For Film: Edit 5

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Perhaps one of the best-kept secrets in the genre of instrumental electronica are the compilations released annually by the Freibank music publishing company of Hamburg under the rubic, 'For Films: Selected Works for Motion Pictures'. Since 1996, the aim of these CDs has been to gather new works in the Freibank repertoire 'especially selected for potential use in films, commercials,... games and websites.'

Spanning from jazzy drum & bass, ambient, and reconstructed krautrock to easy-listening latino, space and actual film trailer music, the variety is awesome and the pleasure quotient high. A random namecheck of the roster of artists appearing over the years includes Kreidler, Einstürtzende Neubauten, Bernd Friedmann, Senor Coconut, Flanger, Tindersticks, Pete Namlook, Jorge Reyes, Visit Venus, Laurent Garnier, Tortoise, Jacob's Optical Stairway (aka 4Hero), Harmonia 76, Pluramon, Die Haut, Mijk van Dijk and Panacea. Many of the artists are repeat performers from CD to CD, and dozens of lesser-known German and international acts often end up supplying the most satisfying cuts. Moreover, the geographical spread is impressive, stretching from Brazil and Chile to Russia and the UK.

'Edit.5' picks up where the last edition left off, never deviating from compiler Klaus Maeck's primary agenda of avantgarde eclecticism and high-level listenability. Immediately familiar names like Amon Tobin, Ian Pooley, DJ Food, Porter Ricks and Felix Kubin glide smoothly between a slew of lesser-knowns and returnees such as Burnt Friedman (as he seems to prefer to be called nowadays), Einstürdzende, Visit Venus and Flanger.

Across the 70-odd minutes and up to two dozen cuts offered by this, as every, volume, there are naturally some less-inspired moments to be encountered; but many more happy surprises, as often as not provided by the less celebrated names. As 'sampler CDs' introducing the listener to the latest in contemporary electronica, the 'For Film' collections are almost unparalleled in breadth and quality. The extremely handsome digipak packaging, to which the series returned after releasing last year's collection in a slipcover, is marred by one single gaffe.

After missing the boat with the first release, the second featured a glossy booklet tucked into the pocket of the fold-out featuring exhaustive artist profiles, and also running down the bios of the artists appearing in Edit.1. Unfortunately, this year's addition once again lacks biographical input. Instead, the interested listener is referred to the firm's website at http://www.freibank.com.