Following up the Minimize to Maximize compilation is not an easy task, as Minus stacked the decks and had one quality track following another from their label stable, which could easily go track for track, producer for producer, with any other label in the electronic music world circa 2005. But never one to rest on his laurels, Minus label manager Clark Warner and label owner Richie Hawtin have found another crop of producers who continue to push the boundaries of the label's aesthetic in new directions. For
min2Max, Heartthrob's "Baby Kate" starts things off with its haunting main keyboard melody being worked to death, it's easily one of the best things to come out of the label, ever. The
Run Stop Restore trio of Troy Pierce, Magda, and
Marc Houle all make return appearances in solo form, with Magda's "Staring Contest" being the strongest of the three. Newcomers like Berg Nixon, Gaiser, Tractile, and JPLS all make strong contributions that carry the compilation to being one of the more engaging electronic music compilations of 2006. ~ Rob Theakston