- Meander has been dishing out tech house and minimal since 2007. Now ten releases in, the Berlin imprint's latest release comes courtesy of Ion Ludwig, Piyaka, Alejandro Mosso and label co-founder DeWalta, each of whom have contributed a track specifically made for its first compilation, Family Jubilee. Ludwig's "Villa Rossi" is the deepest—and best—on offer, employing rolling percussion and bass interspersed with a steady stream of warped chord stabs well-suited for the extremely late hours. DeWalta joins him on the A-side with "Tetraeder," a skippy cut infused with just enough melody to keep it out of barren minimal territory, topped off with the pitched down and wandering vocals its maker is so fond of.
Flip the vinyl and you'll find tracks from Pikaya and Alejandro Mosso. While the former's "Karma" is aimed directly at dancers with a series of pronounced key riffs, it's hard to imagine this one being little more than a less-than-memorable DJ tool. Mosso's "Zeit" caps the compilation off, with melody again taking centre stage. However, like the preceding track, it fails to match the standard set by Ludwig and DeWalta.
Tracklist A1 Ion Ludwig - Villa Rossi
A2 Dewalta - Tetraeder
B1 Pikaya - Karma
B2 Alejandra Mosso - Zeit