AMG Review of Freshly Composted, Vol. 2

Jason Birchmeier
All Music Guide

Compost Records commemorated its 250th release with Freshly Composted, Vol. 2, a stellar various-artists collection that includes a baker's dozen of recent standout productions for the label, half of them previously unreleased on CD. Several of the featured producers are newcomers (Nova Dream Sequence, Alif Tree, Marsmobil, Jean-Paul Bondy, Soil & Pimp, Muallem, Shahrokh SoundofK), emphasizing the fresh blood that continues to pump new life into this age-old German record label. On the other hand, there are a few old-timers here as well, with Detroit legends Carl Craig and Moodymann represented by a remix each. Plus, there are longtime Compost standard-bearers Beanfield and Koop, who bookend the compilation. Per Compost standards, every minute of music here is breakbeat-driven -- a mélange of disco, house, techno, soul, jazz, and hip-hop, sometimes within a single track. There's no shortage of highlights to be had, and there's a surplus of variety on showcase. Hard to go wrong with Compost if you're into breakbeat-based music produced with DJs and dancefloors in mind. The label's longevity is well justified and, indeed, reason for celebration.