- The first two ‘Camping’ albums, BPitch Control’s most recent compilation series, were designed with hyperactive listeners in mind: they’d switch genre and BPMs at an ADD-like pace, but the overall effect was at times dizzying. Commissioning never-released radio edits of already-known tracks (e.g. a shorter and too-immediate version of ‘Washing Up’ on ‘Vol. 2’) and cramming them all together all but enhanced that nauseating feeling, as if Ellen Allien wanted you to have a taste of her label’s recent developments, but all in only one bite. For the third installment of the series, though, she changed strategies, and what you have here is 14 brand new tracks in slightly more DJ-friendly versions, as well as a reminder of the Berlin’s label ever-going relevance.
Opening with Kreuzberg’s own Jahcoozi (whose ‘BLN’ gets all syncopated ghetto on our asses in a way not dissimilar to M.I.A.’s Diplo-enhanced sounds), ‘Camping Vol. 3’ then takes us to every corners of the contemporary dance music spectrum, from Tomas Andersson pulsating ‘Go To Disco’ (with welcome vocals) to Modeselektor’s best Sean Paul impersonation (‘Weed Wid Da Macka’ feat. Ninjaman), from Sascha Funke’s serene ‘I Love This Tent’ to Safety Scissors’ aptly-titled ‘Where Is Germany and How Do I Get There?’ (are you really THAT lost, guys?). After new offerings from Larsson, Ben Klock and Ellen Allien & Apparat, the album then ends on a gorgeous note, with Fairmont’s ‘Pavillion’, a highly melodic and crisp follower to his own memorable ‘Gazebo’.
Instead of simply contemplating its own recent past, it appears the BPitch headmasters are now firmly looking forward to the label’s bright upcoming future. And even though the songs still don’t really have much more space to breathe (clocking at one hour, the compilation is faithfully all about four-minute mini-anthems), the music on ‘Camping Vol. 3’, weirdly enough, ends up having more time to shine.
Tracklist1 Jahcoozi - BLN
2 Tomas Andersson - Go To Disco
3 Sascha Funke - I Love This Tent
4 Sylvie Marks & Hal 9000 - Strahlen
5 TimTim - You Sexy Beast
6 Paul Kalkbrenner - Der Senat
7 Zander VT - Offroad Camping
8 Feadz - 110 Cloches
9 Modeselektor Feat. Ninjaman - Weed Wid Da Macka (Modeselektor Remix)
10 Safety Scissors - Where Is Germany And How Do I Get There? (Ellen Allien Germany Remix)
11 Larsson - Off Voices
12 Ben Klock - Similar Colors
13 Ellen Allien & Apparat - Red Planets
14 Fairmont - Pavilion