If you consider yourself a fan of electronic music, let me introduce you to Michael Mayer.
A softly spoken, yet effervescent personality, Mayer is something of a celebrity in his native Germany. His seminal Kompakt imprint — a partnership with Wolfgang Voigt and Jürgen Paape — is well known for breaking all the rules. Originally established as a record store in Koln, Germany, the label — which is known for its forward thinking minimal techno — is today home to releases from artists such as Superpitcher, The Orb and John Tejada. “2013 was a pretty exhaustive year,” Michael says. “I’ve been celebrating that; I’ve also done some specifically dedicated releases as well as played some really cool gigs in a lot of great cities. So yes, things have been very busy, but we’ve received very good feedback.”
That little record store – opening back in 1993 — led to the creation of one of electronic music’s great labels that happens to be celebrating its 20th birthday in 2013. “It is amazing to think that we’ve been around for so long now. Creating a compilation to commemorate that great moment is something I took great pride in.”
The label is one for the purists, releasing everything on vinyl or CD. “Nothing has really changed there. Sure, the pressing numbers have gone down a bit over the times, but when pressings come, it is a very special moment for me. It gives me a sensation of a new baby being born; if it’s a digital release, I don’t get this sensation. I can’t take it as seriously as a physical release.
“The label now has almost 500 releases and over that time, we’ve gained a lot of trust from record buyers who want to check out what we’re doing. As well as this, we are always doing a broad range of music and that has always been a way of defining us.”
