VARIOUS ARTISTS

Germany's Bureau B continues its exploration of the acclaimed but often-overlooked Sky label's catalogue with this exemplary double CD. Curated by Death In Vegas lynchpin Richard Fearless, Kollektion 4 maintains the high standard already set by previous compilers such as Lloyd Cole and Tim Gane but adopts a more widescreen approach, covering pretty much most of the big names in progressive electronic rock.

Some of the names might be retro but the music is shamelessly contemporary with key pieces by Faust, Moebius and Qluster providing organic Krautrock explorations alongside more pastoral pieces by the sadly-departed Wolfgang Reichmann (Abendlicht is as beautiful as it is simple), elegiac Asmus Tietchens and cyclical You with Deep Range, a celestial track reminiscent of Eno and Cluster (and Jean-Michel Jarre, truth be told).

For those who require a bit more in the way of classic motorik rock, head to the fantastic Gunter Schickert who turns up with the hypnotic firework-laden Suleika, the uptempo Solyst contribution The Swell and the full-on Thomas Dinger who fills an enjoyable nine minutes of our lives with the sprightly Fur Dich. Of course for an eerie unsettling dubbed-up epic - and I do mean 'epic' - head to Doppelschnitt by Moebius and Beerbohm in all its 20 minute glory.

Fans of Death In Vegas will no doubt be ticking off the band's sources of inspiration as the minutes tick by - this is a hearty compilation.

A volume 5 featuring Conrad Schnitzler and curated by Thomas Fehlmann is also due out in the summer.

This review also appeared also on Flipside Review

Paul PLEDGER
17/07/2015