Michael Mayer

Despite being one of the figureheads of Germany's Kompakt, it has been eight years since Michael Mayer's debut, Touch. Known more for his dynamic DJ sets than his production work in the studio, Mayer has crafted an album that touches upon many of the elements that have made Kompakt into one of the most uncompromising labels in electronic music. From dreamlike ambient textures to seductive, bass-draped post-club beats to warm analog synths that flicker with pop undertones, Mantasy's broad strokes are fitting coming from the Cologne resident. Released on any other label, tracks like the horn-driven "Rudi Was a Punk" or the playful "Lamusetwa" might seem out of place, but they embody the Kompakt aesthetic that Mayer, Wolfgang Voigt and Jürgen Paape have been cultivating since they launched the label in 1998. Mayer's instincts, developed behind the decks, come subtly bleeding through on Mantasy, but his sophmore album also shows an artist that's comfortable with revealing lurking melodies and smearing the lines between genres as a producer.