With Compliments

Following 12" releases for the most celebrated of Germany's tech-house labels in the late '90s such as Perlon and Kompakt, Benjamin Wild made the jump to Force Tracks, which eventually released the German producer's first full-length effort, With Compliments. The album compiles one of Wild's productions for Perlon, "f(m).com," along with several of the tracks that had appeared on his previously released 12"s for Force Tracks: "Forsch," "Christmas 2000," "2001_b," "Anschlusstreffer," and "Layers." Though the other seven tracks on this album hadn't yet been released, they're quite similar in style -- not only to the previously released tracks but also to other Force Tracks artists such as Crane AK and MRI. In general, Wild produces house tracks with dubby basslines and the sort of synth-like sounds traditionally associated with techno. The tracks aren't overly harsh or intense, instead being quite lush and atmospheric. A few of the tracks -- such as "2001_b" and "Forsh" in particular -- are quite melodic, driven by synth hooks, while others -- such as "Anschlusstreffer" and "Mix Für Rechenzentrum" in particular -- are a bit more oblique, driven by percussive rhythms. Surely one of Force Tracks' more dynamic releases, With Compliments features Wild experimenting with both accessible and experimental sounds, along with a little of everything in between, resulting in an album full of twists and turns. ~ Jason Birchmeier|