POP AMBIENT 2008

By DAVID DAY

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For some, the anticipation of the holidays includes eggnog, bountiful presents and endless holiday parties. For others, like me, it's all about Pop Ambient. At the end of each year, the techno utopia that is Kompakt Records sets aside all the beats and dives headfirst into the criminally neglected genre of ambient music. Already expert sound engineers, artists like The Field, Popnoname and Wolfgang Voigt create simple but luxuriant soundscapes that envelope the ears like a pair of fluffy earmuffs. Always look for the masters Klimek and Markus Guentner to shine on these comps, and 2008 is no different: Guentner's "Sparks" delicately plays with soft marimba tones while Klimek’s "The Ice Storm" is appropriately titled as traces of violins glisten like sonic icicles. An annual tradition since 2001, the Pop Ambient collection is a perfectly soothing accompaniment to those wintertime dinner parties and, perhaps, the ultimate series for our post-modern, post-religion holiday season.

VA | POP AMBIENT 2008

GENRE | SOUNDTRACK TO A SNOWFALL

VERDICT | A HOLIDAY CLASSIC

RELEASE | 12.11.07

LABEL | KOMPAKT

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