VARIOUS ARTISTS
Zen & The Art Of Chilling 2 (Mondo Melodia)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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"Chillout music is what, now?" A lot of people ask for definitions, and like Acid Jazz, it's not always easy to genre to define. Suffice to say there are elements of new age (in that the music is usually mellow in a dreamy way) and electronica (in that... well, quite often a PC is listed as a musical instrument), but the sounds are more organic, sometimes thanks to diligent sampling of sounds from around the world and sometimes thanks to the artists having actual bands that create the music naturally. Transglobal Underground is an example of the latter, and "Ana," a track from their 1994 album, International Times, begins this collection and sets the tone exactly where it will stay for an hour and 11 minutes. Yes, there are some tastes of different cultures here and there, but the basic mental cinema here is the same, it's addictive, very pleasing and perfect for unwinding to. In short, a well-matched set of high quality tracks that should put this particular compilation on your A-list of future purchases, should the concept of "Chillout" intrigue you. Happily, this is the second volume, and the first is right up there with this one in quality.

Track List:

Ana (Transglobal Underground) * Gypsy Tears (Balthazar) * Un Ange en Paix (Amina & Zohar) * Radio Axiom (Jah Wobble & Bill Laswell) * Paths (Robert Miles) * Invisible Rain (TJ Rehmi) * The Space In-Between (Bob Holroyd) * The Inferno (Emma Shapplin) * Sketches of Egypt (Zohar & Hakim) * Deniz (Sea) (Aziza A.) * Essence (Agricantus) * Ymb (Boozoo Bajou) * Detends Toi (Rollercone) * Round About Midnight (Gotan Project & Chet Baker) * Scent of Time (Dragon Chäi)

© 2003 - DJ Johnson