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Back in 2018, Lumière Noire celebrated its first anniversary with a compilation featuring fourteen exclusive tracks by an eclectic group of electronic musicians -- a family portrait of sorts (LN 015LP). A few months later, a second volume of From Above, compiled by the label's artistic director (and DJ) Chloé, once more brings thirteen established acts together with promising upstarts. The lineup for the second volume of From Above is again equally intriguing, offering a crescendo-like track listing. Marc Mélias's fascinating, unsettling "Permanent Waves" provides a serene opening. Pletnev continues on with the playful, hooky "Marco O'Polo", a fundamentally techno track built over a seductive '90s-inspired breakbeat. Douglas Greed supplies "Vancouver", a slice of ambiance à la Boards of Canada, supported by a gripping breakbeat. The rhythmic arpeggio of Israeli producer's Middle Sky Bloom makes his contribution a hypnotic, disconcerting slice of dark disco. Thomass Jackson, a safe bet in the new wave of the Latin-American electronic, proposes "Mithra", a dancefloor incantation to the Antiquity's bull god. With "Bells", Goldmoon delivers a track that is both melodic and nostalgic, tinged with rhythmic samples, Moog basses, and solar backgrounds. Longtime friend of Chloé, Krikor, offers a moment of respite with "Sally Hardesty" (a nod to fans of horror movies), a heavenly and bewitching track that, paradoxically, hints at the highly energetic second half of the compilation. Young French producer Morgan Blanc asserts himself here with "Werde Der Du Bist" ("Become Who You Are"), a song with luminous chords and midtempo rhythms to start the second half of the compilation. Galician producer, DJ, and designer Cora Novoa continues the rollercoaster's ascent with her "Virtual Aesthetics", which once again brings those acid tones. Equally corrosive, but tenser and more percussive, the uncategorizable NSDOS' "AL-G" attempts to give order to a chaotic electronic world full of violence and danger. Rebeka Warrior (half of Kompromat), takes on a more nostalgic vibe with "Ich Komme Zurück", a French/German techno chant. Theus Mago makes a solo comeback with "Idealistic Stone", a most acid of club tracks, rattled by the modulations of the inevitable TB 303. French electro-rock stalwart Yan Wagner's dancefloor alter ego The Populists' "Prehistoric Lemurs" gives an almost Orientalizing twist to Kraftwerk's techno-pop. "Instant Track", by impromptu encounter between Hervé Carvalho, Jacques Bon, and Demian named Acid Love Triangle, releases the pressure with a long, bittersweet reverie. Also features Middle Sky Boom.
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