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As its 10th year draws to a close, Atomnation takes stock of another fine 12 months with the annual various artists’ collection. Alongside existing standout singles, the 13-track compilation includes exclusives from Sky Civilian, Blomelt & Narby, boys be kko and label founder Applescal.

Atomnation continued to offer up its artful mix of synth-heavy house and techno in 2022. While never losing sight of the dance floor, much of its output looks way beyond and into painterly soundscapes, heartfelt emotions and captivating grooves that work as well in more personal and thoughtful settings. Along the way, there were remixes of Coloray’s album, EP’s from Lex Ludlow and NOCUI and an album from Awe Kid as well as fresh new sounds from Applescal.

Plenty of those are included here as well as some exclusive new tracks. One comes from American musician Sky Civilian whose gorgeous lullaby ‘More Than Lonely’ is a single in which many people will find real solace. The label marked its 100th release with an album from new act Blomelt & Narby that fused field recordings, acoustic and electronic sounds into something utterly captivating. Here, the Swiss-Finnish duo offers up ‘Wrong Order At The Breakfast Parlour’ which layers dreamy pads over propulsive and organic breaks.

After his HENSA album on this label in 2021, boys be kko returns with ‘KeQue’, a track taken from the Japan-only OBI STRIP version. It’s a vibrant mix of airy outdoor melodies and shimming chords over deep house grooves. Pascal Terstappen aka Applescal also got back in the studio this year and emerged with a new sound that took his signature melodic style into techno territory. That is showcased here on ‘Lift!’, a deep and heavy roller that slowly but surely comes alive with waves of subtly euphoric chords.

Add in the indie-electronica of David Douglas, cosmic synth patterns from Milio and the beautiful longing of Gidge’s ‘Bleak’, amongst many other captivating tracks, and you have an essential overview of one of electronic music’s most beloved labels.

releases December 30, 2022