Various - Invisible Soundtracks Macro 2 (Leaf)

The last installment of Invisible Soundtracks was certainly a highllight of last year for fans of dark trip hop and minimalist beats. Like clockwork, a new compilation arrives oine year on but this time the IS series has a more international flavour. Artists from around the globe have been commissioned for soundtrack pieces for imaginary films which are stiched together here making a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

Connouisseaurs of mellow vibes and the slow 'n' low regions of techno will be aware of several of the artists included here. Laika, Si Begg, To Rococo Rot and Fridge all put in an apearence. The best offering from these four big fish from a closely guarded backwater is definitely To Rococo Rot, who's Die Dinge Des Lebens is the only track on the album to be actually picked up for use in a forthcoming film. From the less well-known artists, Max Brennan stands out. His 'From The Temple To The Nile' is pure escapism - and a refreshing accoustic interlude. It's tracks like this that remind you how film soundtracks are more about emotion than any oter style of music. The steel cathedrals of Ian Eccles Smith's 'Driftnet' and the mixed up confusion of A Small Good Thing (whose Block was an overlooked highlight of 1997) are both well worth hearing. The films are invisible. These soundtracks are as real as it gets. 9/10


This review also published in: DJ magazine