Olaf Dettinger is one of the top-shelf producers on the Cologne, Germany-based Kompakt roster. Often bathing his ambient tracks in analog synths and lush atmospherics, he's equally capable of generating comforting bliss and discomforting paranoia. With 1999's Intershop, Dettinger became the first artist to release a single-artist LP on Kompakt, which followed a pair of 12" singles released in 1998 and earlier in 1999 (Blond and Puma). 2000 saw the release of the Totentanz 12" and his second LP, Oasis; in addition, his profile was raised by appearing on Mille Plateaux's all-things-glitch Clicks + Cuts compilation. In June of 2001, Dettinger performed alongside Jonas Bering, Closer Musick, and Tobias Thomas (who featured a Dettinger track on his Kompakt mix Fur Dich) as ambassadors of Kompakt at the Mutek Festival in Montreal, Quebec. The producer has contributed strong tracks for Pop Ambient 2001 and the first three Total compilations on Kompakt. ~ Andy Kellman