Various Artists

Even if no other contemporary music style is as consistently searching for new sound horizons as electronic dance music does: in the end, the tradition of series within this constant development provides us with well-known structures from the house of Cocoon. 30 years of lived DJ culture, 11 years of label history and, after all, already the sixth mix compilation by Chris Tietjen are events that need to be celebrated this year. The 26-year-old Frankfurter is an essential part of the Cocoon family since 2005 and his annual compilation is on the one hand a most welcome definition of the state-of-the-art of modern Tech-House, and on the other hand shows his own personal development from the promising Rhein Main newcomer to one of the most influential DJs in Europe. In the true sense of Cocoon’s publicised aesthetics of the DJ as a mediator of visions apart from the Sync button, Tietjen starts out for a journey through the last 12 months of Cocoon Recordings. And, once again, the acoustic cornucopia is full to bursting, containing tracks by Loco Dice, Dubfire, Phil Kieran, Christian Burkardt and many more: from the Pop Ambient of Fabric resident DJ Arnaud Le Texier ("Elusanes” Beatless Version), Tietjen dives into the depths of Dub with Moritz von Oswald’s “Cocoon Dark Dub” before the Vision Quest remix of Dinky’s “Acid In My Fridge” sets the signs - careful but unmistakeably - to a more club-esque format. What follows is yet again a tour de force through modern Techno where anything goes, from percussive reduction (Johannes Heil “The Ace - Butch Remix"), noise-heavy Deep Tech House (Maetrik “Snorkel"), winding and harmonic Detroit Techno (2000 And One “Tropical Melon - Tim Green Remix") up to an almost Balearic emotion overflow towards the finale (Chymera “Pump"; Johannes Heil “Twentythree") - a picturesque and more than inspiring kaleidoscope of modern electronic music.