Various

There was a time a few years back when Kompakt’s Pop Ambient series was generally regarded as the lesser of two twins, its ambient compositions consistently overshadowed by its more glamorous and upbeat counterpart, the Total series. But in the past two years, the Pop Ambient collection has sprung to life, as its artists have steadily veered away from the Gas sound and become more adventurous in their exploration of field recordings and, on PA 2008, the classic analog synth of ’70s kosmiche stalwarts like Cluster and Klaus Schulze. Kompakt ambient mainstays such as Markus Guenter, Andrew Thomas, Ulf Lohmann and Klimek all offer some of their strongest work in years, while Wolfgang Voigt reprises his much-missed All alias for a fitting loop cycle that complements new-generation label artists like the Field. DJ Koze again proves himself to be Kompakt’s most reliable secret weapon, while Jorg Burger’s Triola and Popnoname round out what’s one of the most varied and compelling Pop Ambient compilations in the series thus far.