Stephan Bodzin

This late 2006 compilation by the Systematic label out of Berlin, with excellent mixing handled by Stephan Bodzin (who unsurprisingly appears on a number of the tracks, including the concluding one-two punch of "Marathon Man" and "Tron"), is an enjoyable though not always revelatory trip through many of the acid house leaning imprint's releases over the previous two years. While the label's roster has featured many top-notch names -- not for nothing does the disc begin with John Dahlbäck's crisply slick "Ooh Oh I E," as remixed by Sebo K. -- there's a sense about Systematic of a treasured sound being codified and celebrated rather than new frontiers being explored. No bad thing per se, but at some point much electronic music stopped being the future in favor of a celebration of the past, and where a label like DFA has been able to hotwire the past into something all its own, Systematic's work often feels more like a pleasurable continuation. This all said, when the many high points kick in on Systematic Colours, they can be grand -- the full-bodied electronic handclaps, growling bass and to-the-point melody of Marc Romboy vs. Bodzin's "Atlas" is when the album begins to take off, while the killer bassline on Romboy vs. Blake Baxter's "House Ya" is a classic example of the straightforward approach being all one needs for success. Bodzin vs. Romboy's "Phobos," meantime, builds to a shimmering break that cuts to a low acid growl and crisp click with the effect of leaping off a cliff into an electric ocean. Elsewhere, Phonique's "River," remixed by Robert Babicz, does deserve mention for a classically weird spoken word part throughout by a stern-voiced woman talking up surreal situations -- but it all fits the music perfectly, and Bodzin's handling of the mix as the disc moves into its midsection is a treat. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide