Blumentopf

A combination label sampler and mix disc, Eins A finds Chris Tietjen drawing liberally from the Cocoon roster to create an enjoyable 11-track overview of some highlights from the label's five-year history. Starting with the ten-minute-plus soothing raindrop sparkle/aggro pulse slam of Jacek Sienkiewicz's "Dream Machine," providing a suitably slow rise beginning to the overall experience, Tietjen keeps things moving, though not a jaw-dropping set, it's definitely one with skill that finds the variety in the intentionally stripped-down template. Cocoon's house style, for lack of a better word, finds a balance between more minimal experimenters and glorious, upfront pop hooks that's appealing on an immediate, near physical level -- something like Glove's "Drogenkontrolle" is hardly DJ Scooter but the core bassline and the crowd/MC samples are pure exaltation, while Pig & Dan's retooling of Yello's classic "Oh Yeah" is a total treat. (It certainly doesn't hurt, either, that they're riding a huge Depeche Mode-into-EBM fetish at many points. Legowelt's appearance near the end of the disc with "Disco Rout" is almost required, though Tietjen's mixing of it is easily the most abrupt and stiff mix on the disc.) If little on Eins A outright surprises (admittedly unsurprising given that it's a retrospective by default), hearing how classic approaches can be beautifully retooled into a new setting by many different acts is a thrill in and of itself. The vacuum-cleaner bass swarm on David K's remix of Oliver Koletzki's "Der Muckenschwarm," especially when it cuts in right before the beats, is pure magic. The disc concludes where the label started, with Frank Lorber's "Electric Sparkle," making for an energetic but lower key ending that's just right. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide