicts a white building on the front, while Special Life has ten and a young boy. These beatless tracks make for great DJ tools, and
Hiroshi Watanabe's keyboard sequences -- sometimes uplifting, sometimes melancholy, always somewhat purifying -- are all the more stunning when there's nothing else to focus on. The other great aspect of these alternate mixes is the fact that they'll make you cling to parts of the originals that previously went unnoticed or unappreciated -- they're likely to make you go back and listen to them in a new light. This is hardly one of the most significant Kompakt releases; despite that, it's a special kind of treat with its own unique pleasures. ~ Andy Kellman