Various

Taking a cue from the Kompakt Pop Ambient compilations, Japanese label Mule Electronic celebrates five years of bliss with its collection of serene themes. Veterans like Strategy, Jan Jelinek and Thomas Fehlmann, who trumps even his IMPS remix from earlier this year with a wonderful piano-in-a-whirlpool bit, sit next to eagerly ascendant artists. Kuniyuki Takahashi, who records as Koss, takes a regal piano theme and adds slightly unsettled ambient noise to generate something lovely and a little unnerving. Sweden's Minilogue continue to develop their non-dance floor side with a lengthy synth pad churner that's treated to hide-and-seek polyrhythms from several sources. Peter M. Kersten's Lawrence track is a simple and effective balance of a few echoing elements, with a thread of playful vibraphone stringing them along. It isn't as fluid a collection as the Kompakt offerings but still makes for a splendid label overview and bookend to their German counterpart.