One of the most discussed musical genres as of late has been minimal techno, the reason for that remaining a secret to me. Producers all around the world have been creating minimal tunes for at least ten years and it?s not like there?s been a huge development in that genre lately. Regardless of the media buzz, Richie Hawtin?s M_nus label has been one of the key players in the recent rediscovery of minimal techno. For a reason, as this fine label compilation proves.

Almost all tunes on ?Min2Max? sound very technoid, stripped to the bone and not at all comparable to the lush and melodic minimal tracks of other heavyweights of the scene as Lindstr?m or Ricardo Villalobos. The label name already prepares the listener of what to expect. Even though, M_nus releases are intended for the dancefloor, the search for the usual ?rave signals? will be a long one. The dancefloor appeal of the artists on ?Min2Max? lies more in the subtle changes they incorporate in their tracks. That said, there are some tunes on here that lack those changes and therefore don?t excite that much. ?Scatter? by Gaiser or the near 10 minute ?Have To Get Back? by Wink include very little movement and don?t go beyond the surface.

On the other side of the spectrum, you?ll find dry acid funk, as exemplified by Magda, Troy Pierce and Marc Houle, all three the most prominent figures on M_nus. You?ll also find more sound-oriented tracks, e.g. by Niederflur, reminiscent of some Force Inc. artists like Twerk or Mikael Stavostrand where every detail is of importance and all the accurately placed sound bits form an entity that is hard to get away from.

For the very best track of ?Min2Max?, you?ll have to listen through the whole 80 minutes of it though. ?Orchidee? by Loco Dice starts out unexciting, but gains momentum little by little. At the four minute mark, there?s an actual melody for the first time on the whole album. Even though, the rest of ?Min2Max? undoubtedly has its appeal, the last track of the compilation feels like a happy end of a movie, like the first sunrays after several cloudy days, which makes it stand out so much. 7/10 -- Stephan Bauer (7 August, 2006)