Gregor Schwellenbach - Gregor Schwellenbach Spielt 20 Jahre Kompakt (2013)

In 2013, Kompakt Records wanted to do something special for their 20th anniversary. They asked multi-instrumentalist and orchestral composer Gregor Schwellenbach to deconstruct 20 of the label's signature tracks into pure classical arrangements for a hand-picked ensemble of chamber musicians. His goal was to give each cut "a new voice" while retaining "the core of the experience: the melody, the hook, the feeling" despite the vastly different presentation. On May 27th 2013, the resulting album 'Gregor Schwellenbach Spielt 20 Jahre Kompakt' was released. It features 20 chamber music versions arranged by Schwellenbach and played with assists from flutist Dorothee Oberlinger, guitarist Christian Buck and harpist Jane Berthe, who are all veteran classical musicians.

Schwellenbach also reworked Olivier Raymond's 'Domino' which is one of Kompakt's greatest hits. It was Wolfgang Voigt who suggested that "the bursting energy of the treble semiquavers (16th notes) might work well on strings" and he was damn right. The subtle classical addition of Schwellenbach's chamber music ensemble takes this track to the next level. I just can’t stop listening to it. What about you?