The Asthmatic Worm

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A heavy favourite for the title "Compilation of the Year". Most certainly the victor as far as concept and cover design are concerned, and my choice as winner in the "Label Debut of the Year" category. But beyond the possible accolades, simply a delightful record.

'The Asthmatic Worm' was a nineteenth-century sobriquet for the accordian, that mainstay of weddings, bar mitzvahs and polka parties. However, Mobilé label chief Heiko Hoffman heard more than folksy wheezing in the venerable box; for him, by slightly altering its context, its characteristic sound "provides electronic tracks with an organic quality that can hardly be created digitally". So he embarked on assembling a CD filled with quality results to prove this. Ten of the twelve tracks are culled from previous releases, but the genius behind this collection is putting it together in the first place.

It a wonderful record, skirting dub, clicks'n'cuts and other forms of electronica which feature either the accordion or its second-cousin the melodica. We are treated to a wide spectrum of the imagination, from März' naïvistic glitch pop to the moody chanson of Hey, nu dub courtesy of Burnt Friedman & Jaki Liebezeit and a characteristically cyclical and foot-dragging Pole remix of an Atom™ track. True to Hoffman's claim, the acoustic instruments lend the electronica a warmer, fuller sound, as bellows and breath make evident the human element central to the creation of sounds in the first place.

The CD package is designed in the shape of a very, very small hardback book, each page dedicated to contributing artists' reflections over their tracks.