Scotland’s prolific techno and tech house label Soma serve up some good old-fashioned IDM on their latest annual compilation. While the 2005 and 2006 offerings were both double CDs, this one features just 11 tracks dating back from their December 2006 catalogue to present.

Appropriately-named graphic designer come music producer Martin Wheeler a.k.a. Vector Lovers, who released his debut album on Soma during ‘07, kicks off the album. Initially released on 12 inch in August ’07, A Field is a beautifully dreamy track with a touch of robotic funk, a marriage of both his early synth pop influences as well as his glitch contemporaries. Next up comes some good old-fashioned IDM from Black Dog, an October ’07 release from these established well-Brits. A reworking of their ‘93 classic Cost II, it swaggers just as effortless a lullaby as Vector Lover’s A Field.

Slam’s Azure (Part 1), a nine minute epic we reviewed in 2007 for ITM, is deep, subtle, hypnotic tech house from the label’s head honchos Orde Meikle and Stuart McMillan. With bending filters, climatic melodies, galactic space age sounds and emotive strings, it just doesn’t get much better than this. Repeat Repeat produces a high calibre remix of Let’s Go Outside’s catchy track I’ll Lick Your Spine. The second of two releases for Stephen Schieberl for the Soma label, but one of a massive discography from the American producer over the last decade, this track combines minimal beats with a saucy female vocal (“I’ll pull your hair/I’ll lick your spine/I’ll put my hands everywhere/I’ll make you mine”), and comes up as the album’s highlight.

Next up, Silicone Soul come up trumps with 3am, a moody harmonica driven track from their third album Save Our Souls. Craig Morrison and Graeme Reedie have been on Soma for almost ten years, kicking off with their debut album A Soul Thing in 2000. Emotive and atmospheric as ever they get melancholic, almost downtempo for something a bit different on this track. And much in demand as a DJ and producer around the world, with three albums (_Technoir, Dos_ and Volume Freak) under his belt, Glaswegian-born but Barcelona based Funk D’Void a.k.a. Lars Sandberg provides the second dash of vocals on the flirtatious Lovin (Your Body Mix), a stand out housier excursion on the compilation.

Next up, new signing My Robot Friend lends his voice to the marvelous No One Left To Follow, reminiscent of Karl Hyde of Underworld with echoing filters, slow-burning beats and ghostly whispers. Providing the first real peak time – smoky club and dance floor track on the compilation, the mysterious French born, now Swiss based producer Lee Van Dowski a.k.a. Renaud Lewandowski serves The Strike Pandemonium, a minimal loopy techno number.

Standing out like a pimple, Vector Lovers overhaul New Yorkian Howard Robot a.k.a. My Robot Friend’s, robotic cover of Blondie’s classic Rapture into a slice of robo-electro-disco goodness. In contrast, Alex Smoke’s reworking of The Unknown Wanderer’s Don’t Start Just Finish It, is more introverted, with distorted melodies, and chaotic beauty. And Lee Van Dowski returns with Tsack on the finale Asem, similarly minimal and driving as his last track.

This new offering for Soma showcases classic sounds from the label, as well as talent from past and present, and is a taster of where they are and where the techno scene is going. While it is a pleasing mix of sounds and varying degrees of energy it fails to somehow really cement in my faves list as some of their other compilations have.