Compost Records commemorated its 250th release with
Freshly Composted, Vol. 2, a stellar various-artists collection that includes a baker's dozen of recent standout productions for the label, half of them previously unreleased on CD. Several of the featured producers are newcomers (
Nova Dream Sequence,
Alif Tree,
Marsmobil,
Jean-Paul Bondy, Soil & Pimp,
Muallem, Shahrokh SoundofK), emphasizing the fresh blood that continues to pump new life into this age-old German record label. On the other hand, there are a few old-timers here as well, with Detroit legends
Carl Craig and
Moodymann represented by a remix each. Plus, there are longtime Compost standard-bearers
Beanfield and
Koop, who bookend the compilation. Per Compost standards, every minute of music here is breakbeat-driven -- a mélange of disco, house, techno, soul, jazz, and hip-hop, sometimes within a single track. There's no shortage of highlights to be had, and there's a surplus of variety on showcase. Hard to go wrong with Compost if you're into breakbeat-based music produced with DJs and dancefloors in mind. The label's longevity is well justified and, indeed, reason for celebration. ~ Jason Birchmeier